One of the tried-and-tested modern ways to ensure a phone doesn't thermal throttle is by including a vapour chamber. iPhone 17 series was the first to include one, and it appears Apple expanded its learnings to the iPhone Duo, featuring a unique dual-cooling system never seen before.
In a recent interview with PCMag, Apple executives Dan Murray and Banafsheh Barabadi detailed the complex engineering behind the Duo's heat management. Because the phone becomes twice as thick when folded, standard heat dissipation methods were insufficient.
Therefore, Apple designed a thinner vapour chamber and paired it with a flexible graphite pipe routed directly through the device's hinge. This lets heat transfer between the two halves of the phone, increasing the area for effective thermal dissipation.
Barabadi also stated that ensuring the flexible graphite material could maintain both its thermal conductivity and structural integrity over thousands of folding cycles was one of the design team's greatest engineering hurdles.
Vapour chambers have become a staple on both slab and foldable phones, but this unique solution is yet to be mimicked by another manufacturer. Phones like the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold boast a vapour chamber, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 uses a graphite pad and thermal paste to keep things cool.
While the iPhone Duo's one-of-a-kind internal design does seem impressive, real-world usage paints a slightly different story. There have been reports of the iPhone Duo running hot while shooting 4K video.
Although to give Apple the benefit of doubt, most phones tend to heat a little during 4K recording. More concrete conclusions can only be drawn once we test how the Duo fares in real-life day-to-day performance. So far, though, it feels like Apple really went above and beyond while making its first foldable.
From the latest tech news to expert reviews, Beebom Gadgets brings you tech that matters every day. Want help with your next phone purchase? Explore the latest phones and see which upcoming phones you should wait for.
Related Articles
