In January 2021 Kuo stated that he was hearing that Apple was aggressively testing a new vapor chamber thermal system due to the iPhone's stronger computing power and faster 5G connection speeds. Kuo is vague about when this feature might come to market. In April 2021 a second rumor emerged regarding a vapor chamber for iPhone. And then the news on this went silent.

In August 2024, Patently Apple posted a report that pointed to Google beating Apple to market with a vapor chamber for the Pixel 9 Pro as pictured below.  

(Click on image to Enlarge)

Samsung Galaxy phones, beginning with the S22 Ultra models, have offered a vapor chamber and has been improved over the years. So Apple has been behind the curve on this feature.

Today a new rumor claims that all iPhone 17 models could finally address its long-standing thermal management issue. Apple's implementation of a proper thermal management solution in its iPhone lineup has been a sore spot, considering how Android competitors have adopted vapor chamber cooling, even in their budget models.

Apple's last year's iPhone 15 Pro models featured an A17 Pro chip, which brought thermal challenges to the mix and highlighted the need for a better cooling solution. Overheating caused the chip's performance to be throttled and hampered, which negates the entire purpose of an upgraded SoC.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the company is now aiming higher for the iPhone 17 lineup, as the devices are reported to feature a vapor chamber cooling system (via MyDrivers).

Interestingly noted, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is reported to feature a vapor chamber and graphite sheet cooling combination, which will set a new thermal performance and durability standard.