The most wanted iPhone 16 feature tackles its annoying overheating

By now we have a pretty comprehensive idea of what to expect from the iPhone 16. Better camera? Tick. Slightly larger screen? Yep. Slightly increased battery life? Uh-huh. Business as usual, then. But it turns out there's a surprising change topping users' wishlists.

According to a new survey, one of the most desired new rumoured features is an updated thermal design, engineered to prevent overheating. Sure, the iPhone 15 was hit with reports of overheating when it first launched, leading to a hasty software update – but is that really what most users want?

iPhone 16 Pro concept — A fan-made render of the iPhone 16 (Image credit: @MajinBuOfficial via X)

The survey by SellCell reveals that 26.8% of users are keen for the new thermal solution, while just 21.9% are most excited about the new Apple Intelligence AI features. Meanwhile, over 62% of men want a bigger screen, while 47.8% of women don't want the size to change. (Hey, I'm a small-handed man who wants the iPhone to get smaller. Just saying.)

The iPhone 15 Pro did suffer from minor overheating problems at launch – but software updates ironed these out (Image credit: Future)

"Really surprising so many people care about this, maybe its more relevant to gamers and users of other resource-intensive apps?" One commenter on the MacRumors forum says, while another adds, "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?"

Indeed, it seems likely that this survey's audience might have been skewed towards tech industry insiders. To the average consumer, I have a feeling the rumoured camera upgrades and Apple-designed battery are going to make a much bigger difference.

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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles. He has interviewed leaders and designers at brands including Apple, Microsoft and Adobe. Daniel's debut book of short stories and poems was published in 2018, and his comedy newsletter is a Substack Bestseller.