If you just bought a swanky new iPhone 15 Pro, maybe be careful about using it for strenuous activities like filming 4K videos.
That's because reports are flooding in online accusing the new flagship (which otherwise seems excellent) of becoming hot to the point of physical discomfort. People like Ian Zelbo of 9to5Mac have reported the phenomenon, which seems to be a very real thing.
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However, customer testimonials on Twitter aren't enough data. Thankfully, the folks over at Android Authority ran detailed tests with a temperature gun and found that it's not an illusion. The iPhone 15 Pro really does get substantially hotter than other flagship phones like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Google Pixel 7 Pro.
To be more specific, the iPhone 15 Pro maintains a relatively normal temperature while doing basic things like web browsing and watching YouTube videos. According to Android Authority's data, running a GPU stress test puts the iPhone 15 Pro's external temperature at 47.4 degrees Celsius, which is 3-6 degrees hotter than the other two phones. 10 minutes of recording 4K/60FPS videos runs the temperature up to 43.7 degrees Celsius, while neither of the other two phones cross 40 degrees Celsius while doing the same thing.
That's really hot, especially for something you hold in your hand. None of the data suggested the phones overheat to the point of malfunction (yet), but they can certainly become uncomfortable to wrap your fingers around. Maybe be careful about recording 4K videos until Apple addresses this issue.