The iPhone Is Designed to Be Expensive

Why you don’t care that its stainless-steel construction makes the phone heavier

Credit: Josh Edelson/Getty Images

Apple is no longer the uncontested design titan it once was.

In the not-so-distant past, Apple was light-years ahead of the competition. Just compare the iPhone 4 with the plastic-fantastic Samsung Galaxy S2 in 2011. There’s just no comparing the two. In fact, the iPhone 4 is still considered a modern classic in industrial design.

But now, in 2019, most flagship smartphones feature beautiful bezel-free displays and flush cameras, while the iPhone sports a giant notch and a bulging camera module.

However, one key difference in Apple’s design philosophy separates it from all other flagship smartphones. While competitor phones are focused on designing a premium smartphone, Apple’s hardware design language is in the tradition of luxury product.

The time-consuming process of polishing the iPhone’s stainless-steel surface to a mirror finish is just another manufacturing complexity that adds little practical benefit.

What does this mean, exactly? And why is it important?

First, it means Apple is using materials and manufacturing techniques for the iPhone that no other smartphone manufacturer is using.

Specifically, all recent flagship iPhones (X, XS, 11 Pro) feature a polished stainless-steel band for its case. This is significant because stainless steel is more difficult to work with than other metals, such as aluminum or titanium. On top of that, the time-consuming process of polishing the iPhone’s stainless-steel surface to a mirror finish is just another manufacturing complexity that adds little practical benefit.

But it’s precisely the iPhone’s polished and stainless-steel construction that separates it from the competition in a significant way.

Although comparing the iPhone’s design side by side to its competitors in 2019 is no longer the easy design victory that it was in the past, it’s when you hold the iPhone in your hand that the phone’s construction feels more premium than other…