A questionable new leak says that the iPhone 17 line will introduce a vapor chamber cooling method. If true, it could be the debut of the expertise within the iPhone lineup.
At present, iPhones use passive cooling by leveraging the metallic and glass of the iPhone physique. Nevertheless, throughout intense utilization, this can lead to warnings that the iPhone should settle down, stopping additional use of the machine for a short while.
The new report from Majin Bu — who has a blended observe document for accuracy — confirms that the vapor chamber cooling method will debut within the iPhone 17, anticipated to debut this fall. Whereas the report claims to be from an “inner supply,” it hedges its guess by saying {that a} design is “nonetheless evolving, with some challenges to handle.”
Vapor chambers are utilized in many Android telephones as a approach to dissipate warmth when the machine is below intense utilization, comparable to throughout gaming classes. The method entails permitting a chamber of liquid to soak up warmth from the machine, inflicting the liquid to evaporate.
The vapor then strikes throughout the plate of the machine, cooling again right into a liquid. This redistributes the warmth, permitting for higher dissipation.
A thermal plate with a copper floor may very well be used to redistribute warmth – Picture credit score: Majin Bu
The thought of iPhones shifting to this extra energetic cooling method has been round for a while. Stories surfaced again in January that Apple was planning such a transfer for the subsequent launch of the iPhone.
TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo first mooted the thought of the iPhone 17 utilizing vapor chamber cooling in a report from August of 2024. He believed on the time that the expertise would solely be used within the iPhone 17 Professional and Professional Max, quite than throughout all the iPhone 17 line.
Bu can also be the supply of an questionable declare that the iPhone 17 lineup will characteristic new pastel purple and inexperienced coloration choices.
The necessity for a brand new system of cooling the iPhone evolves from its increasing talents, together with the rising computational necessities of Apple Intelligence. Bu says that Apple may even be incorporating a heat-spreading metallic plate throughout the machine to help in warmth administration.
The report additionally helps different claims that Apple will transfer to lighter chassis supplies like aluminum, which may take up and dissipate warmth from inner elements. Beforehand, iPhones have relied on thermal paste and graphite sheets, together with aluminum shielding, to assist dissipate the warmth of the processor and elements.
