Apple has ramped up orders for vapor chamber cooling components said to be destined for its upcoming foldable iPhone and 20th-anniversary iPhone models, according to a Chinese leaker.
The Weibo account known as "Fixed Focus Digital" claims the increased order volume will first support the manufacture of Apple's book-style foldable, or "iPhone Ultra," which is expected to debut in September. Apple has reportedly asked suppliers to produce approximately 10 million foldable iPhones in 2026, up from an earlier forecast of seven to eight million units.
Fixed Focus Digital previously said Apple's first foldable iPhone would feature "impressive" vapor chamber cooling, claiming that the company is "going all out" with the device's thermal engineering. While there's no corroborating evidence, it's quite possible that the foldable design Apple is adopting could present unique cooling challenges because of its thinner internal structure and limited space for heat dissipation.
Apple introduced vapor chamber cooling to the iPhone lineup with last year's iPhone 17 Pro. The system uses a small amount of deionized water to move heat away from the A19 Pro chip and distribute it through the device's aluminum unibody frame.
Meanwhile, next year's 20th-anniversary iPhone will reportedly feature an edge-to-edge display with glass that curves around all four sides, with the aim of creating a nearly borderless appearance. If indeed we see such a device with a substantially redesigned enclosure, there's a good chance that it too will require a more advanced cooling system.
Apple is expected to offer two anniversary models in 2027 in sizes similar to the forthcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The latter devices are rumored to retain the 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch dimensions of the current iPhone 17 Pro models, suggesting next year's commemorative lineup could use the same display sizes.
Earlier this week, Fixed Focus Digital claimed that Apple's "preferred approach" for the iPhone 20 is a return to glass, and that the relevant manufacturing facilities have already been renovated in advance of the project.
