Apple could introduce some drastic and even controversial design changes with the iPhone 17 Pro next year.
According to a new report from The Information, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will ditch the titanium material, square camera cluster, and glass back completely.
Instead, Apple's 2025 iPhone Pro models will have aluminum frames, just like the standard iPhone models. Last year, the company switched from stainless steel frames to titanium frames for its iPhone Pro models, while the standard iPhone and iPhone SE models kept aluminum frames.
iPhone 17 concept photo.
The back of the iPhone 17 Pro models is also expected to feature a glass-aluminum design. The top of the back will feature a larger rectangular camera bump made of aluminum instead of 3D glass. The bottom half will feature a glass texture to maintain wireless charging support.
The report did not disclose the reasons behind these changes.
Titanium has been one of the key upgrades in recent iPhone Pro models, which is why it's surprising that Apple is considering using aluminum for its high-end iPhone Pro models.
Stainless steel is stronger than aluminum but heavier, titanium is equally strong but lighter. If this rumor comes true, the iPhone 17 series will have more uniformity across the entire product line in terms of construction materials.
Will the iPhone 17 Pro have an aluminum frame?
Aluminum is lighter and cheaper than both titanium and stainless steel, which may be why Apple switched to aluminum for all of its phones. Some reports also suggest that titanium is the cause of overheating issues in the iPhone 15 Pro, which could be another reason why Apple decided to stop using the material.
As for the larger camera bump, it could be because the new iPhone 17 Pro models will have larger camera sensors. Rumors suggest the new iPhone models will have a new 48MP telephoto camera.
