Apple moved to a throwback design with flat edges for the iPhone 12 series, and that trend continues so far with the iPhone 14 series. All models of the iPhone 12, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 have had the same flat edges covering the phones. But if a new rumor is to be believed, things could change with the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.
According to a passing leaker ShrimpApplePro, the iPhone 15 Pro series may have thinner bezels and curved edges. Both design features can be combined to give the phones an “Apple Watch-like look.” And you know what? I’m all for it.
I like it curvy, Apple
Apple went for flat edges with the iPhone 12, which was a breath of fresh air after having curved edges on iPhones for years. It was beautiful to look at, but I never liked it. The flat edges look good, but they’re also not very comfortable to hold.
And this problem gets worse when you go with Pro Max variants of iPhone, as the edges start digging into your pinky finger. I am a dedicated Pro Max iPhone user because of my battery anxiety, but it costs money. I hold my phone in such a way that my pinky finger rests on the bottom of the device, and the bottom edge hurts my finger if I use the phone for long periods of time. And that’s been the case with almost every recent flagship smartphone, thanks to Apple paving the way in 2020.
Unfortunately, what Apple does, the smartphone industry follows. It happened with the notch, and it continued with the flat edge design. As a result, almost every smartphone launched in 2022 was a nightmare to use, personally.
That’s why I’m excited about even the slightest possibility that the iPhone 15 Pro Max, aka the iPhone 15 Ultra, will have curved edges. It also means Android smartphone companies are likely to follow suit and end efforts with flat-edge phones. I hope we see more curved smartphones in 2024.
The iPhone 15 Pro dates back to 2014 for “innovation purposes”.
In 2014, Apple switched to curved edges on the iPhone 6 from the iPhone 5’s boxy design. Back then, the flat edges weren’t a usability issue because phones were small and our holding habits were different. But it’s 2023, and if the latest rumor is to be believed, Apple is basically going back to 2014.
Samsung also introduced its Galaxy Note Edge, which had a “waterfall” style display on the right edge, in 2014. It was followed by the Galaxy S6 Edge with curved edges on both sides – something that has been appreciated by the Asian market. According to ShrimpApplePro, Apple will introduce curved edges with thinner bezels, but it will still have a flat screen. That’s good news for some, but it’s kind of disappointing for me, who actually likes curved screens.
In a sense, going back to the old “curvy” design is also a case of Apple admitting it made a wrong choice with the flat edges. And people have been vocal about it on social media, saying that the flat edges don’t make large devices good for usability compared to phones with curved edges.
Curved edges also make it easier to reach the top left corner of the device with one hand (if you’re right-handed) and vice versa. And given that iOS still has some apps with design elements on that part of the screen, it’s a welcome design change — even if it means turning back the clock nine years.
One of many changes for the iPhone 15
In 2023, the lineup starter iPhone 15 will be the star of the show. It is said to borrow the Dynamic Island from the iPhone 14 Pro series, which will narrow the gap between the base and Pro models. But there’s no word on whether the 120Hz refresh rate will trickle down to the iPhone 15. If it doesn’t, the Dynamic Island implementation will be interesting to see, as it won’t be as smooth as on the iPhone 14 Pro series.
The iPhone 15 series are designated to have the same screen size as the iPhone 14 series. It will also have curved edges. It looks like the primary differentiating factor between the vanilla models and the Pro iPhones will be the cameras, especially until under-display Face ID appears on the iPhone 16 Pro series.
Combine all that goodness with a comfortable, more practical design, and we’re potentially looking at a great year for the iPhone. It’s still too early to get for hopeful, but things look like they are headed in the right direction.
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