Problems with overheating: Apple is reportedly making changes to the iPhone 16

Shortly after the current iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max models were launched on the market in September 2023, there were reports that the smartphones were generating too much heat. This occurred when playing games, but also when using normal apps such as Uber or Instagram. Apple finally acknowledged the problem and remedied it with a software update - in part by cooperating with app developers. At the time, there was no talk of the heat problem being caused by hardware. However, Apple seems to be concerned that this could occur again with the launch of the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. According to a report by IT news service The Information, the manufacturer has therefore made internal changes.

SoCs will soon be under even greater strain

The report, which is actually about plans for foldable iPhones in the year after next, also mentions that Apple has worked on the chassis of the iPhone 16 Pro models. This is now covered with a larger layer of graphite material, which can dissipate heat better. Last year, Apple was already said to be planning innovations to the iPhone's heat management. The company is keen to avoid similar reports to last year.

In fact, the SoCs installed in the iPhone will be put under even greater strain in future. With Apple Intelligence, large local language models will be executed and generative AI functions will be offered. Siri will also become smarter and have access to what is on the screen, among other things. All of this requires a lot of power, which in turn generates heat that needs to be dissipated completely fanlessly. Apple is also said to be planning to install the new A18 chip in all four iPhone 16 models - including the standard versions. However, it is unclear whether these will have better heat dissipation. So far, the iPhone has oscillated back and forth between short wake-up processes, including performance peaks, and power-saving mode. A lot of power is required when playing games in particular - iOS 18 even comes with a new gaming mode.

The quickly forgotten heat problem

Reports of heat problems with the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max emerged just a few days after the sales launch. The temperature also rose noticeably on the outside. Although there were reportedly no direct failures, the iPhones became so warm that users were reluctant to hold them.

When charging, they exceeded the 41 degree mark, with intensive use sometimes reaching 44 degrees and more. Apple used a titanium compound as the casing material for its 15 Pro models for the first time. It is still unclear whether this had a negative impact on heat dissipation. However, experts at the time assumed that this was the case.

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