iPhone 15 Pro looks like the biggest leap since iPhone X — here’s why

iPhone 15 Pro render next to photo of iPhone X — (Image credit: Ice Universe / Twitter, Tom's Guide)

At a time when other smartphone makers are rolling out iterative upgrades — see my Galaxy Z Fold 5 review — Apple looks to be making a big leap with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. In fact, the new iPhones could represent the biggest changes since the iPhone X back in 2017.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the iPhone 15 Pro lineup will get Apple closer to the "company's dream iPhone." We're talking about a full-screen iPhone with no borders and no cutouts. And while we're not there yet, it looks like we're getting closer.

iPhone 15 Pro should have thinnest bezels ever

iPhone 15 Pro renders show off rumored volume button design — (Image credit: MacRumors/@Unknownz21)

So how is Apple going to do this? This new report details how Apple could shrink the bezels on the iPhone 15 Pro series by as much as a third — and they were already fairly thin. Gurman says that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will have displays made using new technology called low-injection pressure over-molding, or LIPO. Which is appropriate because it's trimming the fat around the iPhone.

We're talking a reduction in the bezels to 1.5mm, down from 2.2mm on the current iPhone 14 Pro series. Apple apparently used LIPO tech on the Apple Watch 7, and it's now coming to the new iPhone. The iPhone X started this evolution in 2017 with the introduction of Face ID and the notch, but the notch has since shrunk and repurposed to become a Dynamic Island for alerts and Live activities.

In addition, the iPhone 15 Pro series will reportedly ditch the Lightning connector for USB-C, which is no surprise at this point. This should result in faster transfer speeds, not to mention better compatibility with other gadgets.

Titanium is coming, and a world's first chip

iPhone 15 Pro dummy unit with solid state action button and SIM tray — (Image credit: Douyin)

More important, the iPhone 15 Pro should replace the stainless steel sides on the iPhone 14 Pro series with titanium. This material is not only lighter, but much stronger. Speaking of the sides, a new action button should replace the old ringer/mute switch, enabling users to perform all sorts of shortcuts with just a press.

There's two other very notable upgrades coming to the iPhone 15 Pro. The world's first 3nm chip — the A17 Bionic — is tipped to power both the Pro and Pro Max, which should enable Apple to claim the title of world's fastest phone once again. The leaked A17 Bionic benchmarks (if legit) look very impressive. And this chip should also be more efficient, which should result in longer battery life.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max was already a best phone battery life device, lasting over 13.5 hours in our testing. So I'm very curious to see how the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max perform.

Finally, a powerful zoom

iPhone 15 Pro renders — (Image credit: 9to5Mac)

Lastly, Gurman says that the we should expect "major rear camera upgrades" with the iPhone 15 Pro series, including updated lenses and "the ability to get a much wider range of optical zoom on the largest model." The iPhone 15 Pro Max is tipped to get a 6x periscope zoom lens, up from 3x on the iPhone 14 Pro Max. But rumor has it that the regular iPhone 15 Pro won't be getting this telephoto boost.

Not everything made the cut on Apple's wishlist. For example, solid-state, touch-sensitive buttons apparently got cancelled after numerous engineering problems. But at least the action button is supposedly still happening.

Overall, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max should impress, but we'll have to see if they are worth the rumored price hike of as much as $200. Stay tuned to our iPhone 15 Pro hub for all the latest news and rumors.

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Mark Spoonauer is the global editor in chief of Tom's Guide and has covered technology for over 20 years. In addition to overseeing the direction of Tom's Guide, Mark specializes in covering all things mobile, having reviewed dozens of smartphones and other gadgets. He has spoken at key industry events and appears regularly on TV to discuss the latest trends, including Cheddar, Fox Business and other outlets. Mark was previously editor in chief of Laptop Mag, and his work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc. Follow him on Twitter at @mspoonauer.