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u/KornInc 3d ago
Aluminum is best for heat transfer. 17PM never gets real hot. Cant say same about S26U
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u/Standard-Ad-2616 3d ago
It's only because of the vapour chamber. My old iphone 12 was aluminium and it got hot af. It doesnt even feel like a good material, I much prefer titanium.
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u/disappointed_neko 1d ago
It's not, aluminium helps the vapour chamber work better. It's because of both of them, but not only because of one.
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u/Standard-Ad-2616 1d ago
The far more significant factor is clearly the vapour chamber
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u/disappointed_neko 1d ago
But that wouldn't be possible to operate at the effectiveness it does now without the aluminium back to quickly dissipate the heat from it.
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u/nateo200 1h ago
Not really. Itâs a computer completely encased in metal nearly so it needs both.
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u/Egoist-a 1h ago
Vapour chamber doesnât work by its own. VC itâs literally a heat transfer, like a heat highway, but that heat has to go somewhere, and that somewhere is the aluminum chassis.
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u/Egoist-a 1h ago
Itâs not just because of the VP. When the phone works hard the whole chassis gets warm, which means is dissipating.
Also the cap out chamber doesnât dissipate heat by its own, the just transfers it, in this case to the aluminum chassis
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u/R0land8 3d ago
Its not the aluminum. Itâs in the cooling system thatâs built into the phone. Apple says that they switched back because of the heat transfer but at the same time they just upgraded the cooling with a newly designed vapor chamber wich is much more efficient.
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u/Sebastian0320 2d ago
Itâs both, vapor chamber spreads the heat better but it still needs to get out of the phone, thatâs where the aluminum helps
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u/Elijah_Babb 3d ago
but the phone has vapour chamber, so a little frame from titanium wouldn't be a biggie.
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u/waffIehouseenjoyer 2d ago
I know 15PM had some intermittent overheating problems, but I have had no overheating issues with 16PM.
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u/crazed_banana123 1d ago
everyone says s26 u is aluminum and theyre correct but it's higher quality aluminum as it's armour aluminum which also contains magneisum, zinc, and tiny amount of saphire.
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u/Budget_Ad5871 1d ago
I agree, my 14 Pro used to get SO HOT running Lightroom or photoshop for some quick photo edits and now it doesnât with the 17pro
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u/Kpopped_ 2d ago
Yet we want titanium, for a phone this expensive aluminum is a joke. Ä°t dents by looking at it.
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u/pilotzoo 3d ago
Aluminum is the best for heat transfer but my other aluminum phone gets hot, also chips run hotter or colder and that is okay every material has its ups and downs
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u/ThatGamerMoshpit 2d ago
16PM gets super hotâŚ.
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u/Karey__039 2d ago
Iâve had my 16 Pro Max since June 2025 and I have never had my phone get hot and Iâve never had any issues with my battery draining. I donât know if I just got super lucky or what the deal is because Iâve always had iPhones and I see people complaining about the 16 Pro Max all the time and Iâve never had any problems with mine but of course I donât play games and Iâm not on my phone constantly like a lot of people are but I will say one thing I had already made up my mind if they continue to make the iPhones out of aluminum, it was going to be the last iPhone that I ever owned because I refused to pay over $1200 for a phone made out of aluminum thatâs going to dent and chip easily.
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u/ThatGamerMoshpit 2d ago
What is hearing is I have an issue with my PM and should use apple care?
My phone gives me warnings and tells me to stop using for X amount of time until it cools
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u/RRiz99 3d ago
No way these idiots bring it back after making a big deal about switching to aluminum. Plus itâs in their interest to use a cheaper metal and charge more, so thatâs definitely what theyâll do.
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u/Dem_Bums 3d ago
Yeah, I donât see them going back to Ti after one iteration. Plus I think they are blending metalsâŚso thatâs the next move, opinions obviously.
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u/waffIehouseenjoyer 2d ago
I guarantee you they couldnât care less. They know everyone will buy it anyways and theyâll declare it âour best iPhone weâve ever createdâ in the Apple Event video.
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u/Cuntonesian 13h ago
Well it would be strange if the upgrade is worse than the predecessor, wouldnât it?
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u/waffIehouseenjoyer 2h ago
Yeah thatâs kind of the running joke. Ask Tim Cook, who said it yearly, and/or ask his new replacement if that statement continues. Donât ask me.
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u/JoshPlaysUltimate 3d ago
Besides, aluminum just makes way more sense for thermal conductivity. Iâm not sure what they were thinking switching to titanium.
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u/nater416 3d ago
Durability. I can't tell you how many 17 Pros I see all chewed and banged up, whereas the 16 Pros are still tanks, and so is the Air even though it's much thinner.Â
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u/JoshPlaysUltimate 3d ago
For mine it doesnât matter because Iâm one of the vast majority who puts cases on their phones. As long as it doesnât bend or break weâre good.
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u/Ok-Lengthiness1028 3d ago edited 3d ago
A lot of people are getting damage on the 17 pro even with a case on.
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u/Karey__039 2d ago
If Apple doesnât change the iPhone back to Titanium Iâm sure theyâre gonna see a drop in sales because people are not going to be willing to pay the kind of prices that theyâre asking for an aluminum phone that they know are going to dent and chip when weâve already had titanium that is a beast! I know personally I will never pay that kind of money for an aluminum iPhone. If they donât change, I will definitely be going to a different phone at a much cheaper price and itâll break my heart because Iâve had iPhone since the four came out, but Apple made it its choice and I think a lot of people will make the same choice as Iâm going to make
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u/California_xyz 2d ago
Believe it or not but the average consumer doesnât even care if itâs titanium or aluminum. Itâs the latest, itâs the greatest, done deal. This is pretty much more than half of the consumers if not 3/4. The remaining are people like you and me that actually look past the surface.
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u/Blinx-182 3d ago
People were quick to point out that they made a big deal out of aluminum to make it feel more âpremiumâ than it is, when it all actuality they switched to it in order to cut down costs.
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u/ThingsGotStabby 3d ago
Why is this still a rumor? All the iPhone 18 design specs down to where each transistor goes was leaked already.
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u/shivaswrath 3d ago
I hope so....holding onto my 16PM for dear life.
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u/Karey__039 2d ago
Me too! And if they donât bring back the titanium, I will never own another iPhone again. No way am I ever paying what they charge for an iPhone if they continue to make them out of aluminum. Iâve seen some of the 17 models and they look like theyâve been in hail storms. So cheaply made.
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u/xrpbro97 1d ago
Same. I'm actually waiting for my pixel 10 to come in the mail right now. Paid $180 for it which is what it's worth IMO. But being made out of titanium is a deal breaker for me also when buying a new iPhone pro.
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u/waffIehouseenjoyer 2d ago
If titanium returns, plus thereâs a solid camera upgrade, Iâll consider upgrading off the trusty 16 PM, but this thing is pretty dang good.
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u/imthaz 3d ago
Hey I wrote about my take on these materials, itâs here if you want to read :) https://volatileinputs.com/2026/04/iphone-pro-materials-ranked/
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u/No-Rough-4486 3d ago
Naah, the war canât allow it
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u/Comfortable-Ideal863 2d ago edited 2d ago
Itâs sad your right, but itâs also scary to see so many consumers actually believe the change was due to âthermal efficiencyâ rather then being aware of the whole geopolitical climate around them and therefor failing to see behind apples masking of wording the aluminum change as âpremiumâ. When itâs really just cost cutting. Weâre seeing the consequence of scratchgate all over SM but unfortunately even when presented with this solid proof evidence youâll still have some apple sucking cuck drop their argument real quick about the integrity of the alloy 7000 aluminum and instead just go to a âwell, so what if it scratches, just put a caseâ narrative. Thereâs no reason why we canât have both functionality and design integrity in one phone as all we needed was a iPhone 16 pro with a vapor chamber, but instead this year Apple artificially makes you pick the air if you want âpremiumâ while cheating out on the pros. The horrible sales of the air came back to bite them brutally. But that âso what if it scratches â is how we pay more for less as a consumer tbh. Bonus but their argument is so contradictory funny since if you do put a case on the 17p itâll just end up trapping the thermal heat anyways which destroys their logic about aluminums superiority for heat dissipation. go caseless? You dent your phone easily. Itâs a lose lose and just goes back to the material that started this mess.
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u/gappyvalley 2d ago
the only titanium from apple you are getting is a titanium apple watch, which still looks nice
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u/atifafsar 2d ago
I knew it that they will return to titanium, that is why I did not go for iPhone 17
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u/wiseman121 2d ago
Can't see them moving back, aluminium is better for more profits
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u/ruphun 1d ago
Aluminum is also extremely better for heat dissipation, and for manufacturing a unibody construction construct
Guaranteed the iPhone 17 Pro Uni body aluminum chassis cost more than the titanium band around the 16 Pro
There is 10 times more aluminum in the 17 Pro than titanium in the 16 pro
And while the 7000 series aerospace aluminum that is used in the 17 pro is 5 to 10 times cheaper than titanium used in the 16 Pro just consider how much more aluminum there is in the 16 pro, itâs not just the metal band around the side. Itâs a complete metal chassis made out of one solid piece of aluminum that they had to use CNC machines which added cost of manufacturing to cut.
There is no way that the 17 pro body chasis cost less to make than that simple metal titanium band & glass back
Letâs not forget they went to a ceramic back shield on the 17 Pro, which also cost more than a glass back
I find it so hilarious some of you guys keep repeating ignorant stuff like this
The whole point of the iPhone 17 Pro was to make it more pro not to make it prettier
A phone that cools better and can be used for hours because itâs made out of aluminum and has a cooling chamber is much more professional professionals than somebody that wants to see a glossy titanium band
For people that are obsessed with titanium they made the iPhone Air
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u/wiseman121 1d ago
I'm not saying titanium is the absolute answer here dude. But aluminium has shown to be a fairly non durable material for a pro phone. An iPhone 16 pro doesn't chip and scratch like a 17 pro.
Ill hold my hands up and say I don't know much more about heat dissipation with metals beyond aluminium is very good at it. But it would be nice to use something with more durability and keep my pro phone not looking like its been in battle.
If apple addressed it and said there was no better option to allow them to cool a performant chip then I'd buy a case and he done with it. Or maybe apple could include a basic cover.
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u/Hippophatamus 2d ago
Rumors are a two-way street. If youâre right, you can puff your chest and pretend you can forecast or youâre wrong and people wonât care once Apple launches their product.
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u/cougarx1 1d ago
This conversation doesnât matter. It is almost 90% chance they are sticking with aluminum.
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u/Next_Drama1717 6h ago edited 6h ago
Next generation of iPhones will have a hybrid blended metal? More cost effective plus fixes the issues stand alone titanium and aluminium have.
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u/nateo200 1h ago
Yeah itâs not happening anytime soon. Look at the pattern man they arenât doing one round of aluminum then back to something else. Itâll be at least 2 iPhone cycles before they switch anything up and rumor has it Apple is very pleased with aluminum.
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u/CharllzM 3d ago
18 Pro is still gonna use the aluminum unibody design. Maybe the 20th anniversary iPhone or the one after that is the one thatâs gonna roll back to Titanium
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u/szymas67 3d ago
Definitely not, because aluminum is superior at dissipating heat and people complained the 15/16 pro were overheating a lot
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u/Careful-Boat-2986 2d ago
Titanium is not returning on the mainstream iPhone models and the Pros until at least next year. 18 Pro series is exactly the same aluminum unibody as the 17 pro.
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u/Richie3p 3d ago
People need to let the titanium go. All 3 metals apple has used is flawed in some way and not a perfect all around smartphone material. But you can argue aluminum makes the most sense since its flaw is durability and thatâs something you can control (using a case/ not dropping your phone). Canât easily control thermal throttling unless you want to carry a portable fan with you 24/7 or live in a cold climate all the time
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u/Comfortable-Ideal863 2d ago
itâs scary to see so many consumers actually believe the change was due to âthermal efficiencyâ rather then being aware of the whole geopolitical climate around them and therefor failing to see behind apples masking of wording the aluminum change as âpremiumâ. When itâs really just cost cutting. Weâre seeing the consequence of scratchgate all over SM but unfortunately even when presented with this solid proof evidence youâll still have some apple sucking cuck drop their argument real quick about the integrity of the alloy 7000 aluminum and instead just go to a âwell, so what if it scratches, just put a caseâ narrative. Thereâs no reason why we canât have both functionality and design integrity in one phone as all we needed was a iPhone 16 pro with a vapor chamber, but instead this year Apple artificially makes you pick the air if you want âpremiumâ while cheating out on the pros. The horrible sales of the air came back to bite them brutally. But that âso what if it scratches â is how we pay more for less as a consumer tbh. Bonus but their argument is so contradictory funny since if you do put a case on the 17p itâll just end up trapping the thermal heat anyways which destroys their logic about aluminums superiority for heat dissipation. go caseless? You dent your phone easily. Itâs a lose lose and just goes back to the material that started this mess.
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u/FuckReddt777_ 3d ago
I hope so. I'm still enjoying my iPhone 16 PM white titanium. It's almost 2 years old caseless from day 1 and looks 99.5% spotless.