Apple has placed significantly larger orders for vapor chamber cooling components, with suppliers reportedly preparing enough inventory to cover both the upcoming foldable iPhone and the 20th-anniversary iPhone models expected in 2027.
The foldable iPhone, which Apple has internally referred to as the iPhone Ultra, is targeting a September launch.
Apple asked suppliers to manufacture around 10 million units for 2026, a figure that represents a meaningful jump from earlier projections of seven to eight million.
That production target suggests Apple is moving forward with enough confidence in demand to build at scale from the start.
Why a Foldable iPhone Needs a More Sophisticated Cooling System
A book-style foldable phone folds flat but needs to fit a full-sized display, a hinge mechanism, and a processor into a body thinner than a conventional smartphone.
That geometry leaves very little room for heat to dissipate naturally. Without a dedicated thermal management system, a high-performance chip in this configuration will throttle its speed under sustained load.
This drop in performance directly affects demanding tasks like video editing, extended gaming, or prolonged camera use.
Vapor chamber cooling moves heat away from the processor by circulating a small amount of deionized water through a sealed chamber.
As the water absorbs heat near the chip, it vaporizes, travels to a cooler part of the device, condenses back into liquid, and the cycle repeats.
The Anniversary iPhone Adds Another Layer to the Order
The same reports links the increased component orders to Apple’s 20th-anniversary iPhone, planned for 2027.
That device is expected to feature glass that curves around all four edges, producing a display with almost no visible border.
A redesigned chassis would require a substantially different thermal solution, since the internal layout needed to support wraparound glass would differ considerably from that of current Pro models.
Apple is reportedly planning two anniversary iPhone sizes in 2027, with dimensions close to the 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays used in the current iPhone 17 Pro lineup.
A separate supply chain report published this week claims manufacturing facilities are already being reconfigured to support an all-glass design for the iPhone 20.
This adds to growing expectations that Apple is planning a major overhaul for the device’s 20th anniversary.
For buyers considering the foldable iPhone at what analysts expect will be a price above $2,000, the presence of advanced cooling is directly relevant to long-term performance.
Phones that throttle under sustained load age faster in practice than their specifications suggest, and a thermal system designed for the form factor from the ground up addresses one of the most common criticisms leveled at competing foldables already on the market.
