Apple says the new titanium material itself is aerospace-grade, and goes through a precision machining, sanding and blasting process to create the pristine brushed finish. The titanium joins with the thin screen bezel with a new contoured edge. The titanium exterior is fused to an internal aluminum enclosure.
But it’s the decision to switch from stainless steel to titanium that yields the change in weight.
iPhone 15 Pro weight difference
Last year’s iPhone 14 Pro weighed 206 grams. The new iPhone 15 Pro weighs just 187 grams, or about 9% less.
The larger 6.7-inch Pro Max is also significantly lighter thanks to the switch to titanium. iPhone 14 Pro Max weighed 240 grams. iPhone 15 Pro Max weighs 221 grams, or about 8% less.
For each size, that’s a total weight reduction of 19 grams. That’s about the weight of two half-dollar coins.
In its marketing materials, Apple says that the difference in weight of the Pro phones is instantly noticeable “the moment you pick one up”. For customers that have complained of the ever-increasing heft of iPhone models of recent years, this is certainly a welcome shift in the opposite direction.
(The base model iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus rated weight specs are negligibly different to the previous generation, as those phones use the same aluminum and glass design as before.)