It's been a whole five weeks since Apple released the iPhone 14, so, naturally, rumours about the iPhone 15, which we assume we'll see in September 2023, have already started. And the most recent one suggests Apple's next smartphone line-up will follow in the footsteps of the Apple Watch, and feature an iPhone 15 Ultra. And it will be made from titanium, rather than stainless steel, which Apple's been using since the 2017 iPhone X.
The fact that we won't know either way for almost another year shows just how excited people are by the prospect of Apple's new iPhone iteration – if you can't wait that long, you can get your hands on the current Apple smartphone over in our round-ups of the best iPhone 14 prices and the best iPhone 14 cases.
The titanium design rumour came from regular Apple leaker LeaksApplePro (opens in new tab) on Twitter, and it seems Apple fans across the globe have a lot to say about it (click see more below Tweet to see the full thread)...
The iPhone 15 Ultra will be made out of titanium.October 20, 2022
If the rumour's true, it's good news for anyone who's prone to dropping their phone. Often used in aeroplane components, titanium is seriously strong. It's between three and four times stronger than stainless steel at the same weight and its strength-to-weight ratio means it can provide the same strength as stainless steel at 40 per cent of the weight. This could allow Apple to either make the iPhone 15 Ultra either very light without sacrificing strength, or very, very strong.
We're not sure we want to know how much such a phone would cost, though. Titanium is one of the most expensive industrial metals, and it can cost at least ten times the price of stainless steel. That makes us wonder whether the rumours can be true, but Apple does seem to be seem to be searching for ways to justify more expensive products amid growing inflation.
"Inflation in the whole world, people even in first world countries starting to struggle to afford basic needs products. Apple: You know what? Increase the price for every previous device 30-50% and release an extra premium device! That’s going to work!" one person replied to LeaksApplePro on Twitter. "5K USD for 128GB?" someone else suggested for the price tag.
We've already seen some fan concepts for the iPhone 15 Ultra (see the concept from 4RMD (opens in new tab) above), but the only other serious rumour we've heard is about an upgraded selfie camera. For now, we have to take all iPhone 14 rumours with a pinch of salt. It wouldn't be the first time that we've heard supposed leaks of big changes for an iPhone only for the eventual release to offer incremental upgrades from the previous year's phones.
Apple's been making some controversial decisions with its recent product launches. iPhone 14. Some have written off the new iPhone 14 Plus as a flop amid reports that Apple is reducing production, while others think it was always designed to sell poorly. Meanwhile, the new iPad lineup is causing a lot of confusion.
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