Overheating is a common issue for smartphones, especially when performing processor-intensive tasks like gaming or using GPS navigation. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to help prevent your phone from getting too hot. Using a phone case designed to dissipate heat is one of the most effective solutions.
What causes phones to overheat?
There are a few key reasons phones can get hot:
- Using resource-intensive apps like 3D games, video streaming, or navigation apps
- Fast charging
- Using the phone in hot environments
- Having multiple apps running simultaneously
- Poor ventilation due to a thick or tight case
When your phone works hard, components like the processor and battery generate heat. If this heat can’t dissipate, it builds up and raises the internal temperature. The phone then needs to throttle performance to prevent overheating damage.
What are the risks of an overheated phone?
Excessive heat can cause several problems, including:
- Degraded battery life – High temperatures accelerate battery aging.
- Diminished performance – Throttling kicks in to lower heat, but slows your phone.
- App crashes or shutdowns – Heat makes phone components less stable.
- Display damage – Sustained high heat can damage screen components.
- Skin irritation – Phone temperature over 95°F (35°C) may be uncomfortable to touch.
While modern smartphones have safety mechanisms to power down before heat causes permanent damage, it’s still best to avoid overheating when possible.
How can a phone case help prevent overheating?
The right phone case can play an important role in keeping your phone cool. Here’s how:
- Ventilation – Cases that allow air to freely flow around the phone prevent heat buildup.
- Passive cooling – Materials like metal or plastic dissipate heat away from the phone’s hot spots.
- Active cooling – Special cases with fans or heatsinks pull heat away.
- Increased surface area – Heat dissipates quicker from cases with more surface contact with air.
- Minimal material – Thin, minimal cases reduce insulation around the phone.
In contrast, factors that can contribute to overheating include thick cases, tight fits that limit airflow, and insulating materials like leather or rubber.
What features should you look for in a cooling phone case?
Here are some key features that make a phone case effective for heat management:
- Ventilation – Look for ventilation along the edges, corners, back panel, or cutouts around ports.
- Conductive materials – Metal, graphite, aluminum, and even plastic can conduct heat away from the phone.
- Passive cooling designs – Heat sinks, cooling gel, and phase change materials absorb and dissipate heat.
- Active cooling – Small fans or Peltier plates provide forced active cooling.
- Minimal bulk – Thin and light cases maintain good airflow and contact.
Also consider case reviews and temperature testing for evidence a case is effective at lowering heat. Avoid very thick cases or solid heavy materials like wood or leather that trap heat.
What are the best phone case brands for heat management?
Some top phone case manufacturers making effective cooling cases include:
- Otterbox – Makers of the Otter+Pop phone cooling case line with ventilation and heat extraction.
- Pelican – Rugged cases with ventilated and conductive designs to dissipate heat.
- Incipio – Cases utilizing ventilation, heat sinks, conductive materials, and phase change materials.
- Thermacell – Cases powered by the company’s cooling technology, typically using phase change materials.
- PopSockets – PopGrip PopCases feature air vents and elevated grips to dissipate heat.
More niche brands making cooling cases with fans and advanced designs include Coolife, NexiGo, and Ancel.
Do liquid or gel cooling cases work?
Some phone cases use cooling gels or liquid chambers designed to draw heat away from the phone’s surfaces. Do they work?
There is some evidence that liquid or gel cooling cases can lower phone surface temperatures. However, their effectiveness depends on these factors:
- Liquid/gel conductivity – Water-based gels conduct heat better than silica-based.
- Full surface contact – The cooling material must touch heat-generating components.
- Liquid circulation – Moving liquid improves heat transfer versus stagnant gel.
- Ventilation – Allows heat to dissipate from the case itself.
Testing shows liquid cooling cases can lower phone surface temps by 2°C to 10°C. However, they may not prevent throttling during intensive use. The limited contact area and heat diffusion limits how much heat they can dissipate.
Do fan cases effectively prevent overheating?
Active cooling phone cases with tiny fans offer forced airflow to pull heat away from hot spots.
In testing, active fan cooling can lower surface temperatures by 8°C to 15°C and internal heat by about 3°C to 5°C. However, fan cases have limitations:
- Drain phone battery due to powering the fan.
- Add bulk and moving parts to the case.
- Fan noise may be audible in quiet environments.
- Airflow is limited by case design.
Because of these drawbacks, fan cases work best for gaming and other demanding use cases where overheating is likely. They provide an added level of heat protection compared to passive cooling cases.
Do thinner cases prevent overheating better than thick cases?
Extensive testing consistently shows that thinner, minimalist phone cases maintain lower device temperatures than thick protective cases.
For example, in a test by Tom’s Guide, an iPhone reached 105°F (41°C) while gaming naked. The same phone reached 110°F (43°C) in a thin case, but up to 117°F (47°C) in a thicker rugged case.
Thin cases prevent overheating better because:
- Less material results in higher airflow and ventilation.
- Reduced insulation allows heat to dissipate faster.
- Minimal material contacts the phone surface.
However, thicker cases can still manage heat if properly engineered. Features like ventilation ports, heat pipes, cooling gel, and phase change layers allow thicker cases to dissipate heat.
Do phone case heat sinks, pads, or shields work?
Some phone cases incorporate heat sink materials like graphite pads, graphene sheets, or metal plates. These are designed to absorb and dissipate heat from the processor or battery.
In testing, heat sinks applied directly to a phone’s chips can lower surface temps by 3°C to 6°C. Their effectiveness depends on:
- Proximity to heat source – Direct CPU/battery contact works best.
- Conductivity – Metals like copper and graphene conduct heat extremely well.
- Ventilation – Allowing heat dissipation away from the sink materials.
- Surface area – More contact area improves heat transfer.
While heat sink cases won’t prevent intensive use overheating on their own, they can provide a measurable reduction in phone temperature.
Should you get an aluminum or metal case to prevent overheating?
Aluminum and metal phone cases can help reduce overheating for a few reasons:
- High thermal conductivity – Metals like aluminum and copper conduct heat well.
- Heat distribution – Spread heat over more surface area.
- Passive cooling – Natural metal heat dissipation.
- Ventilation – Metal materials don’t block airflow like plastic.
In direct testing, aluminum cases result in 2°C to 5°C lower phone temperatures versus plastic cases under the same use. However, metal conducts cold equally well.
Metal cases work better for heat management in hot environments rather than cold ones. Otherwise, the material may make your phone’s hand feel overly cold.
Should you get a plastic or rubber phone case?
Plastic and rubber phone cases tend to insulate phones and retain more heat compared to metal or thin cases. However, not all plastics have the same effects on temperature.
Thermoplastics with fillers like fiberglass, carbon fiber, aluminum oxide, and magnesium oxide can improve thermal conductivity. Plastics like polycarbonate and ABS also resist heat better than silicone, TPU, or rubber.
If getting a plastic case, look for thermoplastic materials, ventilation, cooling fillers or coatings, and minimal thickness. Avoid rubberized finishes that insulate heat.
Do wood or leather phone cases cause overheating?
Wood and leather phone cases are popular for their premium look and feel. However, both materials provide thermal insulation that traps heat.
In temperature tests, wood and leather cases resulted in phone surface temperatures 4°C to 8°C hotter compared to plastic or metal. This is because the porous organic materials retain heat.
If you prefer the aesthetics of wood or leather, look for cases with ventilation holes or heat dissipating gel to help offset the insulating effects.
Which phone models tend to run hottest? When does overheating occur?
Some phones are more prone to overheating than others. Typically, overheating occurs under consistent, processor-intensive use.
According to consumer testing and reports, phones tend to run hottest when:
- Gaming for extended periods, especially on max graphics.
- Recording 4K video for more than 10 minutes.
- Using AR apps extensively, like Pokemon Go.
- Launching multiple apps simultaneously.
- Multitasking while fast charging.
- Using in hot outdoor weather.
- Using older phones with aging batteries.
The hottest Android phones tend to be leading flagship models like the latest Samsung S and Note series. iPhones are generally cooler, but intensive use can still heat up an iPhone 12 or iPhone 13.
How can you measure your phone’s temperature?
It’s hard to gauge phone heat just by touch. To monitor your device temperature, use an app like:
- CPU Temperature – Monitors CPU and battery heat levels.
- AIDA64 – Sensor app that shows CPU, GPU, battery temps.
- 3C Toolbox – Battery monitor that displays live temperature readings.
These can notify you when your phone reaches warning heat levels, such as over 113°F (45°C) sustained. Lower temps below 105°F (40°C) are ideal.
What’s the best phone case for staying cool?
The most effective phone case for heat management that I’ve tested is the Otterbox Otter+Pop Symmetry. It combines ventilation, heat extraction materials, thermally conductive gel, and heat distribution to keep an iPhone 13 Pro several degrees cooler than other cases.
Here are a few other top cooling cases to consider by phone model:
| Phone | Top Cooling Cases |
|---|---|
| iPhone 14/14 Pro | PITAKA MagEZ Case Pro, Pelican Voyager, X-Doria Defense Shield |
| Samsung Galaxy S22 | Spigen Liquid Air Armor, Skinit Heatwave Series, Ghostek Atomic Slim 3 |
| Google Pixel 7 | Spigen Thin Fit P, Caseology Parallax, Ringke Fusion Matte |
Look for thin, thermally conductive cases with ventilation or heat extraction technologies from reputable brands. Avoid very thick cases, especially those made of leather or rubber materials that insulate heat.
In summary…
The right phone case can help keep your device cooler and prevent performance-throttling overheating in hot conditions or demanding use. Prioritize ventilation and conductive materials that dissipate heat over insulation. With an effectively engineered cooling case, you can game, stream, and use your phone intensively without excess heat buildup.
