The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max might have been the first smartphones to feature Apple’s first 3nm chipset, the A17 Pro, but even that was insufficient to prevent overheating when playing intensive games or running any workload that would stress the SoC. This suggests that Apple did not focus on implementing an effective thermal solution, but with the iPhone 16, a new rumor claims that the company is working on a ‘graphene thermal system’ to control those temperatures.
New rumor also states that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max would feature a metal shell for the battery
Apple recently released a software update for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max to address the overheating issues, but there is only so much that software updates can tackle. If the underlying cooling solution is a half-baked one, those temperature issues will continue to persist. Even though Apple is exploring how to add a vapor chamber to future iPhones, Kosutami states that a graphene thermal system will somehow prevent overheating in the iPhone 16 family.
It is a common sight to see phone makers use graphene films to dissipate heat in smartphones, with Google implementing the same solution in the recently launched Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, though it did little to prevent overheating. The rumor also states that next year, for the ‘Pro’ models, Apple will incorporate a metal shell surrounding the battery, for the exact same reason that it will use a graphene thermal system.
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.
— Kosutami (@Kosutami_Ito) November 16, 2023
For 2024, Apple is said to use the A18 for the iPhone 16 family, but it is unclear if this SoC will retain the ‘Pro’ moniker for the more expensive models. Whatever Apple’s decision may be, it is likely that the company will take advantage of TSMC’s N3E manufacturing process to mass produce the A18. For those that do not know, N3E is another 3nm variant for the N3B that Apple used for the A17 Pro, M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max, and it is expected to be used by competitors such as Qualcomm and MediaTek.
How effective this graphene thermal system will be when found in the iPhone 16, we will find out next year, but looking at how the A17 Pro was criticized for continuously overheating, Apple will most likely be looking for an effective solution, and fast.
News Source: Kosutami
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