Apple is reportedly hoping that .7 mm will make a big difference for iPhone fanatics as the upcoming iPhone 15’s screen stretch near to the very edge of the device. There could be more onscreen real estate for your fingers as well, as the Cupertino company may nix the notch and replace it with the Dynamic Island on all its forthcoming models, as it does on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
According to Bloomberg’s Apple guru Mark Gurman, the company is using its low-injection pressure over-molding (LIPO) technique to shrink the bezels surrounding the iPhone’s screen from 2.2mm on the iPhone 14 to 1.5mm on the iPhone 15. Gurman reports the LIPO technique might also be used on the iPad further down the road. The screen extending features were already used on the Apple Watch Series 8 to push those bezels to the limit as well.
The news does add a bit of credence to some rumors from last week that featured hyped product photos showing a near-bezel-less iPhone that also contains the Dynamic Island. Other leaker tweets from over the weekend likewise mentioned the 1.5mm bezel thickness. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Apple has been trying to maximize the amount of screen on its devices since 2017’s iPhone X. Samsung’s Galaxy line of phones has featured edge-to-edge OLED screens for several models now.
Gurman notes the regular 15 will get a new version of last year’s A16 Bionic processor used in the Pro and Pro Max, while this year’s beefier models will see the A17 Bionic. We’ve picked up on plenty of other rumors on the upcoming device, from its new titanium frame on the Pro and Max models, the dying hope for force-feedback exterior buttons, talk about an even more expensive “Ultra” edition, and of course the move to USB-C mandated by the European Union. There’s even more rumors the regular iPhone 15 could be getting upgrades for its camera, plus the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max could receive an “Action” button for quickly accessing a slate of features without swiping through dozens of apps.
Previous Bloomberg reports noted that inside sources mentioned a price increase, possibly due to the the move to a titanium body. This sat alongside reports Apple is ordering 85 million shipments of new iPhones compared to 90 million from last year, as the company seems to be noting a small drop in product sales. It reportedly shipped 40% fewer mac laptops at the start of 2023 than it had the previous year.
If you’re like Apple and you’ve obsessed over those few extra millimeters of screen size, then perhaps this news is exciting. For the rest of us waiting for something really exciting out of the Cupertino company, it doesn’t exactly scream “innovation.” Looking down the barrel of a potential price increase, the main selling point for the next premium version of the iPhone will be a sturdier frame and an action button. Oh, and USB-C, if you can get excited for the prospect of needing proprietary cables for fast charging. We might still see some surprises before September when Apple will likely share news of its next iPhone series.