Apple’s titanium iPhone experiment may not be over just yet

Source Domain: www.cultofmac.com

Apple might be having second thoughts about aluminum on the iPhone. A few months after switching the iPhone 17 Pro away from titanium, the company is now reportedly experimenting with an improved titanium alloy that could fix a huge problem with the metal.

If Apple finds a way to make it practical, we could see titanium return to a future iPhone Pro. But the problem is that titanium isn’t as good as aluminum at transferring heat. Aluminum’s better thermal properties are likely why Apple moved away from titanium in the first place. Also, aluminum is cheaper and easier to recycle.

Titanium iPhone Pro may make a comeback

Details of the iPhone’s construction materials may be a bit esoteric, but it has important implications for topics consumers care about, like weight, cost, and environmental impact. Aluminum is light, cheap and plentiful but it also scratches easily. Titanium is strong and durable, but it’s expensive, hard to work and is not as effective as aluminum at dissipating heat.

Apple used titanium for the iPhone 15 and 16 series, but switched to aluminum with the iPhone 17 lineup.

But Apple may not have given up on titanium just yet. And the aluminum switch may have been a compromise the engineering team was forced to make.

It’s all about scratches

The titanium tip comes from the fairly-reliable Weibo tipster Instant Digital, who claims Apple is working on a new titanium alloy that might help address the heating issue while keeping the iPhone light.

It will also address another problem: scratching. Almost as soon as iPhone 17 Pro hit store shelves, users complained it was far more susceptible to nicks and scuffs compared to the iPhone 16 Pro made from titanium.

Improved scratch resistance is a huge part of the premium iPhone experience. Still, there’s a reason Apple moved back to aluminum. Modern iPhones are working harder than ever, be it on-device AI processing, console-level gaming, or ProRes video…

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