It's nice to say the word 'Patina', but it's not a word I thought I'd associate with an iPhone. Patina is the attractive softening effect of materials, especially metals, that fade with time and exposure. It's the green coating on the copper that gives the Statue of Liberty its distinctive look, and gives the brass top plate of a Leica camera a satisfying weathered appearance.
After upgrading to the impressive iPhone 15 Pro Max earlier this year, I ran out of time on my venerable iPhone 13 Pro as I packed it up to send to my colleagues in the historic, conveniently skated city of Bath. During this process, my iPhone caught the light coming through the office windows on one of the rare sunny days London can enjoy.
That electromagnetic radiation emitted 150 million kilometers from the nearest star to Earth was reproduced on the stainless steel sides of my old iPhone. A cacophony of metallic hues and colors came into view on the sides of the iPhone 13 Pro: a pleasing mix of purple, blue, silver, and an almost tan tint.
This wasn't the first time I noticed rainbow discoloration on the iPhone's aging stainless steel chassis, but it noticed differently after six months of using the titanium-coated iPhone 15 Pro Max. While beautiful and lightweight with a smooth feel, Apple's best premium iPhone lacks patina potential.
Now, there are probably many among those reading this article who are collectively despising hastily taken photos of a faded iPhone. People dedicated to keeping technology in perfect order and wrapping the best phones in sturdy cases consider the idea of metallic aging like this to be a travesty.
In my eyes, that patina is special. It takes a soulless, yet elegant, smartphone and makes it look fallible. Fallible equals soul.
Perhaps this appreciation comes from interest in mechanical watches; seemingly obsolete devices for this millennium, also objects that chip, scratch and age gracefully. There is nostalgia in looking at a beloved object (a watch, a worn leather jacket) and appreciating the imperfections. Wear remains within one's own history and relationship with the object.
If that materialistic metaphor confuses minds, then think of patina as the wrinkles we develop during a long-term relationship. I'm not as sharp and cunning as I once was, but my face tells a story of time well spent and lessons learned.
Am I putting too much weight on the (ironically) stained stainless steel? Of course, but it's Friday night and there's time for such elegant and frivolous frivolities.
Do I think we would benefit if the iPhone 16 went back to stainless steel? Of course not: I've already waxed lyrical about titanium in phones.
There's a small part of me that will miss the patina found on my iPhone 13 Pro. It marked a nice journey with smartphones, marking a shift from Android to iPhone. Perhaps it could act as a touchpoint for Apple to inject some new colors into the rumored iPhone 16 Pro; I can dream.
