Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models will utilize vapor chamber cooling technology to improve thermal performance, according to the Chinese leaker known as Instant Digital.
Vapor chamber technology is already common in many premium Android smartphones. By dispersing heat across a larger surface area, it helps prevent thermal throttling and keeps performance stable, which is a major advantage in thinner, more compact devices.
This isn't the first time we have heard rumors about Apple's use of vapour chamber heatsinks in the iPhone 17 series. In January, Chinese tech news site MyDrivers claimed that the entire iPhone 17 lineup, including the regular iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, would use the tech.
In contrast, Instant Digital believes that it will only feature in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models, which are expected to be powered by Apple's A19 Pro chip. "Combined with the A19 Pro's enhanced thermal management, the devices maintain high performance under heavy load with virtually no throttling," added the leaker.
In another post on Weibo, Instant Digital also played down rumors that there will be any changes to the front of the iPhone 17: "This year's upgrades are focused on the internals and back, so there's likely no change on the front. The notch size and bezel are probably the same."
Last month, another rumor out of China claimed that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a smaller Dynamic Island, siding with analyst Jeff Pu's prediction last year that the device will adopt a metalens for Face ID that results in a "much narrowed" Dynamic Island. Pu in 2024 reiterated the claim several times, and he has a fairly good track record with Apple rumors. However, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in January said that the Dynamic Island on iPhone 17 models will remain unchanged.
Apple introduced the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro models in 2022, and it is also available on all iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models (except the entry-level iPhone 16e), but the size has not changed in successive models.
Apple plans to significantly revamp the rear camera design on its upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models, moving away from the familiar square camera bump to a distinctive aluminum camera bar that spans the device's width, according to recent reports.
The redesign extends to the new iPhone 17 Air model, which is set to replace the Plus variant in Apple's lineup. This thinner device will allegedly feature a similar horizontal camera bar design, though it will accommodate just a single camera lens.
In contrast, the base iPhone 17 is expected to maintain the current camera design language seen in the iPhone 16 series, helping to further differentiate Apple's premium and standard offerings. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series next September.
