We remove the Lightning port cable and take a quick moment to examine this notable update.

Our suspicions here are the same as they were in the iPhone 8: the new design could be meant to dissipate heat quickly for fast charging, but at the very least it seems color-coded to match the body of the phone and Apple's proprietary mystery glass.

Emphasis was placed not only on the color of the glass, achieved through a seven-layer color process, but on the material itself, reinforced with an “internal, laser welded, steel and copper structure." What this actually is and what it means for performance, rigidity, and Apple's future aims at metallic glass remains to be seen. For now, we know that Apple likes Pantone colors.