The iPhone 15 could signal the end of Apple's most luxurious accessory

(Image credit: iMore / Apple)

Fans of the Apple leather iPhone case might have to find an alternative when the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro lineups arrive next month.

The leather case has been a staple of Apple's first-party accessory lineup for years now, and while it isn't the cheapest leather case around, it's undoubtedly one of the best. But new reports suggest that the iPhone 14 models will be the last to have official leather cases.

There will of course be plenty of third-party alternatives for leather case fans to choose from, but this is very much the end of an era if these reports turn out to be accurate.

No more leather?

Apple has long made a point of noting that its cases are "made from specially tanned and finished leather, the outside feels soft to the touch and develops a natural patina over time." The cases even support MagSafe, too.

But now, X leaker DuanRui says that they heard that Apple won't release a leather case for the iPhone 15 lineup, something that has since been backed up by another leaker in the form of ShrimpApplePro.

I've heard that Apple won't be releasing a Leather Case for the iPhone 15 series.August 17, 2023

The prospect of Apple's best iPhones not having its best cases is a strange one, but there might be an explanation. Could Apple simply be replacing its fancy leather with a faux leather alternative? Carmakers are already making the switch away from animal-based materials and Apple's stance on environmental issues could suggest that it will do the same.

Thankfully, we won't have to wait all that much longer before we know what Apple's plans are. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to be unveiled during an event next month and that's also when we should expect more details to merge with relation to the accessories that Apple will make as well.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.