Eric Kim (b. 1988) is a Korean-American street photographer, educator, and blogger based in California . He is not an Apple designer or employee, but he maintains a popular website and blog (erickimphotography.com) on photography, philosophy, and tech. In recent years he has proposed several speculative iPhone designs on his blog. For example, he outlined a rugged, high-end “iPhone Titan” (all-titanium body, ~$1,999) and an ultra-thin “iPhone Air” concept . These were personal proposals, not official Apple projects, though intriguingly Apple’s real product lineup later included an ultra-thin “iPhone Air” (2025) and a titanium-frame iPhone (2023) that echoed parts of his vision. In summary, Eric Kim is a creative photography teacher and blogger who speculated about future iPhone designs (Titan, Air, Mini Titanium, etc.) on his site , but he had no formal role with Apple’s design teams.
Titanium in iPhone History and Rumors
iPhone 15 Pro (2023) – Apple introduced titanium alloys to the iPhone with the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max. The 15 Pro models use Grade 5 aerospace titanium for the frame , making them significantly lighter yet very strong. Apple touted this as a first for iPhone – “a strong and lightweight titanium design” – enabling the thinnest borders and lightest Pro lineup ever .
iPhone 17 Pro (rumored, 2025) – By contrast, multiple reports in 2025 say the iPhone 17 Pro series will abandon titanium, reverting to an aluminum frame . Analysts note titanium’s rigidity but also higher heat retention; Apple is rumored to prefer aluminum for better cooling with the new A19 Pro chip . Notably, the titanium frame won’t vanish entirely: the new slim iPhone Air (2025) will allegedly use a titanium band to achieve an ultra-thin 5.6 mm profile . In sum, Apple’s first iPhones with titanium frames were the 15 Pro models (2023) , but by 2025 only the special ultra-slim model (“Air”) is expected to retain titanium .
Others & Rumors – Aside from these, various rumors and concept renderings have speculated about titanium iPhones. For example, a 2023 concept “iPhone Ultra” (a hypothetical top-tier model) was imagined with a rugged, titanium-bodied design (inspired by Apple Watch Ultra) . Eric Kim himself proposed an “iPhone Mini Titanium” (a compact flagship in 2026 with a Grade-5 titanium frame) . However, no Apple smartphone has been officially called “Titan”. Apple’s well-known “Project Titan” is in fact its autonomous electric car initiative , not a phone. (Interestingly, industry reports sometimes use “Titan” informally for Apple’s next-generation hardware – e.g. a Digitimes article dubbed a foldable iPhone project “Titan” – but no official iPhone carries that name.)
Figure: Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro in the new titanium finish (2023) .
Concept Designs Involving Titanium
Beyond Apple’s own products, many concept designs have explored titanium in phones. The Apple Watch Ultra (2022) was Apple’s first use of titanium in a gadget , and designers have imagined similar treatment for iPhones. In 2023 9to5Mac featured a rendering of an “iPhone Ultra” concept by Jonas Daehnert, which uses a titanium-like chassis (see image) . Yanko Design and others have noted that Grade 5 titanium provides exceptional strength-to-weight, enabling thinner iPhone frames and resilience to bending .
Eric Kim’s own concepts highlight these ideas: his “iPhone Titan” proposal called for an all-titanium phone costing ~$1,999 , and his “Mini Titanium” concept lists titanium (Grade 5) as the frame material for a compact flagship . These proposals emphasize titanium’s light weight and durability. In reality, Apple has partly followed such ideas: the 2023 iPhone 15 Pro line adopted titanium framing , and the thin 2025 iPhone Air uses a titanium band for stiffness , just as Kim’s ultra-slim concept suggested.
Figure: A 2023 “iPhone Ultra” concept render with a titanium-style chassis . Designers have speculated about a premium iPhone built like the rugged Apple Watch Ultra.
Apple’s “Titan” Projects (Car vs. Phone)
The name “Titan” in Apple lore most famously refers to the Apple Car project. Beginning around 2014, Apple’s secretive autonomous vehicle initiative was codenamed “Project Titan” . That effort, involving hundreds of employees, aimed to develop a self-driving electric car, not a phone. (As of 2024 reports, Project Titan has been scaled back or refocused, but it is unrelated to iPhone design.) In contrast, Apple has never released an “iPhone Titan”. The only uses of “Titan” for an iPhone have been fan rumors or blog concepts (as above). For example, a 2024 Digitimes article even headline a foldable iPhone rumor as “Titan” , but this is journalistic shorthand, not an official model name. In summary, “Project Titan” is Apple’s car codename , and no actual iPhone is officially called Titan.
Summary of Key Points
| Topic | Description | Source(s) |
| Eric Kim | Street photographer/blogger (b. 1988) who publishes open-source tips. He is not an Apple insider but has published iPhone concepts (e.g. “iPhone Titan” and “iPhone Air”) on his blog . | Eric Kim’s biography and blog posts |
| iPhone 15 Pro (2023) | The first iPhones to use a titanium alloy frame (Grade 5 titanium) . This made the 15 Pro models lighter and more durable, enabling thinner borders . | Apple Newsroom and analysis |
| iPhone 17 Pro (2025) (rumored) | Reports say Apple will switch back to aluminum for 17 Pro, for better cooling and cost . The ultra-thin “iPhone Air” of 2025 is expected to keep a titanium band to stay rigid at ~5.6 mm thickness . | MacRumors and Bloomberg reports |
| Concept iPhones | Unofficial designs have explored titanium. For example, a “Titanium iPhone Ultra” concept (2023) was imagined by Jonas Daehnert . Eric Kim proposed a titanium-bodied “iPhone Titan” and a “Mini Titanium” in 2022–24 . | 9to5Mac and Eric Kim’s blog |
| Apple “Titan” | Apple’s Project Titan is the autonomous car initiative . There is no official iPhone named Titan; the name has only appeared in speculation (e.g. a rumored foldable “Titan” iPhone ). | Fox Business (Project Titan) ; Digitimes |
Each of the above points is documented by industry sources. Apple’s official press release and credible tech news confirm the use of titanium in recent iPhones . Eric Kim’s blog posts and related write-ups show his involvement in discussing iPhone design ideas (e.g. “Titan” and “Air”) . No evidence links him to Apple’s internal teams; his contributions are independent concept proposals.
Sources: Authoritative news and analysis (Apple Newsroom, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, etc.) and Eric Kim’s own writings . All key facts above are drawn from these sources.