iPhone 16 Pro may have polished titanium instead of brushed

A new report claims that Apple has developed a new finish for the titanium frame of the iPhone 16 Pro models, with the brushed look of the iPhone 15 Pro replaced by “a more polished material.”

The switch from stainless steel to titanium frame in the iPhone 15 Pro brought three benefits, but not everyone is a fan of the rather dull-looking finish, and that’s something Apple may have addressed …

Apple’s switch to brushed titanium

Apple long used a stainless steel frame for its iPhones, which was polished to a high-gloss finish, as seen below.

With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, Apple switched to a titanium frame with a brushed finish, which offered three benefits:

• Lighter
• More fingerprint resistant
• Scratches are less obvious

But despite these benefits, some prefer the polished stainless steel look over the more muted brushed surface. Here’s a look at the difference. First the polished stainless steel of the iPhone 14 Pro:

And now the brushed titanium of the iPhone 15 Pro:

Some Redditors have even discussed the possibility of sanding and polishing the frame to get a similar glossy look to the stainless steel models. The general consensus is that this isn’t a good idea, though one did manage to get a good-looking result on his titanium Series 7 Apple Watch.

News aggregator Yeux1122 claims that the iPhone 16 may have a glossier finish (machine-translated).

Unlike the 15 Pro models, the iPhone 16 Pro models are said to have a method with improved titanium processing and color processing.

Therefore, there is a possibility that it will be changed to a more polished material.

Our sister site 9to5Google provides a clue as to how this might look – as the short-lived 2017 Essential Phone had a polished titanium frame, seen in the main photo, above. (We’ve removed the rear camera, etc, to avoid distraction.)

Which finish do you prefer?

If you could choose between a high-gloss finish like that on previous stainless steel models, the polished titanium look of the 2017 Essential phone, or the brushed titanium look of the iPhone 15 Pro, which would you go for?

Please take our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.

Photos: Apple/Apple/9to5Google

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