iPhone 15 Ultra to get a titanium casing, say rumors, and we are excited!

The five weeks since the iPhone 14 family launched has seen rumors about surrounding the iPhone 15, which we expect to see in September 2023, increase significantly. The most recent comes from the usually reliable @LeaksApplePro and says that there will be an iPhone 15 Ultra and that it’ll be made from Titanium. Titanium rather than a stainless steel casing that is, which Apple's been using since the 2017 iPhone X…

Two words spring to mind when we think of a titanium iPhone: strong and expensive. Manufacturing a titanium flagship would allow Apple to craft a phone that is seriously strong – titanium is between three and four times stronger than stainless steel and often used in aeroplane components. 

Compared to stainless steel, at the same weight titanium’s strength-to-weight ratio means it can provide the same strength at 40 percent of the weight, so Apple would be able to either build an immensely string phone or a very light one (without sacrificing strength). 

Less exciting, are our thoughts on costs of the rumored titanium iPhone 15 Ultra. As titanium is one of the costliest industrial metals (at least ten times the price of stainless steel) we don’t know, or rather dread to think, how much Apple would charge for the alleged titanium super flagship. 

The use of titanium would certainly help Apple justify a significantly more expensive phone, so we can’t write the rumor off as unlikely, especially as @LeaksApplePro has a good track record. 

iPhone 15: Rumors so far 

According to a recent rumor we can’t expect the long-awaited Apple chip to debut until at least 2025 and so Qualcomm is predicted to remain the supplier of modems for all iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models instead. Currently then, it’s expected that all iPhone 15 models will be powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X70 modem, which was announced in February. 

The X70 supports up to 10 Gbps download speeds (as does the Snapdragon X65 modem in iPhone 14 models but boasts added artificial intelligence capabilities for faster average speeds, improved coverage, lower latency, better signal quality, and importantly up to 60% better power efficiency.

@LeaksApplePro has already spread several iPhone 15 rumours, including the Dynamic Island to stop being a Pro exclusive and feature in all models instead and all models in the iPhone 15 series ditching the Lightning port in favor of USB Type-C. 

The Apple iPhone 14 sees the newer SoC on the Pro model only and @LeaksApplePro says this will also be the case next year with standard iPhone 15 models getting the A16 Bionic and the Pro models featuring an all-new A17 one. 

It’s alleged, again by @LeaksApplePro, that Apple will use a new naming scheme for the iPhone15 and that the Pro Max label could be dropped. This would mean we would get iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, and 15 Ultra – potentially in titanium. Additionally, this leak says that the 6.7-inch Ultra model (which would replace the Pro Max as we know the range now) could have exclusive features in addition to the larger display.

Finally, the prolific leaker has also shared that Apple may be working on 8K video recording support and that the tech giant is looking to improve battery life for the new series. It’s rumored that on the iPhone 15 Ultra model, Apple is aiming for the battery to last 3-4 hours longer.

There’s plenty of time for a slew of leaks and rumors before the iPhone 15 family launches – we expect this to be in September 2023, in line with Apple’s stand launch model. 

If you're wondering which iPhone 14 model you should buy, check out our iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro comparison guide to all four new models. You might also like the best iPhone for photography.