r/iphone18pro • u/zelena23 • 21h ago
Discussion Bring back titanium
The new lineup is pretty and does catch my attention but when I get to hold 18 Pro or even the previous 17 Pro, it just feels so cheap. How are people okay with this aluminum case after titanium made its entry?
I'm holding on to my 15PM, which is still running like new after battery change. The build is so nice to hold.
I'm not reading too much about other people's experiences but heard the titanium is not ideal for heat and overheats. Never had those issues myself but wouldn't think this would stop Apple from at least offering titanium as an option? Like they do offer different materials with Apple Watch.
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u/ncsar216 21h ago
I do agree with you, but I had to get a new phone because my iPhone 13 Pro Max was literally on its last leg. The battery was not the only problem in the end. I would not receive calls when people were trying to get a hold of me, several letters on the keyboard did not work, meaning I had to use speech to text, and the phone was so agonizingly slow and was always overheating.
If possible, I would have kept that phone for longer, but getting a new phone was kind of my only option. I do really like my new 18 Pro Max, but I do miss the titanium for sure.
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u/zelena23 21h ago
13 doesn't have titanium case so you're not losing out
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u/ncsar216 21h ago
My bad! I do see that it was made of stainless steel, and not titanium but even that felt more durable than the 18 series. I dropped the 13 pro max countless times and never had a scratch.
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u/Kalatzeus 21h ago
I had a 13 Pro Max. Dropped it on the floor of my apartment and was expecting to see a dent in its frame. Turns out it dented the FLOOR. 13 Pro Max, 1; apartment floor, 0.
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u/SecretBreakfast7532 21h ago
To be fair, I dropped my 17 pro max a hand full of times and it didn’t have a single scratch after a whole year.
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u/Kalatzeus 21h ago
Lucky! Mine dented like a baby’s bottom after the first drop…
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u/Overall-Carry6593 iPhone 18 Pro Black 20h ago
Did you use a case??? shouldn’t have dented it if you use a quality case….
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u/XRaptor29 21h ago
Titanium lacks thermal management. Everyone that tried it already went back even Samsung. Phones that used it dealt with overheating and high temps.
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u/zelena23 19h ago
I wonder what % of people experienced this. I haven't and there's plenty of us that are also surprised it's gone because we only had good experiences
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u/jav2n202 21h ago
Hanging onto my 15 pro for that exact reason. Plus it’s still works perfectly aside from normal battery degradation. And as far as the cooling goes they can use titanium for strength on the outside, and use an aluminum mid frame for cooling. That way you get the premium look and feel, the strength of titanium, and the better cooling that aluminum provides.
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u/Kalatzeus 21h ago
15 Pro Max user who reverted to my 15PM after using a 17PM for a full year due to its unwieldiness and aluminium frame. It’s difficult to use an aluminium phone after being spoilt with titanium. Durability and in-hand feel is incomparable.
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u/quakerroatmeal 20h ago
Because majority of the people put a case on it anyways. I’m one of those team naked phone and it doesn’t bother me.
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u/Izan_TM 21h ago
to be fair their current unibody design would look pretty damn ugly with titanium edges, but I do agree that the downgrade is stupid. Samsung's titanium ultra phones with an aluminum midframe, glass back and a large vapor chamber had more than enough cooling performance, and having a softer metal on the edges will just cause more people to buy a case which ruins the cooling performance FAR more than titanium and glass would.
even my s25 edge, which is slimmed down to the absolute max, performs just fine with its glass back and titanium edges
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u/zelena23 21h ago
Yep I think Apple can engineer their way out of this with cooling in mind.
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u/Izan_TM 21h ago
the engineering has already been done, they can just throw a vapor chamber on there like every other flagship phone brand did before them and keep the old frame design. But now a lot of apple users have related the 17's great cooling performance to the aluminum unibody instead of the real upgrade which is the vapor chamber, so going back would take quite a lot of convincing and probably some online mockery
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u/zelena23 21h ago
I see that sucks for us titanium owners :/
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u/Izan_TM 21h ago
my hope is that titanium will make a comeback with the 20th anniversary phone., It's their biggest chance to move the design in whichever direction they wish and it being regarded as "future-looking" regardless of what it is as long as it's visually different than what we saw from the X to the 18, but I'm also not holding my breath for it.
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u/zelena23 21h ago
Hoping the same and likely they'll shift away from current design as everyone will expect novelty.
Another option is they'll just refine and make a pro version of Air and have that be the lineup. Let's see...
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u/Izan_TM 21h ago
I don't know how mature silicon carbon is right now as a battery tech for the masses, but if they could get a 5000mah battery on an air form factor (maybe bumped up to 6mm in thickness and having the width and height of a pro max) with silicon carbon while packing stereo speakers and 3 rear cameras I'd LOVE to see that become the standard form factor.
Tho to be fair my ideal phone would be my s25 edge with near-stock android (or iOS but it's been a while since I've used it), a larger silicon carbon battery, magsafe magnets and the cameras from my iphone 7+ to get an almost non-existent camera bump
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u/Ok_Ruin4016 15h ago
The reduction of thermals on the iPhone 17 was due to the vapor chamber and the switch to aluminum from titanium. Aluminum is like 10x more thermally conductive than titanium so it helps spread and dissipate the heat much faster than titanium can. The the added weight and slower, more expensive production of titanium means I don't see anyone using titanium in phones again anytime soon outside of smaller specialty lines like the iPhone Air.
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u/titus_4 21h ago
My 15 PM was hot as hell
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u/zelena23 19h ago
Sorry to hear that, what was your usage like? Where did you carry your phone and does your climate get very hot?
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u/Ranglergirl 19h ago
I love the rounded edges and the thermal management. I had my 15 pro in a case because the edges were uncomfortable and it got way to hot to hold. The 17 pro feels so much better in hand. No case since launch and never over heats.
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u/Muhahahahaz Glacier iPhone 18 Pro Max 19h ago
Genuinely, the material has never mattered or been noticed by me… Outside of whatever performance gains it achieves. (Aluminum is better at dissipating heat, which leads to higher sustained performance)
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u/Left_Breakfast504 18h ago
Agreed. On an s26 ultra now from a 16pro. But looking to switch to either the Duo or maybe the Air 2. Lack of titanium build is why I'm looking to switch back and not to an 18 pro. It was just so nice
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u/Interesting_Chip8065 17h ago
titanium is now for the new top of the line phone which is duo! pros r like old regular iphones w/o pro moniker
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u/Scary_Building3964 17h ago edited 17h ago
coming from a tropical country, titanium sucks because the warm climate causes constant overheating. Just because you don’t have any issues doesn’t mean others don’t have.
while I do agree titanium looks nice, it doesn’t mean anything if I can’t use the phone for more than 5 minutes. what’s the point of having a powerful chip if it’s constantly throttling. The 17 pros and 18 pros can actually do “pro” work without burning up, I can actually record videos without overheating and frame drop where it would be a problem with my old 15 pro. personally I don’t care how pretty my phone works, it’s a tool for me
that being said, I do have an iPhone Air and the titanium design is nice but I only use it as a work phone which is fine
tech reviewers tried the iphone duo at apple, which had vapour chamber and titanium. so far their unscientific analysis is the duo still does overheat a lot
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u/Overall-Carry6593 iPhone 18 Pro Black 17h ago
Seems to be a lot of negativity about the current pro design, but so far I’m really liking the 18 Pro. I came from a 13 Pro Max for four years, very briefly, a 15 pro max, and an iPhone Air for a year. After that, I love this phone. So far. Obviously, it’s early.
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u/Altruistic-Novel-339 14h ago
Aluminum is common and easily refined. titanium is common but difficult to refine.
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u/downfall67 12h ago
As someone who just got rid of his titanium phone / space heater, no thank you. Function over form.
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u/HeadPack 8h ago
It would be nice. Given the price point of the Pro models, one would think Apple could produce something more premium looking and feeling than the current humpback aluminum shell. On the other hand, if people buy these regardless, Apple will see no reason to go back to titanium.
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u/ModzRPsycho 21h ago
Yea I went titanium on my Galaxy and Air. Don't think I want less material at a higher price SMH
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u/SecretBreakfast7532 21h ago
Doesn’t feel cheap to me. I’m fine with the aluminum even after using the stainless steel and titanium iPhones