Almost every time a new iPhone is released, consumers immediately complain about overheating problems. This time it was no different.
Another iPhone model, another history of consumers complaining about overheating problems. Apple’s flagship phones are infamous for promising high-end processing capabilities causing the device to overheat until it becomes unusable.
This year is no different, with the first iPhone 15 models rolling out of production lines and ending up in the hands of Apple’s most loyal customers. Like the iPhone 14, this year’s model is also the fastest, most powerful, and best-performing phone Apple ever produced.
But these high performances come at a cost. Users are already reporting serious overheating problems even when doing the most basic tasks. A video that became viral on a Chinese social network showed the iPhone heating up to 50° Celsius (122° Fahrenheit) when playing Genshin Impact connected to a 5G network.
The iPhone 15 mounts a new Apple silicon, the A17 chip, which was promised to run AAA games without overheating.
The company did not release any statement on the issue, although Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal tried to identify the root of the problem by interviewing people familiar with the matter.
Software, design, or both?
The first likely cause of the problem lies in poor software optimization, particularly after the first setup or a reboot. This software malfunction could cause overheating even days after it first occurred, and will likely need an immediate update to be fixed.
The second likely cause would be much harder to fix. Apple manufactures two different iPhone cases, one for the US market and one for the rest of the world. This is because most of the United States consumers have switched to an e-SIM setup, rejecting the physical card.
On the rest of the planet, however, SIM cards are still widely in use.
For the iPhone 14, Apple solved the problem by simply replacing the SIM trail with a piece of plastic for the US market. This year they went for two different designs instead.
This creates a swath of design challenges, especially because Apple strives for thinner and lighter phones every year.
If that is truly the root of the issue, Apple could decide to change the iPhone 15’s design. This, however, would involve a costly withdrawal of faulty devices from the market.
The most likely scenario is that Apple fixes the possible software problems, or optimizes it to work at lower qualities when overburdened with tasks.
Following the first overheating reports, Apple’s stock price fell by 0.91% before the bell.
