Actual test of iPhone 17 Pro's heat dissipation: Significant improvement. Did Tim Cook really tell the truth?

Finally, the iPhone has adopted "proper" heat dissipation components.

Actually, in last year's iPhone 16 series, Apple added a graphene heat dissipation film that can quickly conduct the heat from the chip to the outside. However, it's a bit wishful thinking to expect a single thin film to improve the phone's heat dissipation performance. So, in the iPhone 17 Pro series, Apple introduced a VC vapor chamber, claiming that the heat dissipation efficiency of this system has increased by 300% compared to the previous generation.

This should have been a welcome development, but Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an interview with a domestic media outlet that the VC vapor chamber in the iPhone 17 Pro series is an invention and innovation exclusive to Apple, and perhaps only Apple can achieve it.

(Image source: @FilmForce)

When Lei Technology saw this statement, it first thought that some marketing accounts had taken Cook's words out of context. But after watching the original video, it found that Cook did say such things.

This really puzzled Lei Technology. The VC vapor chamber has long been a common configuration in the Android market. As early as the ROG Phone in 2018, it was already equipped with a VC vapor chamber. How can Apple claim it as an exclusive innovation?

Without further ado, let's dig deeper to see if Cook is bragging or if Apple is truly invincible.

Has the heat dissipation improvement in the iPhone 17 Pro series shown the power of the VC vapor chamber?

Putting other things aside, let's first discuss whether the VC vapor chamber in the iPhone 17 Pro series has really increased the heat dissipation efficiency by 300% as Apple claims.

As soon as Lei Technology got the iPhone 17 Pro Max, it tested its performance and heat dissipation. From the thermal imaging images, it can be seen that although the temperature of the iPhone 17 Pro Max with a VC vapor chamber and an A19 Pro processor is higher during high - load applications like 3D Mark, it also shows that its heat dissipation efficiency is much higher than that of previous iPhone models.

(Image source: Shot by Lei Technology)

(Image source: Shot by Lei Technology. Left is iPhone 16 Pro, right is iPhone 17)

However, the data only proves the existence of the heat dissipation effect and cannot show whether Apple's VC vapor chamber has unique innovation. Or perhaps it's the combined effort of the aluminum alloy frame, the new processor, and the VC vapor chamber. We can't attribute all the credit to the VC vapor chamber.

Since we can't tell from the data whether Apple's VC vapor chamber is really effective, let's change the perspective and see if Apple has made any innovations in terms of principle and materials?

First of all, Cook said in the interview that Apple is the only manufacturer that can perfectly integrate a precise liquid circulation system into a mobile device, which really piqued Lei Technology's curiosity. Does it mean that Apple's VC vapor chamber is different from those in the Android camp?

(Image source: Apple official)

From Cook's subsequent explanation, Lei Technology learned that Apple's VC vapor chamber transfers heat through the evaporation of deionized water inside a sealed chamber and then through a condensation cycle. This principle is exactly the same as that in the Android camp. It's just that Apple has considered more aspects in terms of integration and detailed design.

For example, in terms of design, Apple first used an aluminum alloy middle frame with a thermal conductivity 20 times higher than that of titanium alloy (this is also one of the reasons for the adjustment of the middle frame material in the entire Pro series this year). Then, through an integrated process, it built an efficient heat conduction path inside the body. Finally, it optimized the energy efficiency ratio of the chip, reducing the heat generation at the root.

In other words, different from the Android camp's approach of "improving heat dissipation performance by piling up materials", Apple has adopted a combination of "VC heat dissipation + structural heat conduction + chip optimization". This idea of system optimization instead of simply piling up parameters is the core manifestation of what Cook calls "Apple's unique ability".

With Android leading in heat dissipation technology, what advantages does Apple still have?

The problem is that Apple's combination approach doesn't seem outstanding in the face of the Android camp's "brute - force material piling". Nowadays, many phones are equipped with multi - layer VC plates larger than 10,000 mm². From the "VC + graphene + fan" triple - solution in the ROG Phone 8 to the TEC semiconductor active heat dissipation in some models, the heat dissipation arms race in the Android camp has never stopped. Facing such a "dimensionality reduction strike", is Apple's VC vapor chamber "just enough" or "still lagging behind"?

From the perspective of matching user needs, Apple's solution basically meets the core needs of its target group. In its user profile, although the proportion of heavy - game players and professional creators is not low, the core demand of most users is "no overheating during daily use and stability in high - load scenarios".

After using the iPhone 17 Pro Max for a day, Lei Technology believes that it can "run calmly" in most scenarios. The temperature of 42.5°C when charging and playing games simultaneously and the rare frequency reduction times are better than most users' expectations. For Apple users who pursue a "balanced experience", such heat dissipation performance is completely sufficient.

However, from a technical and extreme - performance perspective, Apple does lag behind the first - tier of the Android camp. After all, Android flagships are no longer satisfied with the limitations of "passive heat dissipation" and have started to layout in the field of active heat dissipation. The built - in fan of the RedMagic Magic can reach a maximum speed of 23,000 rpm and can maintain full - frame performance in Genshin Impact for an hour at normal room temperature.

(Image source: RedMagic official)

The concept phone released by Realme is even equipped with a TEC semiconductor active heat dissipation solution, which can achieve an active cooling effect where the chip temperature is 3°C lower than the ambient temperature, eliminating the risk of frequency reduction even when running high - load applications for a long time. In contrast, the passive VC heat dissipation of the iPhone 17 Pro has obvious shortcomings in extreme scenarios, and the 3,500 mm² VC area is less than half of that of Android flagships.

(Image source: Realme official)

This gap is essentially due to the difference in product strategies rather than a lack of technical ability.

Apple has always adhered to the principle of "experience over parameters" and is reluctant to sacrifice the balance of body thickness, weight, and battery life for extreme performance. The Android camp's approach is to "meet segmented needs" by piling up heat dissipation hardware to capture segmented markets such as gaming phones and professional creative devices. There is no absolute superiority or inferiority between the two strategies, but in terms of the speed of technological iteration, Apple is a bit behind.

The move of equipping the iPhone 17 Pro series with a VC vapor chamber is essentially a rational response from Apple to user pain points and market competition. This long - awaited upgrade has indeed solved the "overheating and frequency reduction" problem that has plagued multiple generations of iPhones. Coupled with the system - level optimization, the iPhone does have good heat dissipation performance. The measured data from scenarios such as 30 - minute full - frame gaming and 20 - minute high - load rendering prove that its heat dissipation performance is sufficient to match the "productivity tool" positioning of the Pro series.

What Cook said about "Only Apple Can Do" has some marketing elements, but it also reflects that Apple does have its own unique insights in balancing heat dissipation and overall user experience.

In Lei Technology's view, the move of equipping the iPhone 17 Pro series with a VC vapor chamber is by no means an accidental technological trial, but an inevitable choice for Apple under the dual pressures of chip performance iteration and user demand upgrade.

Looking back at the development trajectory of the iPhone in the past three years, the performance improvement of the A17 Pro to A19 Pro chips has continuously exceeded 20%, but the lagging heat dissipation system has long restricted the performance. The application of the VC vapor chamber has increased the performance release rate to 92%, essentially "filling in the gaps" of previous generations of products and finally allowing the A19 Pro chip to "go all out".

Conclusion

However, Apple's heat dissipation technology is still in the stage of "filling in the gaps" rather than "making Apple great again". Compared with the Android camp's solutions such as large - scale VC, built - in fans, and semiconductor cooling, the gap in extreme performance and technological foresight is obvious.

This gap stems from the completely different product logics of the two sides: Apple pursues a balanced experience for the general public, while Android targets the extreme needs of segmented markets.

(Image source: Shot by Lei Technology)

For ordinary users, the key to choosing a phone lies in their own needs. If you are a user who pursues "stable daily use and a balanced overall experience", the heat dissipation performance of the iPhone 17 Pro series is completely sufficient. If you are an "extreme gamer" or a "professional creator", you'd better look at Android phones.

Apple's entry into this field once again proves that the VC vapor chamber has become a "standard configuration" for high - end flagships. The future competition will gradually shift to how to achieve in - depth collaboration with chips and systems.

In other words, the "battle to cool down" mobile phones has just entered the white - hot stage.