The iPhone 15 series might not get the design change we were hoping for

Apple iPhone 14 Plus hero HD
An iPhone 14 Plus (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Recently we heard about some exciting design changes that might be coming to the iPhone 15 line, chief among these being curved edges; but now it sounds like that change is far from set in stone.

That’s not to say the previous leak was wrong, but according to LeaksApplePro – a leaker with a respectable track record – talking to Forbes, the move to curved edges is under “strong consideration” but hasn’t yet been decided upon.

Forbes notes that the design of a new iPhone would usually have been finalized by now, so this uncertainty is odd, but it could be down to the current uncertainty within Apple’s supply chain, which could make a design change harder to pull off than usual.

In other words then, curved edges could be a change that Apple wants, but one that might be tricky to implement. Still, it sounds like there’s at least a good chance that this change will happen.

LeaksApplePro also had some comments on the recent claim that some or all iPhone 15 series models will be clad in titanium.

They clarified that it will just be the sides that use titanium – which is largely what was expected anyway, since wireless charging wouldn’t work through a metal back. Indeed, the back will apparently still be glass.

Of course, we’d still take all of this with a pinch of salt given that the iPhone 15 line probably won’t land until September.


Analysis: believable claims, but don’t count on every model getting titanium

The above leaks all sound believable to us, but in the case of titanium it’s probably only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra that we’d think will get it, as that’s a far more expensive material than the aluminum of the iPhone 14 or the stainless-steel of the iPhone 14 Pro.

At least one source has specifically said that only the top models will get titanium anyway, but other sources have been less specific, so it’s worth being clear on that.

As for the curved sides, the consensus so far seems to be that every iPhone 15 model will get them – if any do, and that is believable.

Apple could do with freshening up the design a bit, especially on the base models, which didn’t see any real changes this year, and unlike a change in materials this probably wouldn’t increase the cost, it would just help the upcoming handsets stand out more among the best phones.

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.