Among the various rumors about Apple’s new iPhone 17 lineup, one of the most curious centers on design materials. Apple will reportedly drop titanium from the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in favor of aluminum, and now we might finally know why.
Aluminum iPhone 17 Pro design may provide two key benefits
Mark Gurman writes at Bloomberg:
One other major change to the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max design will be a reversal: moving back to an aluminum frame after switching to titanium in 2023 with the iPhone 15 Pro. Aluminum is both lighter and dissipates heat far more effectively, which will be a nice change for anyone used to a 15 Pro or 16 Pro.
We’ve long known that aluminum was replacing titanium in the iPhone 17 Pro models, but it’s never been clear why.
Apple debuted titanium two years ago with the iPhone 15 Pro and pitched it as a premium feature.
Notably, though, iPhone 15 Pro suffered from overheating in certain conditions. I experienced this problem plenty of times myself, but never attributed it to titanium.
Though Apple did make some improvements to heat management with the iPhone 16 Pro, it’s still occasionally been an issue for me.
Gurman highlights weight and heat dissipation as two key benefits of Apple opting for aluminum this year.
And based on other rumors, it’s pretty easy to see why those benefits might be so important.
Why weight and heat could be crucial for iPhone 17 Pro
Regarding weight, both 17 Pro models are competing against an ultra-thin, light iPhone 17 Air this year. So as much as Apple can reduce weight on the Pro line, it will close the gap between models.
Additionally, the 17 Pro Max is getting a larger battery this year, which might make it too heavy if titanium was used again.
As for heat dissipation, in the age of Apple Intelligence and other AI tools, that’s getting more important than ever.
The times my iPhone 16 Pro has gotten hot, it’s been due to one of two things:
- Apple Intelligence features
- The Camera app
Top comment by Mac McIntire
Hmm, I have always felt I am a heavy iPhone user and I have never had an overheating issue on my 15 Pro Max. The phone can get pretty warm when charging sometimes but it's never triggered the phone to shutdown or anything. Also, I have only heard positive things regarding the increased weight of the titanium. I like the extra weight as it makes the phone feel more substantial and premium. Anyways, just my opinion.
AI will continue being a big part of the iPhone experience, with a whopping 20+ new Apple Intelligence features arriving in iOS 26. And all signs point to a big emphasis on camera upgrades with the 17 Pro line too.
Apple is rumored to be implementing new heat management components in the iPhone 17 line, but switching to aluminum over titanium seems like a no-brainer to further extend that benefit.
Taking all of these details into consideration, rather than asking why Apple is replacing titanium with aluminum, a better question might be: why wouldn’t it?
Does aluminum replacing titanium in the iPhone 17 Pro make a difference to you? Let us know in the comments.
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