Apple’s latest iPhones are facing huge overheating issues, with many tech journalists and users reporting that temperatures have risen as high as 116F, making the devices uncomfortable to hold on to.
Although the issue appears to affect all models in the iPhone 15 lineup, it is the titanium-bodied Pro series iPhones that are most affected. Many owners have voiced their concerns on social media saying the devices are hard to handle without a case due to getting severely hot while charging or using them for daily tasks like calling, messaging, or checking social media.
iPhone 15 Pro Max Heats Up While Charging Or Performing Undemanding Tasks
9to5Mac’s Ian Zelbo posted on X (formerly Twitter) that an iPhone 15 Pro Max he was testing became “too hot to touch” while fast-charging. The tech journalist believes the issue may be related to the logic board placed on the left side of the device, which is also the area where the phone seems to heat up the most.
Tech reviewer Mohit Verma posted a video on X showing his iPhone 15 Pro hitting 107F, apparently after “just a 2-minute FaceTime call”. He said the device also heated up while he was simply browsing the web or scrolling through shorts and reels for about 10 minutes.
Tech YouTuber Alex Gear & Tech also faced a similar issue where his 15 Pro Max stopped charging after it got too hot. Android Authority’s Amir Siddiqui reported that his device was heating on the right side below the camera module while he was messaging and using multiple apps at the same time. He noted that the phone was not being gamed on, not plugged in to charge, and remained connected to WiFi the entire time.
Last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max also faced similar issues where it was hitting high temperatures while performing daily tasks like texting, emailing, and scrolling social media.
New iPhones Tend To Get Hot During Set-Up
Experts say that it is not out of the blue for iPhones to heat up during the first 24 hours or so after setup, especially when users are moving data from a previous phone, or backing up from iCloud. During this period the device is using a lot of processing power to perform background tasks like reinstalling apps and re-indexing, which can cause temperatures to rise.
The Heating Issue Could Be Linked To The Use Of Titanium Body Frames
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who keeps a close watch on the company’s supply chain, linked the heating issue to the iPhone 15 Pro’s new lightweight design, which is not able to dissipate heat as efficiently as older models. Kuo noted that the new phone’s titanium body frame could be the root cause because the metal is a poor conductor of heat, making it hard for heat to escape the device.
In most countries outside the U.S., Apple ships the iPhone with a physical SIM card slot, due to regulatory requirements. Design experts pointed out that adding an additional slot to the phone’s already cramped-up chassis was creating more challenges for heat dissipation.
Although the current design of the iPhone 15 Pro isn’t much different from previous years’ versions, they sure did a better job managing heat.
Keep reading : What’s New In The iPhone 15? The New Exciting Features You Must Know
iPhone 15 Pro Has Poor Thermal Management
Then there is the chip performance throttling, which according to many users, has been bad on the iPhone 15 Pros. Reviewers noticed that the A17 Pro chipsets powering the premium iPhone 15s lost almost 25% of their performance after just 20 minutes of GPU load, despite setting an industry-high benchmark score for a mobile chipset.
During a GPU stress test performed between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, it was found that Samsung had a more even heat distribution compared to the iPhone due to its vapor chamber cooler. The iPhone’s poor thermal management was causing a drop in performance as the phone is programmed to bring down temperature levels by chip throttling.
History has shown us that new iPhones and iOS releases are prone to bugs that are fixed by Apple in subsequent software updates. In the case of the iPhone 15 Pros, the company is either dealing with a software bug related to its thermal management, or a hardware issue linked to the new titanium chassis.
Whatever is causing the issue, we hope that Apple will sort it out sooner than later.
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