Tech enthusiast Matt Birchler tested the thermal performance of the iPhone 18 Pro while running speech-to-text tasks. He observed that the A20 Pro chip experiences a significant drop in performance when the device heats up during prolonged operation.
Without external cooling, the processing speed of the iPhone 18 Pro drops from an initial 447.9 words per second to approximately 320 words per second starting from the seventh test round. This represents a performance decline of nearly 30 percent.
By placing a chilled can of La Croix sparkling water against the back of the device, Birchler maintained an average speed of 400.4 words per second across 20 rounds of testing. This improvised cooling method resulted in a 25.1 percent increase in sustained performance.
While the method proved effective, it remains impractical for daily use. Commercial alternatives for thermal management currently include the Black Shark Magnetic Cooler 6 Pro, as well as specialized cooling cages from SmallRig and the Tilta Khronos system.
