Tech sites 9to5Google and 9to5Mac have a theory about what a polished titanium frame for the iPhone 16 Pro would look like: They show a photo of Google’s short-lived 2017 Essential Phone (above), which used that same metal in polished form.
Apple fans disappointed by the dull shine of the iPhone 15 Pro’s sturdier brushed titanium frame might want to save up for an upgrade later this year.
A prolific anonymous leaker reported that the tech giant could “use a method that improves previous titanium processing and color processing” for the next generation iPhone 16 Pro.
The change may be to address complaints from iPhone 15 Pro users frustrated that their new phone titanium frame had a habit of temporarily changing color when coming into contact with natural oil from human skin.
The new rumor suggests that a new look for the iPhone 16 could maintain the durability of the new titanium frame while restoring the iPhone’s sleek, vintage look.
“There will be no external scratches or scuffs,” according to the leaker, compared to existing stainless steel iPhone models, despite the “shinier” results.
A prolific anonymous leaker reports that the tech giant plans to “use a method that improves previous titanium processing and color processing” for the next generation of the iPhone 16 Pro; he suggested a return to a brighter, shinier iPhone. Above, the stainless steel iPhone 14
The rumor suggests that the updated methods will manage to maintain the durability of the iPhone 15 Pro’s new titanium frame (above) while restoring the iPhone’s older, sleeker look.
One upset user opined that the color distortion issue was “a little wild considering the price of this technology.” Another said they would “probably get the 15 pro to buy an iPhone for the first time” but were “afraid that frame” would lose its shine.
The leaked information came from ‘a source related to the company’ to the anonymous blogger’yux1122‘, which aggregates news and rumors on South Korean social media company Naver’s blogging platform.
The blogger has suggested that a brighter but rugged iPhone 16 Pro would be a logical response to customer demands as Apple fights to maintain its reputation as the most stylish mobile device on the market.
When the iPhone 15 Pro debuted last September, several new owners took to social media to share images of their new smartphones, ranting about the significant discoloration along the titanium metal side bands.
One upset user called the issue “a little far-fetched considering the price of this technology.”
Another said they would “probably buy the 15 Pro when purchasing an iPhone for the first time” but were “afraid that frame” would lose its shine.
While the titanium frame was chosen for its ultra-strong and super-lightweight properties, the metal also stood out for presenting, sometimes charmingly, ‘interference colors’, which 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.
But according to Associate Professor Walter Navarrini of the Polytechnic University of Milan, one of the main drawbacks of using titanium is that it can also cause the “chromatic alteration that greasy traces of oily substances cause on the surface.”
Apple introduced the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max in September, designed with aerospace-grade titanium that’s strong yet lightweight, promising Apple’s lightest Pro models to date.
The iPhone 15 also has a Super Retina OLED display, which supports Dolby Vision content with 1,600 nits of brightness. However, the maximum brightness of this screen is 2000 nits in sunlight, double that of the iPhone 14.
In other words, when titanium comes into contact with bare hands, thin layers of oil can adhere to the surface, causing the same effect, scattering light into unsightly, slippery rainbows of oil from fingerprints and dirty-looking smudges.
Tech site 9to5Google and its sister site 9to5Mac had a theory about what the rumored ‘polished titanium’ frame would look like on the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro: showing a photo of Google’s short-lived 2017 Essential phonewho used that same metal in a polished form.
In 2022, yeux1122 warned in advance that the iPhone 14 would not include improvements to the device’s “wireless charging” feature.
And true to the rumors, users quickly noticed that the iPhone 14’s design choices had actually made wireless charging with Apple’s MagSafe magnetic charger less than ideal.
“The camera bump doesn’t allow it to lay flat and charge,” one iPhone owner posted on the company support forum about a month later leak by yeux122. “Boo Apple.”
‘Now what do we do after spending money on wireless charging devices?’
This year, the leaker has already issued a wave of predictions about the Cupertino-based company’s internal plans.
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 post, the leaker suggested that the iPhone 16 Pro Max could debut with the longest battery life ever offered on an iPhone, and that iPhone 16 Pro models could come with 2TB of optional storage.
But despite some major scoops in recent years, the person or people behind ‘yeux1122’ has ‘a mixed track record adding accurate rumors about Apple,’ according to MacRumorSenior Editor Hartley Charlton.
Those less reliable rumors have included a resurgence of the small 12-inch MacBook design manufactured between 2015 and 2019, for which some long-time users of the brand are nostalgic.
The leaker has also claimed in recent months that an upcoming OLED iPad Pro will be much more expensive than Apple’s existing models, going from $1,500 to between $1,800 and $2,000, depending on specifications.