Even though the iPhone 17 Pro just recently launched, Apple is already finalizing many of the key details of next year’s iPhone 18 Pro, and recent leaks highlight two user wishes that might be addressed by the new model.
#1: Fixing the two-tone rear color design
Among the flurry of recent iPhone 18 Pro-related rumors, one I’ve personally been very excited by is news of a design change coming to the back of the device.
iPhone 17 Pro uses a two-tone color scheme, with the aluminum finish differing from the glass cutout. Some users seem to like the unique look, and I suspect plenty are indifferent. But I’m in the camp of those who find it off-putting.
When early leaks of the 17 Pro showed similar two-tone designs, I instantly wrote it off as ugly and in no way reflective of something Apple would ship. I was wrong.
While the finished product certainly looks better than those early leaks, I’m still not a fan of the design.
Fortunately, this week leaker Instant Digital said Apple is working on a fix. Here’s a translation of his post:
The iPhone 18 Pro series features a redesigned back glass that minimizes color difference between the glass and the aluminum back panel. A seamless, unified look.
This corroborates a prior leak from Digital Chat Station, who alluded to the glass cutout getting revised on the iPhone 18 Pro.
How close of a match Apple can achieve between aluminum and cutout area is uncertain, but I’m hopeful that the 18 Pro’s design will move things in the right direction.
#2: Pushing battery life even further
Instant Digital also posted that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be thicker and heavier than the 17 Pro Max.
Apple famously leaned hard into the ‘Pro’ angle with this year’s new models, bulking it up to deliver the best iPhone battery life ever. It’s the kind of change that many users have wanted for years, and based on early sales numbers, it seems like iPhone 17 Pro is a hit.
So why not keep giving people what they want?
Even though the leak specifically references iPhone 18 Pro Max, it’s very possible we’ll see the same changes come to iPhone 18 Pro too.
Before this fall’s iPhone 17 event, for example, we were expecting a thicker, heavier iPhone 17 Pro Max, but Apple actually gave both Pro models the same changes.
I’m a big fan of the iPhone Air, but poor sales for the ultra-thin model definitely reflect most users’ strong preference for thicker iPhones with the best possible battery life.
Though I wonder how long until the iPhone Pro is too heavy and too thick for users, clearly Apple hasn’t reached that point yet. And the iPhone 18 Pro Max could be a great test of what users really want.
What do you think of iPhone 18 Pro’s rumored design changes and improved battery life? Let us know in the comments.
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