The iPhone 15 Pro had (has?) a known overheating issue. Apple reportedly solved the problem shortly after launch via a software update. But I own and use the iPhone 15 Pro, and overheating continues to be a problem for me. Maybe it’s now a more “normal” amount of heat, but it’s still an issue I experience to this day. Fortunately, rumors indicate Apple may have a fix on the way with the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro.
Evidence for a new iPhone 16 thermal system
Nearly a full year ago, a photo leaked of a metal battery shell that was said to be bound for the iPhone 16 Pro.
The metal shell pointed to a new battery design for the iPhone 16 lineup that would guard against device overheating. Current iPhones use a lighter foil covering for their battery components, so the metal shell would reportedly handle heat better.
Separately, a report outlined two hardware improvements for the iPhone 16 that were intended to provide better cooling. One was the aforementioned metal shell, lending that leak further corroboration.
The second change was a ‘graphene thermal system’ which is said to provide significant improvements to thermal conductivity.
These separate reports point to Apple having a powerful fix for iPhone overheating issues.
Why I’m excited about an iPhone 16 Pro sans overheating
I use my iPhone 15 Pro outdoors a lot. Which is of course where I tend to run into the most overheating issues.
The area this has plagued me most is in taking photos and video.
Every time a modern iPhone takes a photo, it’s doing so much computational work behind the scenes. A photo isn’t just a photo anymore. And as a result, all of the strain on the iPhone’s chip leads to performance issues and overheating.
It’s incredibly frustrating, when you’re trying to capture a special moment, to have your iPhone overheat and fail to do its job. On many occasions I’ve found my phone either:
- won’t take photos at all because it’s overheated
- lags behind significantly when taking photos
- or experiences software issues that cause photos to be captured as short videos instead
Top comment by Dan Harper
I'm still using my 13 Pro Max, and it's always had an overheating problem. Each new model promises to fix the previous years problem and then I read from excited new users that it's not fixed. I'm still waiting for them to figure it out, it's only been 4 years or more.
This problem has been more prominent for me with the iPhone 15 Pro than any other previous iPhone.
And that’s why a new thermal system, complete with metal battery shell, are a lot more exciting than they first appear.
If I can take photos reliably with my iPhone 16 Pro, with no chance of missing key memories due to overheating, it will be a great upgrade.
Do you have overheating issues with your iPhone? Is improved thermals a reason you might upgrade to the iPhone 16? Let us know in the comments.
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