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Key iPhone 17 Pro change reportedly influenced by Trump

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By Anam Hamid

Published: Nov 30, 2024, 2:33 PM

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro | Image Credit - PhoneArena

President-elect Donald Trump is ready to slap tariffs on China the day he sets foot in office. This time, he may be up for a rude awakening as China is reportedly ready to fight fire with fire using punitive countermeasures of its own. Companies could be caught in the crossfire of the trade war, which is why Apple and Samsung are already rethinking some of their earlier decisions.

A report says that next year's iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will abandon titanium frames, two years after Apple first embraced the material with the introduction of the iPhone 15 Pro. According to tipster Jukanlosreve, Trump's reentry into the White House is one of the reasons why not only Apple but also potentially Samsung, will ditch titanium.

Leaker explains why Apple is ditching titanium. | Image Credit - Jukanlosreve, X

China is the world's biggest producer of titanium and if the trade war between the East Asian country and the US intensifies, it will make the material more expensive. It doesn't help that titanium is already more expensive than stainless steel and aluminum.

Another potential reason behind the alleged switch away from titanium is that despite being more expensive than stainless steel, which is what was used for Apple's premium phones released before the iPhone 15 Pro, it didn't offer any significant weight advantage. The iPhone 15 Pro duo is only 9 percent lighter than their iPhone 14 Pro counterparts, for instance.

As iPhone 17 Air and Galaxy S25 Slim rumors have indicated, smartphone manufacturers are more into lightweight products right now. This seems to explain why Apple is switching to aluminum, which is currently associated with its non-Pro phones, instead of reverting to using stainless steel. To state the obvious, stainless steel is heavier than aluminum.

That said, stainless steel is more durable than aluminum, so it remains to be seen whether prioritizing weight over strength will be worth it.

Another potential concern that's not a part of today's leak is that titanium may be responsible for making Apple's flagships uncomfortably warm. While complaints about overheating have largely subsided after the iPhone 16 Pro's release, presumably due to the phone's new cooling architecture, they haven't completely died down, indicating titanium may not be completely blameless.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.

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