Live data from Hacker News

Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

spectrum.ieee.org

211–220 of 305 posts

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#211
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.

Are the $10 "rugged defender style cases" found online actually as protective for drops as the $80 actual Otterbox Defender branded case?

I really wonder, seems like maybe, and might be worth looking into. If so, that would be fantastic and would make the case round to 2 orders of magnitude less costly than the device, instead of just 1.

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#212

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.

[flagged]

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the average person wouldn't run into a meaningful problem without a case, maybe a light scratch or two somewhere if they looked closely, it's just the idea they might need a case that leads them to use one. This is probably even more true of screen protectors - which add on to this because they scratch much easier than a phone screen would, making people think "wow, it's a good thing I used a screen protector…

I never understood screen protectors. In 15 years I have never used a screen protector on any smartphone, and have also never had any scratches on the screen either. On average, I keep the same phone for 3-4 years (current phone is an iPhone 11, coming up on 6 years old).

I use a screen protector to prevent wear to the oleophobic coating, which had noticeably degraded on my previous iPhone. I know you can also buy treatments to replace the coating on the screen itself, but I don't know how good they are, and the screen protector is easier to replace if eventually needed.

(I walk a good deal and also bike with the phone in my pocket, so it's possible my phone gets above average wear in this department.)

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Saying "gravity and concrete are undefeated" is not explanatory. In 25+ years of carrying a naked mobile phone everywhere I've never broken one. My lifestyle theoretically exposes me to significantly greater risk of damage than the average person too. I view phones as semi-disposable devices, so I take no special care or precautions. I am eternally baffled as to why people need cases on their phones. The observation…

> I am eternally baffled as to why people need cases on their phones. > I view phones as semi-disposable devices, so I take no special care or precautions. Have you considered that for other people phones are a significant financial investment?

Or losing access to your phone for a day or two can range from a mild inconvenience to job–threatening.

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#215
post #146

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?" You can buy a $400m yacht and still need buoys when you dock it. Unless you want a phone that comes with a pre-installed rubber bumper around the outside, or we have some humanity altering discoveries in transparent materials science, you’re always going to have a case. Gravity and concrete…

Saying "gravity and concrete are undefeated" is not explanatory. In 25+ years of carrying a naked mobile phone everywhere I've never broken one. My lifestyle theoretically exposes me to significantly greater risk of damage than the average person too. I view phones as semi-disposable devices, so I take no special care or precautions. I am eternally baffled as to why people need cases on their phones. The observation…

Like some other people said, I drop my phones weekly. Some on wood, some on carpet, and some on concrete. It is so bad that as I have my latest phone for 2 years, I have run across 2 cases, and about to need a 3rd one or go for an upgrade (and buy a new case anyways). I have shattered the glass / screen once but that was a long time back. Yes I am clumsy and I would call myself that even before someone else told me so.

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That seems wasteful

$120/year on an iPhone 17, or $140/year on Air, Pro, and Pro Max Even for one year that's more than I'd spend to avoid using a phone case, and if I keep it for five years again that's $700. There are other benefits to AppleCare (a case doesn't cover theft or loss) but I'm not very worried about any of them.

[deleted]

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The titanium frame really is strong. The 17 pro’s aluminum will dent way more easily

I dropped my iPhone 15 Pro Max to my wife's iPhone 14 and it cracked the 14's screen right away. Because of these event, I started going caseless with my 15.

wouldn't a case stop that happening?

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My case is AppleCare+.

That seems wasteful

It pays for itself the minute you have to replace a device. It’s insurance. The entire insurance industry is wasteful, by your argument. And like yeah it is. However most people prefer to amortize financial risk. That peace of mind is valuable.

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#219
post #84

Pretty sure this is 99% a reaction to LLMs. On the older ones things get really spicy with even short on device LLM runs.

I've noticed my iPhone get hot the most while using the camera. Especially while taking video, but after a few photos it gets hot as well. I was on vacations last week in a tropical country and took a lot of photos with my 16 Pro and it gets so hot after just a few photos that it starts lagging A LOT due to the throttling. I'm sure this is handy for LLM usage, but this was a problem before those were a thing I'd say.

My 16 pro is frustratingly laggy taking photos all the time, particularly from the lock screen. It's a little better from the camera app.

Re: Vapor chamber tech keeps iPhone 17 Pro cool

#220
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.

This, and the options you probably would hate on the phone stock.

For my 17 Pro I got a case with a kickstand. If the kickstand breaks off I get a new $16 case. If it was built into the phone I’d possibly need a new backplate depending on the damage. Probably not $16 to fix. A built in kick stand would certainly become a love it or hate it feature based on how people use the thing.

And there are people out there who are going to be huge fans of the Flower Power iMac. They can get just such a case and Apple doesn’t have to take the loss on that given 2025 design aesthetic .

Post reply on HN