For years, the iPhone Pro models have had the same rear design with the camera modules getting larger through each generation. The Information reported last year that the enclosures for the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature a “part-aluminum, part-glass design;” furthermore, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman indicated, in his last-minute report, that the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature “a new cutout area on the bottom two-thirds of the phone that doubles as the wireless charging area.” So based on that information, it looks like this design trend is going to end with today’s announcement.
The new cutout area that Gurman mentioned will certainly be made out of glass to still allow for wireless charging; otherwise, metal such as aluminum would not be ideal for inductive charging since metal could interfere with power transfer, and thus could generate heat very quickly, which would be less energy efficient in the long run. That was why Apple switched to glass backs starting with the iPhone 8 and iPhone X models introduced on September 2017.
Another interesting tidbit is that Apple could use aluminum instead of titanium for the iPhone 17 Pro enclosure. Apple used stainless steel for the casings on the iPhone X, iPhone XS, and iPhone 11 Pro up to the iPhone 14 Pro models. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models featured titanium enclosures. Both stainless steel and titanium are considered more premium materials since they’re both stronger than aluminum. It seemed like a good move for the iPhone 15 Pro to switch from stainless steel to titanium since it was lighter and reduce the internal weight, or mass of inertia, overall. However, several customers initially complained that the iPhone 15 Pro models felt too warm to touch, especially for more intensive workflows such as recording videos, or even using them at full outdoor brightness. Even after a software update that Apple patched, the issue could still persist with both the iPhone 15 Pro / 16 Pro because of physics. The reason is simple, titanium doesn’t dissipate heat well compared to aluminum. Adopting aluminum, as well as a new vapor chamber, could allow the iPhone 17 Pro to dissipate heat more efficiently. Apple has made similar remedies to improve heat dissipations for its recent products. The M4 iPad Pro’s back Apple logo is made out of copper, and both the Mac mini (M4 Pro) and Mac Studio (with M-series Ultra models) both use heatsinks made out of copper, and copper is even better a dissipating heat efficiently. So it looks like Apple is learning from its mistakes.
Another reason to go with aluminum is that it is easier to mill out. Apple has done a phenomenal job when it comes to designing aluminum enclosures for its MacBook and iPad models, and that all started when Apple engineered the unibody enclosure for the original MacBook Air in 2008, which allowed Apple to be more efficient with the space inside the enclosure in order to make room for components such as a bigger battery. We saw that when Apple used terraced batteries for the 12-inch MacBook introduced in 2015. Even the camera “bumps” are part of the aluminum enclosure for today’s iPad models, particularly for the larger “bumps” on the M4 iPad Pro models. So designing aluminum enclosures for the iPhone 17 Pro models could allow Apple to pack in more advanced components that is just now possible when engineering with titanium. The iPhone 17 Pro models have also been rumored to feature larger batteries and even more advanced camera components to allow for adjustable optical zoom levels.
Sure, aluminum is a softer material, so it would dent easily, but the main point is that the pros outweigh the cons; using aluminum for iPhone Pro models going forward will greatly see benefits in the long run, especially that Apple has been planning for significant camera and hardware improvements across the board for the iPhone 17 Pro models.
We’ll all know the final details for the iPhone 17 models, so make sure you follow us on X, for live coverage of the event.
