The iPhone 18 Pro probably won't bring back titanium for the body for many reasons. The rumor mill is still having the aluminum versus titanium debate.

The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro lines used titanium for a strong chassis and premium appearance. While the iPhone 17 Pro moved back to aluminum, leakers are still arguing over which metal Apple will use for the iPhone 18 Pro.

In the latest wave of the debate, Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital wrote on Tuesday that there's little chance of Apple returning to titanium for its premium iPhone models.

The leaker rationalizes this by saying aluminum alloy will probably be used because of its heat-dissipation properties. With Apple's push for AI, this capability will be prized by the company.

This apparently isn't something that will be limited to Apple. Fixed Focus Digital says that Android and other devices will also prioritize aluminum for heat dissipation.

Fixed Focus Digital has a middling record when it comes to accuracy, much like most other Weibo leakers. In this case, it seems that the post is an educated guess of where the industry is going, rather than definitive news about the iPhone 18 Pro.

Bye bye titanium

Fixed Focus Digital's post runs counter to another one from May 17. Fellow leaker Instant Digital claimed that Apple was researching improved titanium alloys for future iPhones.

To a point, this stands to be an accurate assumption. A company the size of Apple spends considerable sums on research and development, and that would include analyzing the materials it uses and could use in the future.

Naturally, Apple doesn't publicly discuss planned material changes for the iPhone or other products. However, it does have a pattern of using materials based on its engineering and manufacturing goals.

The switch from plastic to aluminum for the Mac lineup helped improve rigidity and build quality. Apple's use of stainless steel for premium iPhone models was due to being denser and having a more polished feel than aluminum.

This continued with titanium in the iPhone 15 Pro, since it reduced weight while maintaining durability. However, titanium is harder to machine, more expensive to use, and doesn't transfer heat as well as aluminum, prompting a rethink after there were reports of overheating.

A return to titanium is possible for Apple, depending on what it is trying to achieve with its future models. It's just not likely.

For the immediate future, aluminum is certainly Apple's answer.