iPhone 15 Pro might get titanium frame, thinner bezels, and price hike

Some big changes are expected to come to this year’s iPhone 15 Pro lineup — but they might come alongside a price hike, too. In Bloomberg this morning, reporter Mark Gurman confirmed a handful of details that have been floating around all year about what to expect when the next iPhone lineup is announced in just over a month.

The new Pro models will both come with titanium frames, instead of stainless steel, making them stronger and lighter, according to Gurman. Their screens will also have thinner bezels, thanks to a new display technology, shrinking the size of the black border by about a third. (Earlier leaks show what that might look like.) And as previously reported, expect the mute switch to be swapped out for a customizable button and the Lightning port to be replaced by USB-C.

That might all come at a price, though. Gurman says he expects a price increase outside the US, and “wouldn’t rule out a price increase in the US,” either. That follows reporting earlier this week and an analyst note suggesting prices could go up by up to $200 when it comes to the Max model.

Gurman mentions two other big upgrades coming to Apple’s devices this year. The standard iPhone model is expected to drop the notch in favor of the Dynamic Island, bringing it more on par with the Pro models. (Previously rumors suggested it’ll be stuck at a 60Hz refresh rate, though, instead of 120Hz like the Pros — and virtually all comparably priced Android phones.) Gurman also reports that the next Apple Watch processor, the S9, will have a “fairly sizable performance bump,” marking the first notable speed boost since 2020.

Apple normally announces its new iPhones and Apple Watches in mid-September. They’ll be going up against Samsung’s new lineup of folding and flipping phones, which were just updated this week.