iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max could be equipped with a material that could help mitigate the overheating issues that affected their predecessors, according to a report. Apple’s rumoured successors to the iPhone 15 Pro models may be equipped with a graphene sheet for improved heat dissipation. The company equipped its current flagship models with a titanium frame, which has lower thermal conductivity than stainless steel, leading to heating issues that were partially mitigated with an iOS 17 update.

According to a PhoneArena report, Apple is exploring the use of graphene on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, instead of the existing graphite pads, to aid in heat dissipation from the phone’s processor. The material would help to move the heat generated by the chip further away and lower the temperature of the handset, according to the report.

This isn’t the first time that Apple has been tipped to equip its smartphones with the material — back in November, a leaker stated on X that that Apple was planning on equipping the successors to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max with a graphene thermal system. The company is also rumoured to use a metal bracket that will house the phone’s battery.

Weeks before that claim was made on the microblogging platform, Apple rolled out the iOS 17.0.3 update with fixes for overheating issues affecting the iPhone 15 Pro models. At the time, the company admitted that its latest phones were impacted by heating issues, while stating that these were actually related to app optimisation issues and software bugs. 

Apple’s rumoured iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max aren’t expected to arrive until the third quarter of 2024, so it’s worth taking these rumours with a pinch of salt. The Cupertino company could use graphene on its upcoming phones, or equip it with a vapour cooling chamber found on high-end Android smartphones. We can expect to hear more details about the iPhone 16 series of smartphones in the coming months.