Following the news that Apple unveiled its iPhone 15 line-up along with other major updates during its September Wanderlust event;

Ardit Ballhysa, Technology Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

“Apple made big changes to the iPhone 15 series this year. For the first time in over 10 years, iPhone will get an updated charging port, replacing the lighting port with the universally used USB-C. But, if not for the EU’s landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA), the company would have opted to continue using the lighting port for the foreseeable future. The USB-C on the iPhone highlights how influential the DMA ruling is, where not even the most valuable and arguably one of the most influential companies in the world is immune from it.

“Another key change pertains to the Pro model’s composition is that iPhones will feature a titanium enclosure, marking a move away from stainless steel first introduced on the iPhone X in 2017. While it is true that no other smartphone available on the market offers a titanium enclosure, making Apple the only smartphone OEM to do so, it is not true that it is the first to do so. Both the Essential Phone and Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha offered titanium in their enclosures, but both were also discontinued, hence Apple being the only smartphone OEM to currently offer smartphones with titanium enclosures.

“The advantages offered by titanium will certainly please consumers, but it will also improve Apple’s sustainability standing as more durability means less broken iPhones, which means less resources and parts needed to repair or replace. Furthermore, the company claimed that its Pro models are more repairable owing to the back slab being easier to replace. This is very positive for the right to repair movement, which Apple was notorious for lobbying against until the very recent and drastic change of heart in which Apple expressed support for California legislation SB 244 – a right to repair bill that would make available the means for consumers to repair their devices on fair and reasonable terms.

“Apple has not publicly explained the reasoning behind its decision, but the best guess is that the company did not want to continue being seen to fight the right to repair movement as it gained traction and support throughout several states across the US for fear of discrediting its public image.

“Surprisingly, though, there was no mention of a key highlight in last year’s keynote during which the iPhone 14 series was unveiled. eSIM, while largely underutilized worldwide despite Apple claiming that over 190 carriers support it globally (as of July 2023), was made the default and only option for US consumers with the release of the iPhone 14 series. The same is the case for the iPhone 15 series. Perhaps an eSIM only iPhone fairs unfavorably via the perspective of consumers outside the US, or maybe carriers globally are just not ready for eSIM smartphones just yet. Maybe next year we’ll learn more.”