iPhone 14 Pro Models to Feature Tough Titanium Alloy Chassis

[jakeonlyfans]

Summary

iPhone 14 Pro Models to Feature Tough Titanium Alloy Chassis

 

Quotes

Quote

According to the report, the use of titanium alloy will be one of the biggest changes to the case design in the 2022 ‌iPhone‌ series, and Foxconn will be the exclusive manufacturer of the titanium frames for the high-end models.

If the report is accurate, the use of titanium in an ‌iPhone‌ would be a first for Apple. The company currently uses the material for some Apple Watch Series 6 models, and the physical Apple Card is made of titanium, but the latest iPhones are made of aluminum and stainless steel.

 

My thoughts

A friendly reminder that companies don't care about actually having low carbon footprint and are only green on paper. It takes courage to not put chargers in the boxes and preach about how environmentally friendly they are, but using a metal that has an incredibly complex refinement process and high carbon emissions is a new low.

 

Sources

https://www.macrumors.com/2021/07/26/iphone-14-2022-pro-models-titanium-case/

[dizmo]

Just because they are using a premium material that's resource intensive doesn't change the fact that not including the charger reduces some kind of "waste." That's a ridiculous stance to take. Also, they've been on a quest to get rid of all ports for ages, long before they said that it was better for the environment.

 

I doubt Ti will be used in all models, and it'll either only be on the Pro ones, or they'll have an option to choose titanium just like you can choose a titanium watch. That'd actually be pretty cool; having an iPhone customizer just like the watch one.

[jakeonlyfans]

Here is an explanation of why using titanium and being environmentally friendly are two opposite sides:

 

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

27 minutes ago, jakeonlyfans said:

It takes courage to not put chargers in the boxes and preach about how environmentally friendly they are, but using a metal that has an incredibly complex refinement process and high carbon emissions is a new low.

A new low that's going to be matched by every competitor the following year. Gotta love the mobile space.  

[Blademaster91]

Thats really ironic considering apple says they care about the environment, yet want to use a rare and difficult to refine metal for their phones, although its the same company that removes ports and pushes consumers to buy unrepairable earphones and tie in components with software locks like the battery into the phone.

Using titanium doesn't do anything for the phone besides make it look cool, which might be a buying point for apple consumers. But I don't care what the device is made of as I put my phone in a case.

[DildorTheDecent]

oooh Titanium , fancy.

[FrodoX570]

So overpriced metal phone, ok.

[RejZoR]

Common misconception is that titanium is almost indestructible material used to make impossible things possible. In reality, titanium is about as strong as stainless steel. It's core benefit is its lightness at that strength as well as its melting point which is why it's heavily used in aviation alloys because titanium has melting point which is 50% higher than aluminium. It'll be about as heavy as aluminium frame, but would have scratch and dent resistance of stainless steel frame. Which is probably why Apple is considering it. Another benefit of titanium is that it's hypoallergenic. Some people are allergic to nickel content in stainless steel and get nasty rash if they are touching it...

 

Also titanium isn't even that ridiculously expensive as people think. I have two classic wrist watches entirely made of titanium and one was around 300€ and other one was 450€ (of which large portion was movement cost as they are both solar powered with advanced precise movements). They both have so much titanium in solid case and bracelet links you could make like 4 iPhone frames from it. And when you're holding it it almost feels wrong because you see how much metal there is and it's all solid material and it weights almost nothing. Equivalent sized stainless steel watches are so freaking heavy holding these after is just weird. It's that light material.

[SADS]

Whilst I do value environmentally friendly products and practises very highly.

I think if I was to buy a product I felt I needed, I would rather it be longer lasting and not have to replace it after a couple of years.

If apple wants to use better grade materials in their construction, that's fine... but don't crap up IOS or force planned obselessence at the same time to make me need to replace the hardware sooner.

 

When I got my iphoneX a few years ago, it felt like a rocket ship...not sure if im used to it now, or if its slowly getting slower. But still feels like there's a good bit of life in it yet... especially if I pay to get the battery replaced at some point... still 85% health.

[Kisai]

3 hours ago, RejZoR said:

Another benefit of titanium is that it's hypoallergenic. Some people are allergic to nickel content in stainless steel and get nasty rash if they are touching it...

 

This is probably the reason, at least if it was being used for watches.

 

However for phones, most people are using cases, and most phones are damaged by the phone being dropped, which dog-ears the screen and shatters it. I have an iPad 3 from 2012 ("Retina ipad" model) that I dropped in a train station back in 2013 that somehow managed to not shatter, but the metal on the dropped corner has clearly been dog-eared. The only reason I believe it survived is because the impact shock was spread over more surface area.

 

So if you make a device out of a stronger material, there is going to be a trade off somewhere, either in weight or malleability. Personally I think mobile devices have been barking up the wrong tree, since you completely wreck signal strength by using metallic materials (which is why "glass phones" an "plastic phones" made sense) if you all forget about the issues with the iphone 4's antennagate.

 

With that said, I don't see titanium as a selling point for a phone.

[RejZoR]

It's also just the feel and how it's made. I had Xiaomi that was all glass and aluminium and it didn't feel nearly as good and substantial as iPhone XR. iPhone just feels like it's made of solid granit where Xiaomi, despite same materials just felt flimsy and light (not in a good way light if you know what I mean).

[Commodus]

Folks forget that Apple made laptops with a titanium chassis a long time ago, and the material didn't cost an absurd amount (the laptops were still expensive, but titanium wasn't really the cause).

 

 If I recall correctly, Apple switched to aluminum in part because those early 2000s manufacturing techniques created problems (the titanium had to be painted, for example), not necessarily because it was expensive. As we've seen with the Apple Watch, the company knows a lot more about working with titanium these days and can probably keep costs down.

[Zodiark1593]

6 hours ago, Kisai said:

 

 

So if you make a device out of a stronger material, there is going to be a trade off somewhere, either in weight or malleability. Personally I think mobile devices have been barking up the wrong tree, since you completely wreck signal strength by using metallic materials (which is why "glass phones" an "plastic phones" made sense) if you all forget about the issues with the iphone 4's antennagate.

 

With that said, I don't see titanium as a selling point for a phone.

Of those, plastic makes more sense as it is softer and can survive an impact much better than glass. However, it scratches very easily, pretty much killing aesthetic appeal in a matter of months. 
 

I can see why metals are desired, as they’re rigid and don’t mar especially easily compared to plastic, but also have some give in the event of impact compared to purely glass. 

[RejZoR]

1 hour ago, Zodiark1593 said:

Of those, plastic makes more sense as it is softer and can survive an impact much better than glass. However, it scratches very easily, pretty much killing aesthetic appeal in a matter of months. 
 

I can see why metals are desired, as they’re rigid and don’t mar especially easily compared to plastic, but also have some give in the event of impact compared to purely glass. 

I don't understand people defending plastics so furiously like they drop their phone 55 timers a day on the ground. Especially when I express annoyance that Galaxy S21 has a plastic back and it's a phone that costs over 800€ (when it was new). And every single time I got arguments about drops thrown in my face. I don't drop phones around, but I do place them bunch of times in my pockets and on desks everywhere. And plastics get all worn, scratched and nasty from just that. Glass looks like it's brand new and even if it has bunch of microscratches, it's still glass. And all the plastics are fancy rainbow things. Galaxy A52 with plastic back for 300€, fine. Galaxy S21 with plastic back for 850€, are you kidding me? And I'm already reading news they plan on extending that to Galaxy S22+ next year. Now even the larger more expensive model will have stupid plastics. What's next, Galaxy S23 with plastic back a year after? This is absurd cheapening on materials and I can't believe people are willfully defending it while shitting on Apple for removing the charger. Sure, it was a shitty move, but at least be consistent when bitching over brands...

[sof006]

What happened to the iPhone 13?

 

Skipped because 13 is a bad number? Is Apple superstitious? 

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

6 hours ago, sof006 said:

What happened to the iPhone 13?

 

Skipped because 13 is a bad number? Is Apple superstitious? 

13 is coming. The 14 is for 2022. 

[RejZoR]

I think Apple figured out it's best to have some official leaksters by "leaking" them some info so entire world is mad about iPhones because everyone hates them so furiously and they get talks about their products far more than with any commercial. Just seeng how Android fanboys get all riled up about anything Apple on GSMArena, it's the best commercial Apple would have ever wanted. It's just news how iPhone 13 will be released this fall per market analysts and leaksters. And I'm sitting here laughing given every single major iPhone release was every fall for last several years. LOL I guess we'll never know when iPhone 14 comes out. But a team of my analysts are predicting it's going to be fall 2023.

[captain_to_fire]

On 7/28/2021 at 10:45 AM, Blademaster91 said:

Thats really ironic considering apple says they care about the environment, yet want to use a rare and difficult to refine metal for their phones

Looks in the periodic table, I’m pretty sure most of the transition metals aren’t rare.. Quick google search says that it’s the 9th most abundant element on Earth.
 

 

[RejZoR]

There's plenty of titanium, it's just hard to actually produce in its pure form and then make alloys from it. For which you again need pure titanium...

[Blademaster91]

27 minutes ago, captain_to_fire said:

Looks in the periodic table, I’m pretty sure most of the transition metals aren’t rare.. Quick google search says that it’s the 9th most abundant element on Earth.

Still much less abundant than Aluiminium, I don't see the point in using titanium in a phone people are going to throw away after a few years.

14 hours ago, RejZoR said:

I don't understand people defending plastics so furiously like they drop their phone 55 timers a day on the ground. Especially when I express annoyance that Galaxy S21 has a plastic back and it's a phone that costs over 800€ (when it was new). And every single time I got arguments about drops thrown in my face. I don't drop phones around, but I do place them bunch of times in my pockets and on desks everywhere. And plastics get all worn, scratched and nasty from just that. Glass looks like it's brand new and even if it has bunch of microscratches, it's still glass. And all the plastics are fancy rainbow things. Galaxy A52 with plastic back for 300€, fine. Galaxy S21 with plastic back for 850€, are you kidding me? And I'm already reading news they plan on extending that to Galaxy S22+ next year. Now even the larger more expensive model will have stupid plastics. What's next, Galaxy S23 with plastic back a year after? This is absurd cheapening on materials and I can't believe people are willfully defending it while shitting on Apple for removing the charger. Sure, it was a shitty move, but at least be consistent when bitching over brands...

It only takes a single drop for glass to crack, don't put the phone in a pocket with keys and use a case if you're so worried about scratches. Samsung switched to plastic and no one seems to care, it looks enough like glass yet no risk of it shattering. Apple taking away the included charger and telling everyone they did it because they care about the environment is much worse lol.

[RejZoR]

9 minutes ago, Blademaster91 said:

Still much less abundant than Aluiminium, I don't see the point in using titanium in a phone people are going to throw away after a few years.

It only takes a single drop for glass to crack, don't put the phone in a pocket with keys and use a case if you're so worried about scratches. Samsung switched to plastic and no one seems to care, it looks enough like glass yet no risk of it shattering. Apple taking away the included charger and telling everyone they did it because they care about the environment is much worse lol.

Jesus, what planet are you all from? What "keys"? Plastic phones get all scratched and nasty just from the POCKET itself. And from careful placing on desks.

 

Also I just can't grasp people who say "then put a wrap or case on a plastic phone". So, I'm suppose to buy a plastic phone and put more plastic on top of plastic so it doesn't get scratched!? And if you want a glass phone, then tough luck, you can't. Why don't everyone else put plastic case over glass phone and let everyone else chose glass or plastic and not plastic or plastic?

 

Yeah, Samsung switched and no one cares because logic has left this F planet apparently if I base it on how stupid people not only dismiss it but fursiously defend. And no, removing charger is not worse. You can still buy a good one. Plastic back on phone is there whether you like it or not and I don't like it.

[captain_to_fire]

21 minutes ago, Blademaster91 said:

Still much less abundant than Aluiminium, I don't see the point in using titanium in a phone people are going to throw away after a few years.

You can actually say the same with any existing phone with a stainless steel frame or aluminum. Hence, making it a moot point. Titanium is just as recyclable as Aluminum fyi. Heck, people throwing away phones after a few years had nothing to do with the materials used. You can say the same for every cheap-looking plastic phone Samsung made from the first Galaxy S until the band-aid Galaxy S5. 
 

21 minutes ago, Blademaster91 said:

Apple taking away the included charger and telling everyone they did it because they care about the environment is much worse lol.

Does Samsung still includes a power brick for every S21 Ultra sold in the US? I don’t know why you and most people in this forum think that Apple is the only one guilty with wasteful practices that adversely affects the environment? 

[Blademaster91]

1 hour ago, RejZoR said:

Jesus, what planet are you all from? What "keys"? Plastic phones get all scratched and nasty just from the POCKET itself. And from careful placing on desks.

 

Also I just can't grasp people who say "then put a wrap or case on a plastic phone". So, I'm suppose to buy a plastic phone and put more plastic on top of plastic so it doesn't get scratched!? And if you want a glass phone, then tough luck, you can't. Why don't everyone else put plastic case over glass phone and let everyone else chose glass or plastic and not plastic or plastic?

Scratched from the pocket, what are your pockets made of?

As someone that puts their phone in a case, I don't see why not as carrying around an $800 phone without one is just asking for it to get damaged in some way or broken.

Maybe if we had repairable phones with a removable backing, then people could choose if they wanted glass, metal, or plastic.

1 hour ago, RejZoR said:

Yeah, Samsung switched and no one cares because logic has left this F planet apparently if I base it on how stupid people not only dismiss it but fursiously defend. And no, removing charger is not worse. You can still buy a good one. Plastic back on phone is there whether you like it or not and I don't like it.

Removing the charger is worse, you're still paying the same for the device yet you're getting less with it, a plastic back doesn't affect the phone unless you're treating your phone like a fashion accessory. Most people don't care or Samsung would have less sales of their flagship phones with a plastic backing, I couldn't care less as I'd rather have a phone that still works after an accidental drop. And you don't have to buy a phone with a plastic backing, however you don't have any choice if phone manufacturers stop including a charger.

59 minutes ago, captain_to_fire said:

You can actually say the same with any existing phone with a stainless steel frame or aluminum. Hence, making it a moot point. Titanium is just as recyclable as Aluminum fyi. Heck, people throwing away phones after a few years had nothing to do with the materials used. You can say the same for every cheap-looking plastic phone Samsung made from the first Galaxy S until the band-aid Galaxy S5. 

Stainless steel and aluminum being used in many other things would make it more easily recycled into other uses, titanium is difficult to refine and machine into a finished product, making it less environmentally friendly than aluminum or stainless steel.

And IMO the plastic back on the S5 was fine, especially because the battery was replaceable.

59 minutes ago, captain_to_fire said:

Does Samsung still includes a power brick for every S21 Ultra sold in the US? I don’t know why you and most people in this forum think that Apple is the only one guilty with wasteful practices that adversely affects the environment? 

Samsung doesn't because Apple stopped including a charger first, the smartphone industry being such sh*t copies whatever apple does, which is why I said removing the charger is worse. Saying apple isn't the only one doesn't make it any more acceptable as apple is the largest company in the world, and has much more marketing saying they care about the environment.

[Video Beagle]

I want a phone made of Vibranium. Or even better, a special Vibranium/titanium mix!

[RedRound2]

On 7/28/2021 at 7:36 AM, jakeonlyfans said:

My thoughts

A friendly reminder that companies don't care about actually having low carbon footprint and are only green on paper. It takes courage to not put chargers in the boxes and preach about how environmentally friendly they are, but using a metal that has an incredibly complex refinement process and high carbon emissions is a new low.

Wanting to use premium materials that actually has some advantages as opposed to another one is against enviroment friendly how? By that logic, we should completely stop construction and go back to mud houses and leaf roofs for building.

 

Being environemntly concious is about moving to alternate forms of the same things we do now, but that causes less carbon footprint, like EVs and renewable energy. Your washing machine and your car is still going to work the same way whether it was clean energy powerwerd or gasoline powererd. This does not mean we are going to stop rocket launches because "it's environmently not friendly". We just dont have another option there. Drawing parallels, do you know what would be better than having a device called smartphone? No phone - as that is more envronmently friendly.

 

Same thing with materials. There are some advantages to Titanium, and Apple being the trillion dollar company and creating demand for the material will also have a huge influx of more research, development and more efficient ways to yield the material. And they will probably take some extra steps in the manufacturing to make it more green - which they will definitely flaunt about it the keynote. Remember, our manufacturing technologies arent still in the 60s for your information like the SR-71 video your brought up. It's vastly better today and hence cheaper that Apple is considering it as a replacement for stainless steel

 

The rest of people here are the same in general "I will hate everything Apple train here". So there's an overly negative sentiment here for what would otherwise be "alright cool" type of news generally