New iPhone 16 Thermal Design High on Buyers' Wishlist, Survey Suggests

A recent survey conducted by SellCell suggests that a significant majority of iPhone users are planning to upgrade to the upcoming iPhone 16 series, with many expressing a preference for a better thermal design to prevent overheating issues.

iPhone 16 Pro Mock Article
The survey, which polled over 2,000 US-based ‌iPhone‌ owners (1,000 males and 1,000 females), found that 61.9% of respondents plan to purchase an ‌iPhone 16‌ model upon release.

Competitive pricing emerged as the most crucial factor, with 30.9% of respondents citing it as the primary influence on their decision to upgrade. But it was improved heat management that turned out to be another key area of interest, with 26.8% of users hoping for better thermal performance to prevent overheating issues.

Shortly after the iPhone 15 Pro and ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max were released last September, some customers began to experience an issue with the devices overheating. Apple eventually mitigated the problem with an iOS 17 update, but ‌iPhone 16‌ models are expected to be equipped with a new thermal design to address potential overheating.

The SellCell survey also revealed significant interest in Apple Intelligence capabilities for the ‌iPhone 16‌. A striking 82.1% of respondents expressed willingness to wait up to a month after release for the AI features to be fully implemented. Apple plans to release ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features in an iOS 18.1 update that is expected to arrive in October.

Another intriguing finding was the interest in larger displays for the ‌iPhone 16‌ series. Despite the current ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max already boasting a 6.7-inch screen, over half of the respondents (54.9%) indicated they would welcome even bigger iPhones. The finding chimes with expectations that the iPhone 16 Pro models will have slightly bigger displays.

However, there was a notable gender divide on the issue of display size. The majority of men (62.1%) were in favor of larger displays, while women are more evenly split, with 47.8% expressing interest in bigger screens. Some female respondents cited concerns about handling and holding larger devices comfortably.

For those who said they won't be buying the ‌iPhone 16‌, most people (34.2%) cited the expense as the reason, closely followed by people who won't invest because they are keeping their existing phone (34.1%).

Apple is expected to announce its new ‌iPhone 16‌ lineup next month at an event that could take place on Tuesday, September 10, although Apple has not yet provided official confirmation of the date.

Related Roundups: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro

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Top Rated Comments

marco114 Avatar
7 months ago
I've never had an issue with overheating.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JitteryJimmy Avatar
7 months ago
I'm not sure what kind of "survey" this is, but I find it awful weird that "thermal design" is one of the most important purchase decisions for the average buyer. Battery life, appearance, and durability were not even survey options. WTF?

It feels like a PC fanboy dream: "Thermals are most important to me, and I hope they use the amazing thermal paste and water cooling like I have on my home-built gaming rig"

My guess is that respondents saw the word "design" and clicked that one, assuming that "thermal design" means "appearance". After all, 99% of people I know have no idea what "thermal design" actually means, despite the survey's attempt to explain it in a half sentence.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
swissglide Avatar
7 months ago
Survey: “do you want tech to prevent overheating?”
Respondent: “oooh, overheating sounds real bad, I don’t want my phone to start doing that! Better mark this one high.”
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sunapple Avatar
7 months ago
The iPhone 6S got a stronger frame to prevent bending and the iPhone 4S got better antennas for better reception. Still some people felt the need to defend Apple on their initially flawed designs. Always an interesting phenomenon.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mblm85 Avatar
7 months ago
I bet if you asked 100 people in the real world what they wanted from the next iPhone, a grand total of zero would say “I want a new thermal design”..
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
7 months ago

I've never had an issue with overheating.
Watch a YouTube video in picture and picture and see the phone go red hot
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)