As we get into the holidays and turn our minds toward peace and love, the tipsters of the world have engaged in a bit of leaker-on-leaker violence.
Last week, it was reported by the generally reliable The Information that Apple is looking to switch from titanium frames on the iPhone 17 Pro models to aluminum, similar to what's used in the cheaper models.
The thinking is that Apple is looking to save some money, as aluminum is more cost-effective and eco-friendly than titanium. Aluminum is also lighter than titanium.
However, Chinese leaker Instant Digital, a usually reliable source, posted on Weibo that next year's Apple Pro models will not be moving away from titanium. Instant Digital doesn't say where they got their information. The post mostly refutes Wayne Ma's reporting from last week.
"The 17 Pro is of course still titanium, why would you believe it was replaced with aluminum? Think about it, it's impossible," they wrote on Weibo (machine-translated). "Looking back at the iPhone in recent years, Apple has always focused on promoting the high-end frame materials of the Pro series as one of its selling points, from "surgical grade stainless steel" to "titanium." How can it be said that it was replaced with aluminum?"
To be fair to Instant Digital, Apple has hyped up the titanium in the iPhone 15 and 16 Pro models, pointing out its durability and claiming it's "aerospace-grade." Previous Pro models featured stainless steel.
The leaker did not comment on any other changes in The Information's report, including a half-glass back panel and a smaller dynamic island.
However, a Weibo post before the refutation did mention next year's iPhone SE 4. They claimed that it would not be cheap: "Apple does not intend to make a cheap enough entry-level iPhone." They said the new SE will feature an OLED display, Face ID, 48-megapixel primary camera, 8 GB of RAM and the latest A-series processor, aligning with previous spec rumors, including a slight price bump.
As always, we must take these leaks with a few grains of salt. The Information is a respected and generally reliable source for manufacturing new devices, and Instant Digital has proven to be reasonably accurate with predictions in the past. We have some time until we get to see who is correct since the iPhone 17 won't launch until, presumably, September 2025.
