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Poll: Would you prefer an iPhone 15 Pro with a stainless steel or titanium frame?

9to5Mac last week revealed the first CAD renders for the iPhone 15 Pro, which corroborated many of the rumors about the next generation of Apple’s smartphone. Following our report, a photo showing the allegedly iPhone 15 Pro with a titanium frame has surfaced on the web. Now we want to know whether you would prefer the next iPhone with a stainless steel or titanium frame.

Titanium vs. Stainless Steel

Since the iPhone X, Apple has adopted a new design for the more expensive iPhone models that includes glass on the front and back with a stainless steel frame. This frame is extremely glossy and rugged, just like the stainless steel used for the Apple Watch case and also for the back of the old iPods. However, stainless steel comes with some downsides.

While the material is undeniably elegant, it’s also a fingerprint magnet. You only need to hold your iPhone for a few seconds to ruin the shiny finish. It certainly looks beautiful in marketing images and in person when the phone is clean, but it quickly turns into a nightmare. Not to mention that stainless steel can scratch much easier than other materials.

For the non-Pro models of the iPhone, Apple uses an aluminum frame instead of stainless steel – also just like in the Apple Watch. The matte aluminum is more resistant to minor abrasions, but is not as hard and premium as stainless steel. So what other material options would Apple have for its next iPhone?

Well, the answer is titanium. In the past, Apple has already built laptops in titanium with the PowerBook G4. More recently, the company has brought titanium back into its products with Apple Watch Edition and then Apple Watch Ultra. Titanium is as strong as stainless steel, but lighter, and it has a polished finish that makes it look more premium than aluminum.

Top comment by IOI

Liked by 7 people

If they can figure out to make the phone all in titanium while still being compatible with MagSafe/wireless charging I’d be all-in for it.

If not, a titanium frame that isn’t a fingerprint magnet would be enough.

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This would allow Apple to keep the Pro (or Ultra) models of the iPhone with more premium materials while also addressing the fingerprint issue on the frame of the device. At the same time, an iPhone with a titanium frame would line up with the Apple Watch Ultra made of the same material.

We still don’t know for sure if only the frame will be made of titanium or the entire back of the iPhone.

More about iPhone 15 Pro

Based on the renders shown by 9to5Mac and also the leaked image, iPhone 15 Pro will have a slightly curved titanium frame on the front and back. The bezels around the screen will be thinner, although Dynamic Island will be the same size as on the iPhone 14 Pro. Other details include a thicker camera bump and USB-C for the first time on an iPhone.

But what about you? Would you prefer an iPhone 15 Pro with stainless steel or titanium frame? Let us know in the poll and also in the comments section below.

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Author

Avatar for Filipe Espósito Filipe Espósito

Filipe Espósito is a Brazilian tech Journalist who started covering Apple news on iHelp BR with some exclusive scoops — including the reveal of the new Apple Watch Series 5 models in titanium and ceramic. He joined 9to5Mac to share even more tech news around the world.

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