Thermal conductivity of cases? Which case for a hot country?

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BobCH Author

Level 1

12 points

Thermal conductivity of cases? Which case for a hot country?

I recently moved to a region where we have around 38°C during most of the year.

So I'm looking for an iphone case that gives good protection while letting the phone "breathe" as much as possible.

The 3 variants from Apple are silicone, leather and polycarbonate (clear case).

What I found in the web does not really help:

While the thermal conductivity of polycarbonate is fixed (0.19 W/mK), it varies widely for silicone and leather (like 0.005 to 5.5) depending on many factors.

Does anyone know if Apple has any information about that?

iPhone 5s, iOS 12

Posted on Aug 15, 2023 10:25 PM

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Answer 1

LeleN1

Community Specialist

Aug 16, 2023 5:50 PM in response to BobCH

Hi BobCH,

Thanks for posting in Apple Support Communities! For assistance with figuring out the best case for your needs, contact the Apple Online Store team. They'll be best to help. Use this link and select 'Ask a Specialist': Apple Store Online.

Cheers!

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Answer 2

R_Gabriel

Community Specialist

Aug 16, 2023 6:28 PM in response to BobCH

Hi BobCH,

We would be happy to point you in the right direction! You can choose the call option shown on your most recent post or you can follow this link here for additional support options:

Get Support

Kindest regards!

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Answer 3

Tesserax

Level 10

158,682 points

Aug 16, 2023 6:57 PM in response to BobCH

Not sure what you are expecting for an answer. Thermal conductivity would be a two-way process, both entering into the case and that from the phone through the case to the environment is is subject to.

As I'm sure you are aware some materials are more thermal conductive than others. What are you more concerned about ... the environmental heat being transferred to the phone, or the ability of the phone to transfer excessive heat back to the environment?

A typical iPhone has the following temperature range restrictions:

Operating ambient temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
Nonoperating temperature: −4° to 113° F (−20° to 45° C)

At 38ºC it would already be outside of the phone's operating range, and will be thermal limited.

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Answer 4

Tesserax

Level 10

158,682 points

Aug 16, 2023 7:25 PM in response to BobCH

BobCH wrote:

The answer I am looking for seems to be obvious:

which of the materials used lets the temperature pass at what speed?

The obvious answer then is to review a list of the materials' thermal conductivities. I'm sure you know that you can find numerous ones on the Internet ...

... but to find the exact values for any of Apple-provided phone cases, AFAIK, no one, including Apple, has posted anything like that.

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Answer 5

BobCH Author

Level 1

12 points

Aug 16, 2023 7:30 PM in response to Tesserax

The problem is that for example silicone varies between 0.005 and 5.5 depending on many factor in the production. So, no, there is no list that can be used - I’ve done that research before posting.

and thank you for honestly writing that you don’t know of any information from Apple.

maybe somebody else knows about it or maybe somebody at Apple sees this.

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Answer 6

BobCH Author

Level 1

12 points

Aug 16, 2023 6:02 PM in response to LeleN1

Hi Less

this sounds really good, first.

but it ends in a phone number.

i had tried to find mail support before but Apple does not have that.

and calling a phone brings some major problem:

overseas calls are extremely expensive.
I don’t speak the local language.

— Robert

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Answer 7

K_Faith

Community Specialist

Aug 16, 2023 6:13 PM in response to BobCH

Hellko BobCH,

We understand. If necessary, select your country or region from the dropdown menu at the top of the page and click continue to have it reflect relevant information for your location.

We hope this helps.

Cheers!

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Answer 8

BobCH Author

Level 1

12 points

Aug 16, 2023 6:36 PM in response to R_Gabriel

Guys!!

please don’t answer quickly to the last post.

If you want to help, you should instead read the thread from the beginning to find a solution.

summary of what above messages:

i try to find the iPhone case that gives me good protection while blocking ventilation as little as possible.

Apple seems to not have any public documentation about the thermal conductivity of their cases.

calling support is not a good option because it’s either expensive or I don’t speak their language.

this question cannot be answered by any links to support because they all end up at finding a repair shop.

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Answer 9

BobCH Author

Level 1

12 points

Aug 16, 2023 7:03 PM in response to Tesserax

The answer I am looking for seems to be obvious:

which of the materials used lets the temperature pass at what speed?

the silicone and leather depend on production and base materials used and only Apple can answer that.

this has nothing to do with the fact that it is extremely hot here. We have to live with the fact that iPhones are not made for that, but I can do my best to extend its life as much as possible.

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Answer 10

BobCH Author

Level 1

12 points

Aug 16, 2023 6:18 PM in response to K_Faith

That might help.

can you point me to the right link, please?

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Thermal conductivity of cases? Which case for a hot country?

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