Subsequent yr’s iPhone 17 Professional and iPhone 17 Professional Max will function a titanium chassis similar to the present Professional fashions, opposite to studies of Apple adopting aluminum throughout its 2025 lineup, claims the Weibo leaker referred to as “Immediate Digital.”
Final month, The Data‘s Wayne Ma reported that Apple’s two flagship iPhone 17 Professional fashions could be the primary high-end iPhones to function an aluminum body for the reason that delineation of the iPhone lineup into Professional and non-Professional fashions.
Previous to the iPhone 15 Professional, high-end iPhone fashions used chrome steel frames. Then Apple launched a titanium chassis to the iPhone 15 Professional, touting it as a serious improve. Nonetheless, Ma studies that with the iPhone 17 lineup, Apple is planning to transition your complete vary of units again to aluminum.
Immediate Digital would not agree, although. “In fact the iPhone 17 Professional will nonetheless use titanium,” mentioned the leaker in a Weibo publish (machine translation). “Why would anybody consider it could swap to aluminum? Give it some thought — it is simply not potential. Wanting again at latest iPhone fashions, Apple has persistently emphasised the premium body supplies of the Professional sequence as one in every of its key promoting factors, from ‘surgical-grade chrome steel’ to ‘titanium.’ In the event that they switched to aluminum, how may they even promote it?”
It is unclear if the Weibo leaker has provide chain data to again up their declare, however as a standalone argument, it isn’t notably water-tight. The Data‘s Ma reported that the swap to aluminum is a part of a serious design change that features an aluminum higher again with a “rectangular digicam bump product of aluminum reasonably than conventional 3D glass,” with the underside half of the system’s again persevering with to be product of glass to help wi-fi charging.
Apple can also be no stranger to touting breakthrough iPhone options solely to take away them in later fashions. In 2015, for instance, 3D Contact was launched with the iPhone 6s as a revolutionary option to work together with the iPhone by means of pressure-sensitive gestures like Peek and Pop. Apple unceremoniously ditched 3D Contact and the capacitive sensors that enabled it with the iPhone 11 in 2019.
Immediate Digital has a blended popularity for accuracy with Apple rumors however has delivered some notably exact predictions. These embrace the 2023 launch of the Yellow iPhone 14, the frosted again glass on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, the Apple Watch Collection 9 being a minor refresh, spatial video seize on the iPhone 15 Professional, the addition of a panorama front-facing digicam to the iPad Air and iPad Professional, and the iPad Professional’s nano-texture show choice.
The iPhone 17 sequence is predicted to launch as ordinary within the fall, with new show sizes, a rumored new ultra-thin mannequin, ProMotion shows throughout the lineup, and extra.