For as long as smartphones have existed, manufacturers have been trying to shrink the bezels around the edge of the screens. With the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple is set to take another step forwards, with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently revealing that the phone’s border will shrink to just 1.5mm.
This is apparently possible due to Apple’s introduction of LIPO — low-injection pressure over-molding — a technology previously implemented with the Apple Watch 7, which made a huge difference to the amount that could be displayed on screen.
Of course, it will be considerably less dramatic on a 6.1-inch smartphone panel than it was on a 1.9-inch smartwatch display, but it’s still a welcome improvement. And it’s interesting to reflect on exactly how far Apple has come in the six years since the company went all-in on the full-screen design with 2017’s iPhone X.
At 9to5Mac, Ian Zelbo has mocked up what the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max bezels look like, and compared them to recent handsets. And while the 1.5mm iPhone 15 Pro isn’t a huge advance on the bezels of the 2.2mm iPhone 14 Pro…
…it’s nearly halved from the 4.13mm border of the 5.8-inch iPhone X:
This was a handset that looked positively futuristic at the time, and it was the expensive $999 option at a time when Apple also provided the iPhone 8 and its more familiar Home button for those on a budget.
The first Pro handset, the iPhone 11 Pro, had bezels that were marginally larger. But you can see that from the iPhone 12 Pro onwards, Apple was on a mission to shrink the bezel with reductions noticeable on the 14 series, and again for the upcoming 15.
Of course, reduced bezels are only a small part of the iPhone 15 Pro package, and those upgrading can look forward to a stronger and lighter titanium frame, a significantly faster processor, an action button replacing the mute switch, the introduction of USB-C charging and a periscope zoom lens if opting for the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max.
All of this is expected to come with a price increase, however, even within the United States which was insulated from last year’s hikes.
If past form is anything to go by, the iPhone 15 family should be officially unveiled next month. Hopefully, Apple will name the date very soon.
