We’ve heard that the iPhone 15 Pro may be enjoying some design upgrades when it arrives later this year, but there’s one change that may be of some hidden practical value. According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, the interiors of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have been redesigned to make them easier to repair.
Specifically, Gurman claims the innards have been changed to match those found in the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. It’s a change Apple didn’t exactly advertise, but was spotted by the repair experts at iFixit. The iPhone 14 has a removable glass back, and combined with a metal mid-frame means that you can open the phone from the front and back.
It makes sense this change would carry on for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. But if Gurman is correct, adding this hidden upgrade to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max could make those pesky repairs a lot less awkward — especially if you’re going down the route of self-service repair.
It would also make any replacement back glass slightly cheaper to repair, assuming it isn’t already covered by an existing warranty of AppleCare Plus plan.
If you want a back glass replacement with an iPhone 14 or iPhone 14 Plus, Apple will ask you to pay a respective $169 and $199. An iPhone 13 back glass repair costs $349, which is a pretty substantial difference between generations, and that removable glass back is likely the cause.
Right now the same repair on iPhone 14 Pro costs $499, while iPhone 14 Pro Max owners have to pay $549. That means an iPhone 15 Pro repair may get a considerable price cut thanks to the new design. Though it’ll presumably still be prohibitively expensive to have it done by Apple, and makes the $199 price of a two-year AppleCare Plus plan feel like a bargain.
Gurman’s report didn’t go into any further detail about the removable back panel, or the potential for increased reparability. However it note a bunch of other design upgrades that could be coming to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max when they launch That includes a new “low-injection pressure over-molding” or LIPO.
According to Gurman this will help shave the size of the bezel on both phones. Current iPhones offer a 2.2 millimeter bezel, while LIPO may grant the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max a 1.5 millimeter bezel. That allows for a slightly larger display without increasing the size of the phone, or maintaining the same size screen while slimming things down a little more.
Gurman’s report also reiterated rumors that the Dynamic Island cutout was coming to iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, instead of a display notch. The same goes for ongoing rumors that the iPhone 15 Pro models will be swapping their stainless steel frame for titanium — which should prove to be stronger and lighter.
We’re not expecting the iPhone 15 series to launch until at least September, which means we still have several weeks before any of these rumors are officially confirmed or not. But expect the rumor mill to ramp up as we draw closer to the announcement window. In the meantime you can keep up to date with the latest news and rumors in our iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max hubs.
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