Do iPhones get hot in use? (Versus Android handsets)

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The only problem I have with my HTC One (which is otherwise a very capable phone that I'm happy with & serves me well) is that it has a tendency to get warm very rapidly in normal use, and get uncomfortably hot (in excess of 40 degrees centigrade) under heavy use; to the point where it becomes quite literally too hot to handle without a case, and the battery life is accordingly drastically reduced.

I have never personally heard any iPhone-owning family/friends/associates complain about their handset overheating; while I did experience the same problem with the Samsung Galaxy S II (a dire phone, but that's beside the point here) which I had before my current handset. Do iPhones overheat, or is it a problem pecular to Android-powered devices?

I have used both Android and iOS, and have no particular "loyalty" to either; I have only chosen Android phones as they have - so far - always seemed to be better suited to my needs than the iPhone(s) out at the time of my having renewed my contract; so, if the iPhone does indeed have the benefit of more thermally-stable hardware, that could contribute much to my decision-making process the next time I am due to replace my phone.

As an engineering undergraduate I am certainly technically-minded enough to be comfortable with Jailbreaking my phone to regain any Android functions I'm used to that might not be native to vanilla iOS; and I've never used a non-free app so far, so I'd not be sacrifcing any purchases by migrating from the Google Play Store to the Apple App Store.
 
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pigoo3

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My wife has an iPhone…and she says that it doesn't get warm/hot while in normal use. But it does warm-up while charging.

Although I do know that there are apps that purposely make the iPhone get warm…as a hand-warmer (serious).;)

- Nick
 

chscag

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The HTC One has an aluminum case which probably adds to it getting warm as aluminum is an excellent heat conductor. The only time my iPhone (5c) gets warm is when it's charging and then it's barely noticeable. I have to admit the HTC One is a very attractive looking phone.
 
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my iPhone 3gs used to get quite warm if I talked for more than 30 minutes (long distance), but not hot. So far haven't noticed the 5 getting more than warm from my hand holding it for so long.
 
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chas_m

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I've never had an iPhone not in a case for more than a few minutes, so I can't say. I have never noticed any heat coming from any iPhone I've owned, but then I don't play a game like Infinity Blade III for hours on end that might cause a significant amount of heat to be generated.
 

vansmith

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The only problem I have with my HTC One (which is otherwise a very capable phone that I'm happy with & serves me well) is that it has a tendency to get warm very rapidly in normal use, and get uncomfortably hot (in excess of 40 degrees centigrade) under heavy use; to the point where it becomes quite literally too hot to handle without a case, and the battery life is accordingly drastically reduced.
That won't be specific to the One - any phone that sees heavy usage will generate more heat and experience significantly degraded battery life. Adding a case doesn't help either - this will trap in the heat.
 
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I've been caseless on my iPhone 4S and my iPhone 5S. It's been my experience, as said by the others, that you are most likely to see the warmth after charging and from doing anything CPU intensive, like certain games. When traveling, we typically have one of our iPhones on the dashboard running navigation, playing music, and charging. In those cases, the warmth is most noticeable, though the sun beating directly on it may be a factor also. On my old 4S in particular, this was more pronounced when I replaced the shattered back with one made of titanium.

Worth mentioning (if someone knows differently, feel free to correct me on this)... Android phones aren't particularly efficient in terms of processing power and require CPUs that run at a higher clock speed than what Apple uses to get comparable performance. As a consequence, they run hotter.
 

vansmith

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Worth mentioning (if someone knows differently, feel free to correct me on this)... Android phones aren't particularly efficient in terms of processing power and require CPUs that run at a higher clock speed than what Apple uses to get comparable performance. As a consequence, they run hotter.
I can't speak to the science but this is certainly a logical assumption. The horsepower in an Android device is considerably greater for a flagship phone relative to an iPhone. I don't know how that translates into increased heat production (how much for example0 but it's reasonable to assume that this is a very likely reality.

lifeisabeach also brings up a good point - environment matters as well. Where do you use your phone?
 

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