In brief: Apple's next new product showcase is mere days away and we've got a fresh batch of 11th hour rumors to hold you over until then. According to Bloomberg's well-sourced Mark Gurman, the higher-end iPhone Pro models will switch from a stainless steel chassis to titanium that is said to be more durable and about 10 percent lighter. The titanium will reportedly have a brushed look to help reduce fingerprints, a common complaint fielded against the polished stainless steel design.
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will retain their 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays, respectively, but they'll appear slightly larger than current models thanks to bezels that are about a third slimmer. Gurman said Apple used a new manufacturing process called low-injection pressure overmolding (LIPO) to create the narrower bezels.
Elsewhere, the Pro-grade iPhones will ship with Apple's latest A17 Bionic SoC that's built on a 3nm manufacturing process and paired with more RAM. These models will be faster but the bigger benefit will be battery life savings, Gurman noted. For reference, the current iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are rated for up to 23 hours and 29 hours of video playback, respectively.
The roundup reiterated several earlier rumors, including the transition to USB-C across the entire lineup and the action button that will replace the ring / mute switch on Pro models. We also know that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will have a new periscope-style telephoto lens that'll effectively double its optical zoom range.
All new iPhone 15 models are also getting an upgraded "U2" ultra wideband chip and support for faster wireless charging.
Apple's "Wonderlust" event is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Pacific on September 12. Should Apple stick with its usual playbook, we can expect to see the new iPhones go up for pre-order on September 15 and launch the following Friday. Pricing remains a mystery for now as we've heard Apple is considering a price increase on the higher-end models.
Image credit: Zana Latif, Rohan