‘Too Hot to Handle’: Why is the new iPhone 15 overheating?

Lovers of Apple, the Sheeple as they are called, lined up for hours outside stores to get their hands on the latest iPhone 15 series. They shelled out lakhs for the high-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. But even before the hype has died down, complaints have started pouring in. Turns out, the new devices get too hot during use or while charging. Also read: Apple iPhone 15 Pro: How Apple plans to justify a massive price hike for the Pro series this year What are the complaints against iPhone 15? The grievances have made their way to online forums and on social media – on X, formerly Twitter, and Reddit. Early purchasers of the phone have reported overheating issues with some pointing out temperatures of the handset go up to more than 37 degrees Celsius (100 degrees F), making it uncomfortable to hold. The problem is most common when the device is charging but some customers have said the back or the side of the iPhone becomes too hot to even touch when gaming or during a phone call or a FaceTime video chat, according to a report by Bloomberg. Tech content creator Mohit Verma posted a video on X showing how his iPhone touched 42 degrees Celsius after “just a 2-minute FaceTime call or when scrolling through reels for 8-10 minutes”.

Ian Zelbo of 9to5 Mac, which covers all news related to Apple, tweeted that the iPhone 15 Pro Max became “almost too hot to touch” while charging. “I thought people were overexaggerating but no this isn’t great… Interestingly if I’m holding it, the left side rail and a little of the back on the left side is what is the hottest by far…,” he wrote in a thread on X.

Why are the latest iPhones heating up? The overheating in the iPhone 15 Pro is likely because the tech giant decided to design a lighter device , said top Apple supply chain Ming-Chi Kuo analyst. This issue only added to wider concerns about the phone’s build quality. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, iPhone 15 Pro models are facing severe overheating issues because of the thermal management design. Some compromises were made by Apple to attain a lightweight design for the iPhone 15 Pro and the 15 Pro Max. [caption id=“attachment_13180142” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] People look at the new iPhone 15 Pro as Apple’s new iPhone 15 officially goes on sale across China, at a store in Shanghai. The Pro models are facing overheating issues because of the new design aimed to make the devices lighter. Reuters[/caption] “The primary cause is more likely the compromises made in the thermal system design to achieve a lighter weight, such as the reduced heat dissipation area and the use of a titanium frame, which negatively impacts thermal efficiency,” Kuo wrote in a blog on Medium. He also said that if Apple does not address the problem “it could negatively impact shipments over the product life cycle of the iPhone 15 Pro series”.

Kuo clarified that the overheating issues are unrelated to TSMC’s advanced 3nm node that was used for the A17 Pro chip. While the less expensive iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus come with the A16 Bionic chipset also used to power iPhone 14 Pro models, the latest Pros have been fitted with the A17 Pro chipsets. The Pro models include A17 chips with a more powerful graphic engine. The component is meant to help improve gaming performances.

Is there a solution to the heating issue? Apple can address the heating problem with a possible software update. “It’s expected that Apple will address this through software updates, but improvements may be limited unless Apple lowers processor performance,” Kuo said. Do the latest iPhones have other issues? On the day of the launch of the 15 series, some iPhones froze. Users were stuck in an Apple logo boot-up loop while trying to transfer data from their previous iPhones, reports Mashable. However, this was fixed with an iOS update released on the same day. There are complaints of chip performance throttling. In two minutes of heavy loading, the Pro Max lost 25 per cent of its performance, ZDNET reported quoting TechTablets, a tech review channel.

That’s not all. The titanium frame on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max has come under scrutiny. Apple indicated in a support document updated on 21 September that indicates that fingerprints might “temporarily alter the colour” of the titanium frame on the two high-end handsets. However, the company has said that this is not a permanent condition, as the fingerprints can be wiped off just like on any other iPhone to restore a clean finish.

The glass of the iPhone 15 Pro Max is fragile, say tech reviewers. The coating of the Titanium is vulnerable to scratches. The FineWoven material used in the latest iPhone 15 cases is also prone to scratches and gets dirty more easily, some customers have said, according to the Bloomberg report. That fabric has replaced leather as part of Apple’s environmental push. [caption id=“attachment_13180162” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are the most expensive in the series. In India, The iPhone 15 Pro was launched at ₹1,34,900 for the 128GB storage variant. AP[/caption] What has Apple said? The report says that Apple’s tech support staff has been receiving calls about the heating issue. They have been referring customers to an old support article on handling iPhones when they become too hot or cold. It says that overheating happens when “using intensive apps, charging or setting up a new device for the first time”. The heating of iPhones is not a new phenomenon and it can be attributed to supercharged processors used in modern devices. It happens when setting up of new phone, as it redownloads all apps, data, and photos from iCloud. This can be a long and processor-incentive procedure, Bloomberg reports. However, while iPhone users are accustomed to heating, what’s worrying is the problem continues. No one is going to be tolerant of a phone with issues, especially if you are shelling out upward of Rs 1,30,000. With inputs from agencies