Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Last month, a report stated the iPhone 17 Pro models would retire titanium in favor of aluminum.
- A rumor now suggests that Apple won’t make the switch and will stick to the same material.
- It’s hard to predict which rumor will turn out to be accurate, as they’re both plausible.
With the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple retired the shiny stainless steel frame in favor of brushed titanium. The iPhone 16 Pro models have similarly stuck to titanium bodies, while the standard variants remain aluminum-made. Last month, a report suggested that Apple would drop titanium next year by switching the highest-end editions to aluminum. A rumor is now contradicting the initial report and claiming the iPhone 17 Pro will, in fact, still feature a titanium body.
According to the leaker Instant Digital on Weibo, the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max will be made of titanium. The machine-translated post reads: “Looking back at the iPhone in recent years, Apple has always focused on promoting the high-end frame materials of the Pro series as one of its selling points, from ‘surgical grade stainless steel’ to ‘titanium.’ How can it be said that it was replaced with aluminum?”
The leaker argues that Apple would have a hard time marketing the flagship device if it adopts the same aluminum body used for the lower-end models. However, while the company has undoubtedly been emphasizing the premium metals used for its Pro iPhones, it has gotten away with silent downgrades in the past. For example, it made a big deal out of 3D Touch when the iPhone 6S launched, only to quietly kill it a few generations later. So, it could realistically find ways to market an aluminum iPhone 17 Pro or simply ignore the shift in its press release materials.
On the other hand, it’s uncommon for Apple to change an iPhone’s build materials only two years after introducing a significant change. For reference, the stainless steel frame lasted for six years before titanium replaced it. So, jumping to titanium next year would be unusual. Ultimately, both rumors are plausible, and the iPhone maker could go either route and find ways to justify its position. We likely won’t find out what the iPhone 17 Pro looks like until we spot more concrete leaks or Apple officially reveals it.
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