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Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

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Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#131

Post by DoctorOetker »

JoBrad wrote: post #23
0_____0 wrote: post #16

This is a heat pipe. A technology from the 60s. Your laptop almost certainly has heat pipes in it. They usually use alcohol rather than water as the phase change material though. The (relatively) novel thing is that it's packaged small enough to be in a phone. I suspect the only reason it hasn't been used in handhelds more is because the TDP of mobile processors wasn't high enough to warrant it.

As I understand it, it’s more than that: there are small “inverted pyramids” that cause the water to condense more rapidly, to extract even more heat from the system. https://youtu.be/qAZ-q3KmDHM?si=pb08RMHEAA4o94xF

texture etc to promote condensation and to wick (without a rope) condensed liquid back to the hot point are also used in heat pipes.

I agree with the other commenters that "vapor chamber" is a kind of heat pipe, since "heat pipe" doesn't really impose constant radii by definition.

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#132

Post by fiddlerwoaroof »

cj wrote: post #32
Wistar wrote: post #3

Last night I encountered a 3 min+ ad on YT about the construction of the iPhone 17 Pro. A few seconds were devoted to the cooling system. I watched the whole thing. It was better than the video it interrupted. https://youtu.be/_-AS5DtDeqs?si=rTfubRDArVupqREt

Watching that video, the first thought I have is "So much engineering and I still need to buy a phone case with my new phone?" I'm guessing phone cases are still pretty much required if you drop your phone once or twice a month onto cement/asphalt/marble/etc from pocket height. I would be really curious to hear the internal debate at Apple wrt design tradeoffs + durability. E.g. how much of the iPhone design is only…

I would buy a case anyways because I prefer the appearance of my leather case to the plain phone appearance.

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#133

Post by selectodude »

cosmic_cheese wrote: post #129
hombre_fatal wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I never understand these caseless discussions. I went caseless once since I didn't realize my case would arrive a week after I bought the phone. The phone was slippery (couldn't temporarily rest it on my knee), and I found myself inspecting the restaurant/bar table any time I put the phone down after that one night I placed it right into a puddle of beer condensation and some mysterious food that got in the mic…

I go caseless just because of sheer amount of bulk cases add, even the "thin" ones. It significantly impacts how easy the device is to hold and pocket. The Air I might consider putting a bumper case on since its thinness offsets the bulk increase, but it's specifically made to be resilient to drops so it's a coin toss even with that. I barely drop my phone though, it happens maybe twice a year, usually on carpet. In…

My case is AppleCare+.

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#134

Post by willis936 »

xyx0826 wrote: post #123
kccqzy wrote: post #120

> In Apple’s version, a small amount of deionized water is sealed in the chamber. […] Water is often used in vapor chambers, though sometimes other materials are mixed in to prevent it from freezing and cracking the seal, Chiriac says. So Apple uses deionized water, while others add in some other chemicals to prevent it from freezing. So how will the new iPhone deal with freezing temperatures?

Is it necessary to prevent the water from freezing? If the chamber and water within are subzero while the SoC produces sufficient heat, the ice would simply melt. * Edit: the article mentioned freezing could crack the seal. Freezing would be a bigger issue than I had thought, then.

I remember being stuck on a ski lift on a day that was too cold and windy for any intelligent person to be skiing. The phone in my breast pocket was cold to the touch and the battery capacity evaporated by 50%. The display's response time was hundreds of ms. I turned it off at that point.

Not a huge deal. Just charge it when it's warmer. I would have been a little surprised if something inside popped and suddenly the phone started thermal throttling or had water damage.

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#135

Post by izacus »

IlikeMadison wrote: post #104
dotnet00 wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably because every Android or x86 thread gets filled with Apple fans doing similar things? This is just how these kinds of discussions go.

Wrong. The vast majority of Apple fans don't care about Android. I never see "Apple fans" going in threads about random Android stuff and talking about it. On the opposite, I see a lot of Android users complain and talk in every single videos regarding anything Apple on YouTube.

What on earth are you talking about? There isn't a single Android thread here where some Apple dude wouldn't have an utterly wrong post.

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#136

Post by ahartmetz »

bapak wrote: post #114
whatevaa wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are very from US to think that. Samsung strong in Europe.

Tell me when was the last time you heard boomers talk about Samsung. Never happened. Now how many times has nana mentioned "the iPhone" specifically? Also not from the US, I live in Thailand. Everyone wants an iPhone. Those who can't afford it buy Oppo, etc. Samsung may be "strong" in Europe but it's just because it's colorful and/or cheaper. You live in the HN bubble if you think that people care about specs and not…

Not everyone wants an iPhone in Germany. It is not in the least like everyone who can afford it gets one and the others Android. Like in most high income countries, the money for an iPhone is available or can be scrounged together for the vast majority of people.

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#137

Post by 1oooqooq »

GeekyBear wrote: post #126
thepryz wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you'd be surprised by how durable the newer phones are, especially the iPhone Air. It's hard to completely protect a glass screen from shattering since its a crystalline material encased in a metal enclosure that is more likely to dent than flex, absorb the impact and return to it's shape, but they keep getting better and I think most people could go without a case if they really wanted to. If you're curious…

For those who prefer text over video: > Typical smartphone glass starts scratching at a level 6 on the Mohs scale of hardness, but Zack’s picks barely left marks even at 7. “Apple ruined my line,” he joked, noting that Corning’s new Ceramic Shield 2 is a big improvement over last year’s iPhone 16 lineup, even besting the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s Gorilla Armor 2, which showed visible scratches at a level 6 when it was put t…

glass can either scratch or resist impact. It's not that they have a secret alien technology, just basic engineering tradeoffs. (and maybe slightly better than average quality control, which today is basically just not shipping known bad production lots)

Also, i find it nice that they decided to honor they allegiance pledge to the regime with an Orange model. It was a nice touch.

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#138

Post by everdrive »

Aurornis wrote: post #65
cj wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Watching that video, the first thought I have is "So much engineering and I still need to buy a phone case with my new phone?" I'm guessing phone cases are still pretty much required if you drop your phone once or twice a month onto cement/asphalt/marble/etc from pocket height. I would be really curious to hear the internal debate at Apple wrt design tradeoffs + durability. E.g. how much of the iPhone design is only…

Cases are great because everyone can get one that matches their risk level and frequency of drops. Having a sacrificial outer layer that I can replace for $10 is also preferable to letting the $1000 phone take the damage.

Pretty crazy concept; I wonder if someone could ever figure out something for a replaceable battery.

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#140

Post by cube2222 »

cj wrote: post #32
Wistar wrote: post #3

Last night I encountered a 3 min+ ad on YT about the construction of the iPhone 17 Pro. A few seconds were devoted to the cooling system. I watched the whole thing. It was better than the video it interrupted. https://youtu.be/_-AS5DtDeqs?si=rTfubRDArVupqREt

Watching that video, the first thought I have is "So much engineering and I still need to buy a phone case with my new phone?" I'm guessing phone cases are still pretty much required if you drop your phone once or twice a month onto cement/asphalt/marble/etc from pocket height. I would be really curious to hear the internal debate at Apple wrt design tradeoffs + durability. E.g. how much of the iPhone design is only…

It's up to you whether you think you need it.

I'm a person who tends to accidentally throw my phone around a lot, and don't use a case (cause the added bulk makes me throw it around even more). Often on ceramic tiles, often with added velocity from me walking or hitting it in the air while trying to catch it.

My iPhone 13 Pro still survived 3 years, and only had some scratches and bruises on its corners, but nothing broke (still in use, by someone else now). My iPhone 16 Pro after a year of that same treatment is almost unblemished (a small bruise on one of the corners).

These are, in practice, extremely resistant to damage.

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