Apple appears to be shifting how it treats the metal on its flagship phones. A leak from yeux1122 claims the company is testing a new aluminum processing method for the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max that, allegedly, will produce housings that are both tougher and cheaper to make.
The tip describes a changed alloy-refining routine that draws less energy and lets production be paused and restarted w/o wasting material. That flexibility is said to let Apple exert finer control over the final coating’s finish — which, if the leak holds up, could cut costs and reduce variation in large batches.
Part of the push comes from complaints around the iPhone 17 Pro: owners reported scratches and chips (the camera ring was often singled out), and a few color shifts that some attributed to coating oxidation. I’ve seen the forum posts; they’re noisy enough to spur R&D, even if not every unit was affected.
Technically, the new alloy should keep the thermal advantages Apple likes (i.e., good heat dissipation for the A20 Pro) while improving resistance to impact and corrosion. The same process is rumored to be eyed for a future iPhone Fold. Take it with a grain of salt — rumors move fast, and plans on the inside can still change.