Internal wallpapers for the iPhone 15 Pro & 15 Pro Max.
Internal wallpapers for the iPhone 15 Pro & 15 Pro Max.
Over 50 days in the making, I am pleased to, at long last, finally release the iPhone 15 Pro & 15 Pro Max schematic wallpapers.
I've been creating these Apple internal wallpapers since the iPhone 13. And over the years, I have expanded the collection to include internal wallpapers for the iPhone 12, iPhone 14 & 14 Pro, Studio Display, MacBook Pros, and 13-inch MacBook Air. These are, without a doubt, the most ambitious, tedious, and time-consuming projects I release every year, each taking dozens and dozens of hours to complete. But they're also the wallpapers I love making the most, both for their deference to the incredible intricacy under the iPhone's thin glass cover, the challenge they present to make, and their appearance as iPhone wallpapers.
Process
The project began in late September, following the release of the iPhone 15s, and shortly after when the phones were cracked open and their internals photographed. That said, I owe a massive debt of thanks to the team at iFixit for their iPhone photography that served as the basis for this project. I have neither the finances, steady hands, or intestinal fortitude to take apart an iPhone for the sake of this project.
Last year, when making the iPhone 14 wallpapers, I took extra care to try to carefully group and label the layers I was creating. This preparation served two purposes: 1) it hopefully helped speed up the build time on the second internal wallpaper (i.e., the iPhone 14 Pro after building the 14 Pro Max), and 2) it was intended to speed up my build time for next year's iPhone.
And while that sounds like it should have saved me a ton of time, it didn't. Although the phones share many similar components (cameras, battery, ports, etc.), all are subtly different, and it can sometimes become more of a hassle to try to tweak, adjust, and rejig a set of components than it would be to remake them from scratch. The biggest headache the prefabrication eliminated was that it allowed me to replicate the exact colours I used across thousands of components inside each wallpaper.
A redesigned Taptic Engine and new USB-C connector are some of the many redesigned components inside the new iPhone 15 Pro.
This year, while I reused a small section of the front-facing camera module from the iPhone 14 Pro, every other piece has been rebuilt from scratch. This included the creation of a new USB-C connector, completely redesigning the Taptic Engine, and remaking the speakers, rear-camera housing, battery, and nearly everything else. Last year, as a special treat for the iPhone 14 Pro, I tediously recreated the iPhone Logic Board as an exposed component and loved the look so much I decided to remake it again for this year's iPhone 15 Pro. In the actual internals, the Logic Board faces down, away from the top of the iPhone, with a top view showing a host of connectors and covers. So, to get this view of the components, you need to open the phone, unclip the Logic Board from the adjacent components, flip it around, and remove the protective thermal housing to see what's pictured in this wallpaper. Again, I'm fortunate that there are dexterous people out there who did the dirty work to help capture fantastic images of an unwrapped Apple Logic Board that I was then able to use in producing my wallpapers.
The Logic Board with A17 Pro inside the iPhone 15 Pro.
The build process first involved creating all the main components of the iPhone 15 Pro Max (because it's the iPhone I have it means I can see it on the device to work out kinks that might not be obvious inside Sketch). This turned out to be a very valuable step of the process because a few days before release, I discovered that despite looking perfect inside of Photos, when applied as a wallpaper, the iOS 17 pipeline would leave a terrible-looking banding down the length of the battery, ruining the image. This discovery delayed the wallpaper, but it gave me time to correct the issue before release.
Once that mockup was complete, composed of only 590 layers (412 inside the iPhone 15 Pro), I turned my attention to the iPhone 15 Pro's Logic Board. A far more complicated piece, the Logic Board clocked in at 2,776 layers, and while many of these layers are duplicated, each needs to be placed piece-by-piece, a process that took many hours to complete. With the Logic Board & 15 Pro Max complete, I turned my attention to the iPhone 15 Pro.
Comparison between the iPhone 15 Pro Max (left) in Natural Titanium & the Blue Titanium iPhone 15 Pro (right).
I've found it easier to build one model before moving on to the next instead of creating them in tandem. Having already completed the Pro Max gave me a leg up on the colouring and shading I wanted each component to have when I recreate them on the smaller Pro device. During this build process, I inevitably encountered glitches in a component (i.e., crooked lines, colours appearing off, etc.) and returned and adjusted the Pro Max internals I'd created. This functioned as a way of polishing the first internal wallpaper while at the same time finishing the second wallpaper in the collection, which incorporated these refinements. That process ended with two completed mockups inside Sketch, which were exported into Pixelmator for final colouring before release. The last step was this write-up, which I'm certain you're reading before downloading the goodies below.
Price
I've been asked countless times why I don't charge for these wallpapers, and I don't have a good answer. "I love making them" doesn't satisfy the question. I'm not allergic to money and value my time, so not charging for these is quite irrational. But I work hard enough at my other jobs to afford me the option to release these wallpapers as a passion project free of charge, accessible to anyone who wants them. However, if you get value from this project, a tip or donation is hugely appreciated. The money goes to support my time along with the software, hardware, and web hosting that goes into running this site.
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iPhone 15 Pro Internals
The iPhone 15 Pro internals are available for the iPhone 15 Pro & 15 Pro Max. Due to time constraints and many other commitments, I cannot complete the iPhone 15 & 15 Plus internals this year. Seven colours are being released at launch, including a colour-matched wallpaper to each of the newest iPhones' Natural Titanium, Blue, White and Black Titanium finishes. In addition, I have three unique colours for this year's release: Golden Blue, Umber, and Teal Forest. All seven look ridiculously gorgeous on the iPhone; deciding which will live on your screen is yours to solve. Thanks again for your support, and enjoy!
iPhone 15 Pro
Black Ti | White Ti | Natural Ti | Blue Ti | Golden Blue | Teal Forest | Umber
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Black Ti | White Ti | Natural Ti | Blue Ti | Golden Blue | Teal Forest | Umber
SUPPORT
I’m a one-person operation, working in healthcare by day & running this site as a passion project in my off time.
If you enjoy my work (the articles, the wallpapers, my general demeanour… anything really), consider leaving a tip & supporting the site. Your support is incredibly appreciated & goes a long way to keep this site and the works I produce ad-free & free of charge.
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