- The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are again rumored to have a vapor chamber
- However, the base iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air might not have one
- A vapor chamber could prevent overheating, allowing for better sustained performance and improved battery life
A few months ago, we heard that the iPhone 17 series could gain a vapor chamber to help prevent overheating, and now another source has echoed these claims – and even provided some evidence.
Leaker Majin Bu (via MacRumors) claims to have learned from an “internal source” that both the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will have a vapor chamber. This will supposedly be a Pro-exclusive upgrade, which is at odds with that earlier leak, which pointed to all four models getting a vapor chamber.
In any case, we’d take this latest tip with a pinch of salt, as Bu has a mixed track record, but they’ve supplied an image of what they claim is part of a vapor chamber intended for these upcoming phones (below).
That supposedly leaked image – coupled with the fact that multiple sources have now mentioned a vapor chamber – suggests that at least some iPhone 17 models may well be getting this upgrade.
Keeping it cool
In layman’s terms, a vapor chamber should be able to cool these phones more effectively than the graphite sheets used for heat dissipation in current iPhones.
A vapor chamber is a small metal chamber full of liquid, and that liquid turns to vapor when it heats up, allowing the heat to dissipate across the chamber’s surface area. It works as a way of pulling heat away from internal components, which has several advantages.
For one thing, this prevents damage to components from overheating, but it should also reduce the need for thermal throttling – that is, performance reductions to cool the phone down. So, even if you’re pushing the iPhone 17 Pro hard with gaming or other demanding applications, it should be able to stay relatively cool and maintain its performance better.
This should also make the phone more energy efficient, so battery life could be improved too.
Clearly, there are a lot of potential advantages to a vapor chamber, so we hope this leak proves accurate. We should find out in September, as that’s when the iPhone 17 series is likely to launch.
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