Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Carbon fiber partly screens the operators' signal, gps and bluetooth, this means having hw that works worse, it warms up more, it's a larger battery. Carbon fiber creates more problems than it solves.

True, it would be aramid fiber (Kevlar) instead.
 
My new $87K EV Ford truck is made of aluminum - no longer steel.

Found out when I tried to use a magnetic antenna mount on it and it fell off.

Maybe Apple will make phones made out of Lithium metal - super light, like magnesium used to be in engine blocks until they caught on fire...

All F-Series have used aluminum for cab and body panels since the 2015 redesign.

The frames are steel
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4sallypat
I like the iPhone heavy.. Heavy = Quality. I don’t understand why people think the iPhone is heavy. Is it giving you fatigue? It’s only 8.47 ounces!!! Y’all are complaining about that for the pro max? Excessively heavy?

I tend to agree, the Pros feel more premium in the hand than something like an S22 Ultra largely because that extra 10-20 grams of weight and the perception of density the steel gives.

Kind of like comparing a Rolex to a Timex
 
I really don't get this whole stainless steel thing. The difference in protection is negligible if at all. To me it looks horrible, way too shiny but that doesn't matter at the end as almost everyone uses a case. So all we get is a heavier phone. I would love to buy a pro model even at the these prices but for me it's just too heavy.
I don't see the need for innovation here, the non pro models are okay when it comes to weight. There is enough differentiation between pro and non-pro.
 
I much prefer aluminum because is lighter and cheaper. Apple watch ultras is double the weight than watch 8 sport…

The Ultra isn't double the weight just because of material choices though. The Ultra is physically huge.

Stainless steel - 7.93 g/cm3
Titanium - 4.51 g/cm3
Aluminum - 2.81 g/cm3

For knife handles and watches I would absolutely take Titanium over either Stainless Steel or Aluminum.
I've always felt Titanium hit the sweet spot for durability to weight in EDC items.
 
  • Like
Reactions: karen999
“Why you consider aluminum a premium material in ipads pro or macbook pro but not in an iphone?”


Because Apple has marketed it that way, and bc the competition insists on using plastic, which aluminum looks a lot better than.

To be clear—if Apple wanted to, it could make its pro phones aluminum in a hot minute and at this point people would celebrate. Hell, they might be waiting to do just that.

The only people wrong on this thread are the blustery folks saying “there’s no issue, get over it”. You can clearly track that they keep getting heavier, and it is clearly an issue. I would suspect that it will keep getting worse…and then Apple will use it as an opportunity for a big change—either a new up-marketed aluminimum, titanium, some kind of weight reduction. But if it has gotten this far, I bet they do it all at once, as a feature, not a bug, for a new phone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: klasma
Want a better camera?

Want better battery life?

Want better performance?

Want more features?

Want more durability?

Nothing comes for free. All of these things take space and have weight. I expect device weights to continue increasing.

A switch to titanium would be welcome for weight, but would consumers be willing to pay considerably higher prices than they already pay? Current prices for Pro models are already high—nearly $2,000 for a phone with taxes and AppleCare alone. I think we are at or near the limit of what the market will bear in terms of costs.

There is arguably a point where a device will become too heavy for most, but we are not there yet. Until we get to that point, I’m not sure things are going to change.
Great post .

Titanium is also very prone to scratches.
 
I really don't get this whole stainless steel thing. The difference in protection is negligible if at all. To me it looks horrible, way too shiny but that doesn't matter at the end as almost everyone uses a case. So all we get is a heavier phone. I would love to buy a pro model even at the these prices but for me it's just too heavy.
I don't see the need for innovation here, the non pro models are okay when it comes to weight. There is enough differentiation between pro and non-pro.

The S22 Ultra is 229 grams with an aluminum and glass chassis.
The 14 Pro Max is 240 grams with a stainless steel and glass chassis.

IMO, swapping the Pro Max chassis from 316L to aluminum alone would not get it down to the 203 grams of the 14 Plus.

I'd wager swapping the PM's stainless frame for an aluminum frame alone would only knock ~20 grams off the PM's weight and then you get that low density "toy feel" in hand and a more easily deformed aluminum frame for 20 grams of weight loss.

That's a hard pass for me
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: internetrando
Time to start working out if you believe iphones have any weight worth considering, maybe this will help you with device addiction as well, since someone who truely believes this, has a problem.
 
Raw titanium vs production ready titanium. I think you should be able to figure out they are not the same thing.
You should be able to figure out it’s not really any different that using other materials. Easier than others that they’ve already used. No real cost difference. The problem with titanium is 1) it’s softer and will scratch easier 2) it retains heat much more. That’s all and that’s the reasons they don’t use it. Anyone that thinks it’s going to double the cost of a phone is just fooling themselves.
 
  • Like
Reactions: klasma
Time to start working out if you believe iphones have any weight worth considering, maybe this will help you with device addiction as well, since someone who truely believes this, has a problem.
The ability to lift something isn’t the issue for a single person it’s the comfort in doing so. I love my mini because I hold it in my hand when I go do my 5mile runs and you can definitely feel the difference over time.
 
I used an iPhone 7 (jet black 🙌) as a burner phone after trading in my iPhone 13 PM whilst waiting for the new Pros to come out and it made me realise how much heavier iPhones have become with all the iterations/advances in technology such as the camera…would love all the features we have now with the same weight as the 7 (fat chance of that anytime soon 😭).
 
I used an iPhone 7 (jet black 🙌) as a burner phone after trading in my iPhone 13 PM whilst waiting for the new Pros to come out and it made me realise how much heavier iPhones have become with all the iterations/advances in technology such as the camera…would love all the features we have now with the same weight as the 7 (fat chance of that anytime soon 😭).
That’s also because they weren’t using stainless
 
That’s also because they weren’t using stainless
I get the change in materials but my iPhone 7 is in perfect condition still after all these years (was in a thin case but in past few years been using it naked). Is there another benefit for stainless steel except durability? Does it help with the antennae?
 
People have different preferences on the weight of the phone, but now that the phone's weight already feels "premium" enough, you would think Apple will start to shrink the weight again as a selling point for future iPhones. I lift weights but it does not mean I like using heavier phones.
If Apple does use different materials to reduce the weight of the case there are various ways it could go from there.

I agree with a few other comments here that an iPhone Ultra using fancier materials e.g. Titanium and very probably some other features to differentiate it further from the Pro might well be a possibility and if Apple did that then it might indeed feel that the current weight makes a phone feel "premium" so instead of using the weight reduction of the case to reduce the overall phone weight it could use it to make the internals heavier so maybe the Ultra might have a much bigger battery with the increased weight of the battery offset by the reduced weight of the casing. To do that Apple would probably have to make the main body of the phone a bit thicker. Personally I wouldn't mind that, in fact I would welcome it because it would make the huge camera bump at least somewhat less prominent, but that then widens the debate about what makes a phone feel premium, not just (arguably) some degree of heft (weight) but does sleek and thin imply premium to some people whereas if it gets thicker some people start viewing it as clunky and low end? I hope not because I would be quite happy if Apple did go in the direction I just outlined.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bc 08
That’s also because they weren’t using stainless

Partially but far from the only reason for the weight increase.

See the weights of the other (aluminum framed) 6.7-6.8-inch flagships for evidence.

Bigger batts, more cameras, etc have added considerable weight themselves.
 
Might be smart for them to market the standard iPhone as the air model. They could strip some features out and spin it as a positive.

For the pro, I don't think it's a priority. If they can make some reductions based on tech advancements, great. If not, I don't think they'll look to either increase the price or decrease other features to make it happen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ryan1524
I have decided to open a thread exclusive to this topic. Regarding iPads & Macs, they released iPad Air and Macbook Air some year ago and now are the most popular options. Customers really value more comfortable devices to live with and leave inconvenience of Pro models to people that are going to take advance to the differential features.

However, in Iphones (and now watches) all year the weight of devices is increased more a more and it seems that 14 & 14 plus models are never recommended by reviews. This Friday I received “my” new iphone 14 PM (coming from 11 PM) and the feel when I hold it for first time was shocking. How is possible that someone really feel this device comfortable to use? Of course you can learn to get used to it, but no one can say “I really like this characteristic or I’m happy with it”. Why apple does not invest in other materials like magnesium/titanium or use aluminum 7000 to decrease weight?? I’m very frustrated because I don’t want to reduce screen to 6,1” (pro model) an 14 PM is excessively heavy 🤦🏼‍♂️
You must be very weak that that want the phones to be light as paper. Shees come on they’re not heavy. iPhones are supposed to have stuff inside them. DUH.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.