Apple recently introduced the iPhone 15 Pro series smartphones with major updates such as replacing the aluminum frame with a new titanium frame, USB-C port and the advanced A17 Pro chip manufactured using TSMC’s advanced 3nm process. However, reports have come from various sources stating that iPhone 15 Pro series devices are experiencing serious overheating problems.

Early speculations and statements suggested that Apple had to settle for lower-end chips for this year’s Pro series, pointing to the difficulty of achieving high performance with TSMC’s 3nm chips as the main reason. With all this, well-known industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that the heating problems are not related to TSMC’s 3nm technology, but come from another source.

According to Kuo, “The root cause of the heating issue is most likely compromises made in the thermal system design to achieve lower weight, such as reducing the heat dissipation area and using a titanium frame, which negatively affects thermal efficiency.”

More specifically, it seems that Apple may have made compromises in the design of the thermal system to prevent the iPhone 15 Pro models from becoming too heavy. Considering that titanium is denser than aluminum, this solution is consistent with the goal of maintaining an acceptable weight. Additionally, titanium is known to have a lower thermal conductivity compared to aluminum, which may contribute to less efficient heat dissipation.

Kuo predicts that Apple will most likely fix the problem with a software update. But this could result in a trade-off, potentially throttling the performance of Apple’s A17 Pro chip to keep temperatures under control. Kuo also warns that if Apple doesn’t address this issue effectively, it could negatively impact sales over the lifespan of the iPhone 15 Pro series. But the more pressing question is how such a problem can get past the prototype testing stage.