Apple iPhone 16 Pro models may contain graphene: What is graphene and why should you care?

For the iPhone 15 Pro model, Apple has adopted a titanium body. While the new build was all the rage, like all Apple products, the device also became unwieldy and hot for some people. Quite literally. However, with the 2024 iPhone, Apple is reportedly looking to fix what happened, and iPhone 16 Pro models may use a new metalloid called graphene.

In case you forgot, when the iPhone 15 Pro models were released last year, many users started complaining that their iPhones were getting hot. It looks really hot. It’s so hot I can’t even touch it. Tech analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo, and eventually Apple, all realized that switching from an older build material to titanium on the iPhone 16 Pro models could be behind it. Titanium has low thermal conductivity, so it tends to trap excessive heat. This issue was only fixed after a bug fix was made in the iOS 17.0.3 update.

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However, even though this update resolved the overall issue of overheating on the iPhone 15 Pro models, especially those caused by apps such as Instagram and Uber, many users are still complaining about the overheating of their phones. I’m dissatisfied. I also have an iPhone 15 Pro Max, and now it doesn’t get so hot that I can’t touch it, but sometimes it gets uncomfortable enough that I notice the phone is getting hot. I’ll hang up the phone for a moment.

However, with the iPhone 16 Pro, Apple is working on a fix that’s better than just an iOS update. There are reports suggesting that Apple may use graphene layers attached to the chipsets of its phones. This essentially moves heat away from the chip and facilitates more efficient dissipation compared to the graphite pads currently in use.

According to PhoneArena, there is also speculation that Apple may choose a metal case for the battery of the iPhone 16 Pro series.

However, a metal case for the battery could add weight to the phone, so Apple is likely to go with graphene instead. Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. Although graphene is not a metal, its superior electrical and thermal conductivity, strength, and flexibility make it superior to graphite for mobile phone applications. These properties make graphene a promising material for improving the electronic performance and heat dissipation of devices.