iPhone 15 tipped to steal yet another key design feature from the iPhone 14 Pro

iPhone 14 on yellow background
The iPhone 14 uses a traditional glass rear panel (Image credit: Future / Apple)

The iPhone 15 is hotly tipped to inherit both the Dynamic Island and 48MP main camera from the iPhone 14 Pro, but we’re now hearing that another Pro-level design feature could be making its way onto Apple’s next standard iPhone.

According to the same Weibo user who correctly leaked the existence of the yellow iPhone 14, the standard iPhone 15 will ship with an iPhone 14 Pro-style textured matte glass rear panel, instead of the traditional glossy rear panel used by its predecessor, the iPhone 14.

Presumably, Apple is making the change to give its next standard model a more premium look and feel, though the move could also hint at rear panel changes for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, which are both tipped to be getting a titanium frame.

On a practical level, the textured matte glass rear panels used by the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max make these phones easier to hold than their standard counterparts, but some iPhone fans – this writer included – actually consider the latter’s rear panel to be more premium-looking (though it really comes down to your preference for matte or glossy finishes).

iPhone 14 vs iPhone 14 Pro models

The iPhone 14 Pro (left) has a brushed glass rear panel, while the iPhone 14 (right) uses traditional glass (Image credit: Future)

Regardless, the very fact that the iPhone 15 could be getting this iPhone 14 Pro design feature suggests Apple is intent on raising the bar for its next vanilla iPhone model. We’ve already gone as far as to say that the base iPhone 15 sounds like an iPhone 14 Pro but cheaper, so if you’ve been eyeing up the latter device as a potential upgrade option, we’d advise that you wait until Apple’s September reveal event before making a decision.

Not every iPhone 14 Pro feature will come to the standard iPhone 15, mind. The device is expected to retain the static 60Hz refresh rate of the iPhone 14, with Apple’s ProMotion technology – which allows for a 1-120Hz variable refresh rate on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max – reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The phone likely won’t inherit the iPhone 14 Pro’s advanced camera features, either, despite the rumored presence of a 48MP main lens on the base-model iPhone 15.

Turning red?

Three Apple iPhone 14s on a green background

The standard iPhone 14 debuted in five color options, before yellow was added in 2023 (Image credit: Apple)

Incidentally, the aforementioned Weibo user also claims that Apple plans to debut a series of new color options with the iPhone 15 line.

Just as the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipped in a then-new Deep Purple color, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will reportedly debut in a new deep red color.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will, likewise, ship in a new cyan color option, which should help consumers differentiate between Apple’s next crop of standard iPhones and its top-of-the-line devices.

Axel Metz
Senior Staff Writer

Axel is a London-based Senior Staff Writer at TechRadar, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest movies as part of the site's daily news output. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion. 

Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.