Vote now: Do you care about titanium frames on phones?

According to one of our polls we did almost ten years ago, metal was people's favorite material for phones. We did a similar one last year, and the results showed that people now miss plastic more than metal, probably due to the whole glass sandwich convention in the past couple of years.

Now, Apple seems to be baking something new with the iPhone 15 series. According to the latest rumors, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will sport titanium frames. It's not the same as having the back made out of titanium, but still, it could be an important step in the industry.

Many brands already use titanium for smaller gadgets such as smartwatches and trackers, but making a phone frame out of that material is a different feat. Actually, some of you may remember the original Essential Phone, a device made of ceramic and titanium. But the iPhones could bring titanium to the mainstream phone market.

There are a couple of things worth mentioning here. Titanium is quite brittle in its pure form, so we're talking about some kind of alloy in most cases. Furthermore, even though titanium is light and strong, it all depends on the alloy and the surface treatment. There are cases where aluminum alloys end up being stronger and lighter than titanium alloys.

So, making the frame of the iPhone 15 Pro models out of titanium doesn't automatically mean the phone will be tougher and lighter than a good aluminum alloy alternative. That being said, the new iPhones will probably be lighter than their predecessors, made of steel, and probably just as tough. Are we prepared to pay the premium price to save a few ounces? Let's find out!