Whether you’re planning on getting an iPhone 14 this holiday season or not, iPhone 15 leaks and rumors aren’t going to wait!
Some of the most exciting iPhone 15 series leaks we’ve had so far hint at a periscope zoom camera for at least one iPhone 15 model, Dynamic Island for all four 2023 iPhones, (finally) a new 3nm chip for the Pro models, and, of course, the one that dominates all the rumors – a USB-C charging port across the entire iPhone 15 line (with faster charging and data transfer speeds for the top models range).
So let’s see why the iPhone 15 might go back to the round design and why Apple’s flagships in 2023 might finally switch from aluminum and stainless steel to…titanium!
iPhone 15 new round design – Will Apple be inspired by the iPhone 5C, the iPhone X or… the Google Pixel?
Before we talk about why the iPhone 15 might get rounder and more titanium, it makes sense to take a look at the kind of round design Apple might be going for here! tipster ShrimpApplePro says he’ll keep an eye out for more information, but that motto he doesn’t know exactly more than that “iPhone 15 will feature a new border design – rounded at the back, not square.”
So I just had to guess what Apple’s intended design might be.
Apple might make the iPhone 15 look like a modern iPhone X, but that wouldn’t be very “new,” would it?
The other possibility is that Apple is going for something completely different from what the company has done before and taking inspiration from Android! The phones I’m thinking of in particular are Google’s original Pixel and the Pixel 2.
Either way, that or the slightly more conservative design (but still with a flat part of the frame) of the Pixel 2 would actually allow Apple to keep its frame “flat” but also to make the new iPhone 15 models considerably more comfortable to hold, since the very back of the frame would be rounded (just like the promise of leaks).
My personal bet is exactly on a new Android-inspired design, which isn’t a 1:1 copy of the iPhone 5C or iPhone X, but let’s see.
All the reasons why the iPhone 15 should go back to a rounded design and titanium build – it was a matter of time (and cycles)!
Now I don’t want to be that guy, but I’ve been sitting on this iPhone redesign story for a few months now… Sure, now that the first leak about an iPhone 15 redesign is out, it’s a little easier to talk about with a little more perspective, so let’s go! Really, it was always intended (at least for those who follow Apple) that the iPhone would eventually return to a rounded design! The first reason is due to how Apple’s design cycles work, especially in the recent past…
- iPhone 6, iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 shared an identical design
- iPhone X, iPhone XS and iPhone 11 also looked identical
- iPhone 12, iPhone 13 and now iPhone 14 basically look the same
So if we look beyond the iPhone 6S, which I purposely left out, Tim Cook & Co has tended to roll around with the same design for about three years, making rumors of a new iPhone 15 titanium with rounded edges all the more likely to survive!
That being said, Cupertino’s upgrade cycles are one thing, but there are a few other practical reasons for the iPhone 15 to arrive with a new look…
iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are too heavy and uncomfortable to use with one hand – it’s time for a change
For starters, in case you haven’t noticed, recent iPhones are getting bigger and heavier! And do you know what doesn’t help phones that get bigger and heavier? Flat edges and stainless steel!
Although the industrial aesthetic of my iPhone 14 Pro and even my The iPhone 13 mini helps them look badass, Apple’s new iPhones are significantly less ergonomic to hold and use than my iPhone 6S and iPhone 8. I remind myself that every time I have to turn on my iPhone 8 to make sure it still works well.
Speaking of weight, titanium is known to be significantly lighter than the stainless steel used by Apple for the iPhone Pro, although heavier than the aluminum used in vanilla iPhones. My hunch here is that thanks to this, the new titanium chassis would be reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra models.
The iPhone 14’s repetitive design doesn’t look as fresh as it does in 2020
For the last reason I think it’s time for a design change… My iPhone 14 Pro is just starting to look tired next to some Android phones!
I just can’t help but notice how the triangular camera design and muted colors of the current iPhone 14 Pro look next to the super fresh and bold look of my Google Pixel 6 Pro (Sorta Sunny) or even other Android flagships like the Oppo Find X5 Pro and its ceramic construction and seamless back, or the leather version of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, making it look like a real Leica camera. It all goes hand in hand with the whole design cycle, but I already miss the current aesthetic of the iPhone. It’s not just the functional aspect of the design (the weight and the sharp edges), but the appearance of the iPhones!
Apple is returning to a rounded iPhone design – will Android copy like it did when the iPhone 12 went flat?
I’d like to end by reminding everyone how quickly Android phone makers (with very few exceptions) embraced the flat-edge design of the iPhone 12 when it debuted in 2020… Of course, it’s no surprise that this happened, but he certainly didn’t make me happy.
I don’t care which company copies what – as long as it’s for the best, it doesn’t matter! It’s just that a less comfortable design wasn’t exactly something Android needed to take from the iPhone (especially among other hardware aspects like MagSafe and an alert slider). Although I get the fashion statement.
Ironically, that’s why I now hope Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, Oppo, Vivo, etc., will take another page from Apple’s book (of course, if it’s written in the first place) and get back to making more comfortable phones!
Otherwise, Android would be stuck with what is one of the worst hardware traits of the iPhone (in my opinion).
