Since before the iPhone 15 first hit the market, there have been concerns about the new titanium frame and A17 processor causing it to get hot. After its release, some users have hammered Apple with complaints the new iPhone 15 Pro gets hot, like really hot. Are we looking at a quality control disaster or just a speed bump along the road to adoption?
Some users posted videos showing how the iPhone 15 Pro reached temperatures of around 42 degrees Celsius. Other users have taken to Apple’s support forums and Reddit to (sometimes cheekily) complain about their hot potato iPhones. Some have complained the phones get hot when charging, while others said it was especially apparent when playing big, AAA games like Genshin Impact. Others complained it was happening when the phone wasn’t even in use. Like most phones on both iOS and Android, the device may disrupt charging or even shut down completely when it recognizes it’s getting too hot.
Aamir Siddiqui from Android Authority noted his iPhone 15 got hot along the right side of the phone after a while using the phone, even though the device wasn’t plugged in or streaming high-quality video.
That being said, there are plenty of other users (including Gizmodo in our review of the iPhone 15 Pro) who haven’t experienced any heat issues outside the norm. While this whole episode could have been a flash in the pan before Apple put out some sort of over-the-air patch, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg’s mainstay Apple guru Mark Gurman weighed in.
Bloomberg reported that Apple’s tech support team is fielding questions about overheating and that they’re referring customers to an old support page that mentions the phone might get a bit warm during wireless charging, streaming, or during setup.
Oft-referenced Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared a blog post where he claimed that the overheating issues were not related to the TSMC-designed 3nm chip. Instead, he said the issue is more likely due to “compromises” in the device’s design aimed at reducing its weight, including the new titanium frame which doesn’t dissipate heat as well as the old stainless steel. Some have suggested using a case on the phone to avoid getting hot hands during use. That last point should be obvious, but there are still people insist on not using a case.
iPhones, and really any phone, can get extra hot during rapid charging or when transferring over data during setup, as that can take up a lot of processing power. That explanation can’t account for all users’ complaints, but with all the buzz it’s hard to assess just how much of this can be blamed on the iPhone’s new architecture and how much is simply users pushing their new phone to the limit, especially when Apple was emphasizing the new phone’s gaming performance with that touted A17 chip.
Kuo mentioned that Apple could release some sort of patch that would reduce its processing load. Whether it can make some OTA adjustments without overtly limiting the phone’s performance is another question for the future.
We reached out to Apple for comment but did not immediately hear back. It’s always possible Apple missed something during development and testing, but more than likely Apple knew how hot its biggest flagship device of the year could possibly get. We probably won’t have to wait long before Apple releases an update.
Some folks have even speculated that the heating issues could have an impact on sales. Though, right now, Apple doesn’t have much to worry about. Early indications say sales are strong as Apple pushed iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max shipping dates into October and November. If you’re thinking the heating hubbub will reduce prices on used sales, you should also think again. The scalpers likely didn’t have many concerns about heat. Cybersecurity company Kasada reported Wednesday that bots were out in force during the entire iPhone preorder process.
To be clear, Kasada reports on bot activity because it sells software to defeat scalpers, but this could be another rendition of what played out with the PlayStation 5. For the last two years, bots made buying Sony’s latest console even more of a hassle. It’s taken nearly three years for the PS5 to truly ramp up production for a new holiday season. In the case of the iPhone, if you’re really so concerned about the heat, you could simply wait another year to see if Apple can work out all the kinks.
