If you were thinking about spending money on Apple’s new iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, you might want to think about purchasing a case.
The tech giant has admitted that the new titanium frame can temporarily change color without protection.
While the long-awaited phones were only launched a few days ago, reports have already circulated online that simply holding them can cause the metal casing to change color, suggestions that Apple has now officially confirmed.
Social media users have shared images of the new phones, which show significant discoloration, with the metal side bands collecting fingerprints and grease from users’ hands.
One frustrated user tweeted that the color distortion issues were “a little wild considering the price of this technology,” while another said they would “probably buy the 15 pro buying an iPhone for the first time” but were “afraid that that frame” will discolor. .
If you were thinking about spending money on Apple’s new iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, you might want to think about purchasing a case. The tech giant has admitted that the new titanium frame can temporarily change color without protection.
In a support document published for the new iPhone 15 range, Apple said that “for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, skin oil could temporarily alter the color of the outer band.”
The reason for this problem is that unlike the cheaper iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, the more expensive Pro range uses lightweight titanium instead of stainless steel.
While this material promises to be ultra-durable and super lightweight, the metal can discolor with routine handling.
Titanium has the interesting ability to display “interference colors” that can make the surface look like a rainbow when heated.
Through a process called anodizing, the surface of titanium reacts with air and produces very thin layers of oxides that scatter light and give the metal incredible colored finishes.
However, when you touch a piece of titanium with your bare hands, thin layers of oil from your fingers adhere to the surface and cause the same effect, scattering light into an unsightly slippery rainbow.
According to associate professor Walter Navarrini of the Polytechnic University of Milan, one of the main drawbacks of using titanium is the “chromatic alteration that the fatty remains of oily substances cause on the surface.”
Social media users have shared images of the new phones, which show significant discoloration, with the metal side bands collecting fingerprints and grease from users’ hands.
“Fingerprints look surprisingly bad,” one user wrote alongside two photos of the discolored phones.
However, if you have already shelled out the money to buy the fancier model, there is no need to panic as the metal does not permanently discolor.
As Apple says, wiping the frame with “a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth” will restore the phone’s original look by removing the oils causing the problem.
Keeping titanium clean is an issue Apple has been grappling with for several years.
Already in 2021, the company obtained patents for specialized treatments of titanium alloys in preparation for the manufacture of new finishes for iPhone, MacBook, iWatch and iPad.
Earlier this year, Apple also filed patents for a fingerprint-concealing oxide layer, intended to reduce the unsightly appearance of oily marks on new products.
However, the problem is clearly far from solved, as Apple’s previous titanium product, the Apple Watch Ultra, also experienced discoloration issues.
Despite these problems, the titanium frame offers significant advantages in terms of weight reduction.
The 5.8-inch iPhone 15 Pro weighs just 187 grams, 9% lighter than last year’s similarly sized 206g iPhone 14 Pro.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro Max weighs almost 20g less than its previous version, the iPhone 14 Pro Max, while also being slightly thicker.
Priced from £999 – £1,499 for the iPhone 15 Pro and up to £1,599 for the Pro Max, Apple’s latest offerings are certainly priced to match their high-tech build.
The newer models also feature other major improvements, including a more advanced camera, faster screen refresh, and a more powerful chip.
In another big change, Apple’s latest products also ditched the popular Lightning charging cable in favor of a USB-C port after facing pressure from the EU to make the change.
