There have been several reports of the iPhone 15 Pro running warmer than expected. Apple addressed the issue back in September last year, stating a possible cause was due to third-party apps, and a supposed fix was released in iOS 17.1.
However, despite several iOS updates with up-to-date phones running 17.3 and 17.4 on the way, some users are still reporting iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max heat issues.
According to Notebookcheck, the warmer iPhone 15 Pro issues have been internally referred to by Apple technicians as “expected behavior,” though Apple has not confirmed this.
Some users are also reporting the phone warming up when the device isn’t performing any demanding tasks. Reddit user Meghrathod reported that after taking his iPhone to the Apple store he was told unless he received a temperature warning, the phone was fine to use and passed all diagnostics. Other Reddit users argued, though, that light gaming and simply using the camera shouldn’t cause the phone to get uncomfortably warm.
Others in the thread confirmed that their iPhone 15 Pros and Pro Max models were still excessively hot. One user said they thought they had received a bad unit, so they swapped it out, but the same thing happened with the replacement. Some claim to have fixed the issue with a complete erase and then restore which could point to a simple software issue rather than a flaw in the iPhone 15 Pro’s design.
One user, richard1864, contradicted the group saying that using 5G and gaming causing a phone to heat up is normal behavior because 5G cellular data is power intensive, many games are demanding on both CPU and GPU and all Android and iOS phones do this. However according to many in the thread, the iPhone 15 Pro does appear to run slightly warmer than previous models.
Some suspect the shift to a titanium frame, while more durable, could exacerbate the problem as titanium is less conductive and less able to dissipate heat than the steel and aluminum found on previous iPhone models.
Graphene is the coolest
Apple is actively working on graphene thermal system of iPhone 16 Series to solve the heating problem existing before. And the battery of Pro series would change to metal shell, for the same reason.November 16, 2023
Apple could be trying to address this in the iPhone 16 series, as a user on X (formerly Twitter) @KosutamiSan claims that Apple is working on a graphene thermal system for the iPhone 16 to solve the alleged heating problem. Graphene could work as the material effectively diffuses heat, and is stronger than steel, however, it is more expensive and difficult to produce.
With the year-on-year performance increases of phones, cooling could become a key focus for future smartphones. Overheating might become a more common issue with manufacturers needing to think up new ways to maintain device temperatures, especially when under heavy loads. Our phones may be fast approaching the limits of what current cooling technology can handle.
We may see more phones with active cooling like the fans in the Redmagic 9 Pro or larger vapor cooling chambers like in the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and OnePlus 12.
