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It looks like the iPhone 16 will get a big design upgrade

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Someone holding the Natural Titanium iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Following the release of the iPhone 15 Pro series, several early adopters reported overheating issues. Apple later confirmed that the problem was caused by a software bug in iOS 17, which affected some owners of the phones. The company quickly resolved the issue with the release of iOS 17.0.3 and never acknowledged that hardware played a role in the overheating. Fast-forward to the present, and it now looks like Apple plans to make hardware changes on the iPhone 16 that would make the 2024 handsets less likely to overheat.

According to Apple prototype collector Kosutami, Apple will make two changes to the next round of iPhones. On X, formerly Twitter, they note: “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.”

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The iPhone 15 series features a copper heatsink. Graphene offers four times better thermal conductivity than copper while also reducing weight.

Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Although Apple has stated that the overheating problem with the iPhone 15 Pro was not related to hardware, it is still reassuring to know that hardware upgrades that could positively impact the temperature of future iPhones may be on the horizon.

Before Apple addressed the overheating issues of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, some people speculated that titanium (instead of stainless steel) might have caused it. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, for example, suggested that titanium could affect thermal efficiency. Kuo also mentioned that while a software fix would eventually be released (which it was), Apple could also reduce the performance of the A17 Pro chip (found on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max) to resolve the issue.

After the iOS 17.0.3 bug fix was released, Apple confirmed it hadn’t changed the speed of the iPhone 15 Pro’s chipset.

The iPhone 16 series is likely to be announced and released next September. Rumors about the upcoming series sound promising.

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Bryan M. Wolfe
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
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