Apple could be taking drastic action to help the iPhone 17 Pro retake the smartphone performance crown.
Chinese leaker Instant Digital claims that both the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 17 Pro will use vapour chamber cooling systems with their next-gen A19 Pro chips.
This would mark the first time such an advanced cooling system is being used for iPhones, though we’ve seen the technique applied many times before elsewhere.
What is vapour chamber cooling?
Vapour chamber cooling is a commonly used technique among modern high-end Android phones.
Modern mobile processors are extremely energy efficient, but part of the way they achieve that efficiency is by only employing a portion of their resources most of the time.
When placed under a sustained load they will employ more of their cores and run at higher clock speeds. This is why phones heat up when gaming or capturing and processing 4K video footage.
Such a heat build up proves ruinous to battery life, uncomfortable to hold, and potentially damaging to the phone, which is why phones will automatically throttle their performance back when things get toasty.
Performance-focused Android phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the OnePlus 13 (and even the relatively pedestrian Pixel 9 Pro) employ vapour chamber cooling systems that better dissipate heat over a wider area, thus enabling their SoCs (System on Chips) to run faster for longer.
Luke Baker
Why Apple may suddenly be thinking about cooling it
Sure enough, the aforementioned leaker mentions that the iPhone 17 Pro with its new vapour cooling system will be able to maintain performance loads without having to reduce the frequency of the A19 Pro chip.
Why would Apple choose now to implement such a radical performance overhaul, you ask?
One reason might relate to the rumoured iPad 17 Air. Thinner devices will inherently provide poorer cooling, with less space for air circulation. A meatier cooling system might be required if performance is to remain on an upward trajectory, though it’s worth noting that the tipster doesn’t mention Apple’s super skinny phone by name.
Connor Jewiss / Foundry
Apple’s performance anxiety
Another possible reason – and I’m speculating here – could relate to the fact that Apple’s home-brewed A-series chips are no longer the unrivalled performance kings that they used to be.
The aforementioned OnePlus 13 and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, with their fancy vapour chamber-cooled Snapdragon 8 Elite chips, actually outperform the iPhone 16 Pro with its A18 Pro chip by a number of metrics.
This is the first time in years that an Apple phone isn’t bossing the benchmark tests – though don’t get us wrong, it’s still right up there. Perhaps Apple is looking to restore its performance bragging rights with the iPhone 17 Pro.
Whatever the case, the consumer should be the winner here. If Apple further normalises vapour chamber usage, we can hopefully look forward to a future of thinner, faster phones that don’t scorch your hands after a session of Genshin Impact.
