iPhone 16 Pro Max The 16 Pro Max still has thermal issues

[DMG35]

I was hoping the 16 Pro Max would improve the thermals but sadly it does not. Why Apple can’t make these phones not get ridiculously hot is beyond me. I also own a Galaxy S24 Ultra and it doesn’t have any of these thermal problems.

Using CarPlay plus GPS makes the phone get super hot just like it did on the 15 Pro Max. I don’t use a case so I most likely feel it more but Apple unfortunately didn’t get the thermal issues fixed like they said they did. Typing on the phone now after parking and the screen is all dimmed out because the phone got so hot. I can do the exact same things on the S24 Ultra and it stays cool as can be.

What a disappointment.

 

[sk1985]

No issues with mine...Pretty cool running.

 

[AbSoluTc]

I've owned all iPhones from the 3G to the 16 Pro Max with the exception of the 11/12. Never once have I received a notice about my phone being too hot, except for my 16 Pro Max when I was backing it up a week ago. That's the only time. I have not had a heat issue with my 15 Pro Max either.

It doesn't surprise me people may have issues. Titanium is a poor heat conductor. The stainless steel 14 and previous versions all had a center stainless steel as well. This allowed optimum heat dispersion. Compared to now, I think the internals are aluminum and the outer band is Titanium.

 

[DMG35]

I've owned all iPhones from the 3G to the 16 Pro Max with the exception of the 11/12. Never once have I received a notice about my phone being too hot, except for my 16 Pro Max when I was backing it up a week ago. That's the only time. I have not had a heat issue with my 15 Pro Max either.

It doesn't surprise me people may have issues. Titanium is a poor heat conductor. The stainless steel 14 and previous versions all had a center stainless steel as well. This allowed optimum heat dispersion. Compared to now, I think the internals are aluminum and the outer band is Titanium.

Every single time I charge in my car with carplay and GPS running I always get "charging has been put on hold until your device cools down" or whatever that message is that pops up. I don't ever remember having this with my other phones.

The only thing is that the S24 is also titanium and it never gets hot on me. I just think Apple has some major design issues with these devices.

 

[AbSoluTc]

Every single time I charge in my car with carplay and GPS running I always get "charging has been put on hold until your device cools down" or whatever that message is that pops up. I don't ever remember having this with my other phones.

The only thing is that the S24 is also titanium and it never gets hot on me. I just think Apple has some major design issues with these devices.

Lots of variables. I don't have carplay but do charge and use gps - never had an issue. Are you wirelessly charging or wired? Where is your device while charging/being used?

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I was hoping the 16 Pro Max would improve the thermals but sadly it does not. Why Apple can’t make these phones not get ridiculously hot is beyond me. I also own a Galaxy S24 Ultra and it doesn’t have any of these thermal problems.

Using CarPlay plus GPS makes the phone get super hot just like it did on the 15 Pro Max. I don’t use a case so I most likely feel it more but Apple unfortunately didn’t get the thermal issues fixed like they said they did. Typing on the phone now after parking and the screen is all dimmed out because the phone got so hot. I can do the exact same things on the S24 Ultra and it stays cool as can be.

What a disappointment.

My girlfriends Ultra overheats when charging, using Google maps, listening to audiobooks while using a dash mount in Phoenix whenever it's over 100 degrees. My iPhone 15PM does too so I don't think theres a flagship phone that can't be overheated under certain extreme conditions

 

[ProbablyDylan]

My 16 Pro has actually been better behaved thermally when using wireless CarPlay.

 

[sk1985]

My girlfriends Ultra overheats when charging, using Google maps, listening to audiobooks while using a dash mount in Phoenix whenever it's over 100 degrees. My iPhone 15PM does too so I don't think theres a flagship phone that can't be overheated under certain extreme conditions

Good point. Now that you mention it when I was out in NYC and it was a 95+ degree day my phone got toasty, but at normal temps up to 80s it feels close to or just a little bit warmer than room temperature. FYI...I know it actually is running hotter than room temp...I know someone will say something

 

[Lobwedgephil]

Every single time I charge in my car with carplay and GPS running I always get "charging has been put on hold until your device cools down" or whatever that message is that pops up. I don't ever remember having this with my other phones.

The only thing is that the S24 is also titanium and it never gets hot on me. I just think Apple has some major design issues with these devices.

I got that a ton with my 15 PM, nothing yet on the 16PM. Also use without a case and no issues being warm at all for me. So for me it is much improved so far, sorry to hear not for you.

 

[Nozgog]

Going from 15 pro to 16 pro - I saw no improvement in thermals - 16 pro might actually be worse because it displayed the overheating message sooner - both phones charging side by side wirelessly in the car

I fully agree with OP that overheating issues have not been fixed

 

[klasma]

I just think Apple has some major design issues with these devices.

The "design issue" is that the chips they choose to put in are too powerful for the form factor. They are doing this to win the Geekbench numbers game, and for the "Pro" differentiation, but it's not sustainable. They did improve the thermals compared to the 15, but they also raised the peak performance by about the same factor (if you read between the lines of what was stated in the keynote).

 

[now i see it]

Current iPhone is more powerful than a 2010 Mac Pro and that computer had huge heat sinks and 2 big fans in it.

 

[ZipZap]

I have a thin case and a charging ring attached to the case. The ring will get hot during charging but the phone seems to remain cool.

 

[Nikhil72]

I just drove with my 16PM with CarPlay on a 92 degree day in Hawaii for 2 hours and my baseless phone was cool to the touch. The only thing I’ve noted heating my phone up is Lightroom exports. Otherwise, a world of difference from my 15PM

I did set the phone up as new rather than restore if that means anything.

 

[Fred Zed]

I have a thin case and a charging ring attached to the case. The ring will get hot during charging but the phone seems to remain cool.

Something similar that I’ve experienced. A new experience for me, I have a third party silicone case and also a pop socket occasionally on. I feel some warmth to the back sometimes yet when I place my fingers over the back with case removed it feels cool. Same with touching the screen. It seems like it’s dissipation heat in a way different to what my senses are used to. ? Lol

 

[Elusi]

The point of the new thermal solution was that they can distribute away the heat quicker from the chip, thus allowing it to throttle less and perform better. That heat has to go somewhere, though, and that place will per usual be your hand.

 

[Prabas]

Using GPS and having CarPlay should not make phone hot, it's not THAT resource intensive. At worst it should be quite warm to touch.

 

[AlixSPQR]

The choice of titanium is unfortunate, since this metal has insulating properties, i.e. titanium has low thermal conductivity.

 

[TracerAnalog]

My 15 PM never had an issue, nor does my 16PM 🤷🏻‍♂️. Note: if you leave it in the sun (dashboard) it does heat up, but that's just physics. Mine is mounted in front of the airco outlet, so it stays nicely cooled.

 

[Nikhil72]

From the GSM Arena 16PM review:

“Apple has promised better heat dissipation for this generation of iPhones and thus - better sustained performance. And it has delivered! The CPU scored 78% of stability. The GPU stability has increased from 74% (same test, iOS 18) to 90%, which is great.”

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max review

Apple iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max come with the latest available Apple iOS 18 pre-installed. While Apple tried to present this new iteration...

m.gsmarena.com

The galaxy s24U for comparison:

“
The S24 Ultra exhibited massive thermal throttling in our testing and lost a huge chunk of its maximum performance over time, a whopping 53% in 3DMark. This is notably worse than both the S24+ and the S24, as well as the S23 Ultra. While you could call this an okay showing, it's still more on the disappointing end of things.

CPU-based throttling isn't quite as bad (35% performance loss), but is still far from ideal. The only potential positive observation to make is that the surface of the phone never got too hot or uncomfortable to hold, even after an hour-long torture test.”

 

[maerz001]

The choice of titanium is unfortunate, since this metal has insulating properties, i.e. titanium has low thermal conductivity.

There is a difference between insulation and metal.

 

[AlixSPQR]

There is a difference between insulation and metal.

What do you mean? I'm not talking about all metals here. Do you deny that titanium has insulating properties? The fact is, when heat reaches the titanium in an iPhone, it can't conduct efficiently through it. That means the heat must dissipate otherwise. Physics is physics.

 

[DMG35]

My 15 PM never had an issue, nor does my 16PM 🤷🏻‍♂️. Note: if you leave it in the sun (dashboard) it does heat up, but that's just physics. Mine is mounted in front of the airco outlet, so it stays nicely cooled.

I'm not really sure what you're trying to say here. You keep your phone in front of the A/C so of course it stays cool. Mine would stay cool as well if I had cold air blowing on it while driving. The point is that these phones shouldn't need a fan hitting them with cool air to stay cool while they are doing basic things like GPS and charging at the same time.

 

[maerz001]

What do you mean? I'm not talking about all metals here. Do you deny that titanium has insulating properties? The fact is, when heat reaches the titanium in an iPhone, it can't conduct efficiently through it. That means the heat must dissipate otherwise. Physics is physics.

Titanium is just about 30% worse than stainless steel. So yes this is still far off what we would call insulation.
The glass on the back is 1/10 of titanium in thermal conductivity.

Atmospheric air surrounding your iphone is another 1/50 of glass. And now we are talking about insulation

 

[AlixSPQR]

Titanium is just about 30% worse than stainless steel. So yes this is still far off what we would call insulation.
The glass on the back is 1/10 of titanium in thermal conductivity.

Atmospheric air surrounding your iphone is another 1/50 of glass. And now we are talking about insulation

Yes, because all the parameters you gave were there before. So with 15 Pro and onwards, insulation has been added, in the form of titanium. You can spin it all you want, but the Pro is less effective in dissipating heat with titanium than it was before.