Many Filipinos either boast of having an iPhone or dream of having one, yet as summers get hotter and everyday weather grows warmer, these expensive gadgets’ durability is finally put to the test.
According to the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA), the baseline temperature in the country has reached as high as 44°C as of May 2026. Then, similar to the country’s heat index, Apple products that are already known for their hefty prices rose by 20% this past month.
This unexpected raise was pushed on their newly released Macbook Neo, a gadget once advertised to be “budget-friendly” as an alternative to their regular Macbook laptops. With every product in the brand’s lineup costing a fortune for many ordinary Filipinos, more buyers are looking into the phones’ performance in hopes of justifying the price.
“My iphone 16Pro overheats easily...Kahit naka-Wifi lang or minsan browsing lang, overheat na. First experienced this days upon purchase,” a customer shared on Threads.
While overheating in what Filipinos call the normal weather is not an issue on iPhones alone, the brand’s slim design and raw performance has opened a gap in advanced cooling systems that Asian phone manufacturers are starting to fill.
Graphite sheets were the best choice for keeping phones cool until graphene sheets stole the show with its one layer of carbon atoms and exceptional performance in conducting heat.
"It’s not only good at spreading heat but also at quickly moving it away from heat-sensitive areas. This makes graphene a great candidate for devices that generate a lot of heat, like high-performance computers and even electric vehicle batteries,” a statement from Chinese graphene manufacturer Clean Concept Technology Limited (CCT) wrote.
A phone’s heat-sensitive areas include its lithium-ion batteries, processor, display panel sitting below the front glass screen, charging circuit, and even around the camera sensors. These spots, when put under extreme heat, can cut a gadget’s lifespan short and seriously damage the phone’s performance.
Based on more data from CCT, phones from the Huawei Mate, Xiaomi MIX, Samsung Galaxy Fold, and Oppo X Series have made the switch to the material. However, since the iPhone 12 series, Apple has yet to make a move and start using graphene for cooling phones down.
Even without the latest innovations, Apple remains–without a doubt–on the higher end among any other brand when it comes to prices.
The iPhone 17 base model with 256GB stands at P57,999, and reaches P88,990 for the Pro Max. In comparison, the graphene-equipped Huawei Mate 80 Pro with 16GB-512GB is sold at only P54,999.
That is nearly half the price of an iPhone with graphite sheets, less storage, and bigger chances of overheating. For Filipinos living in unbearable heat, ditching iPhones as the “social status symbol” could finally open up more opportunities for cheaper yet better-performing phones designed for higher temperatures.
When paying a fortune for an iPhone, Filipino customers expect luxury in a gadget – not an overheating disappointment wrapped in the pricey promise of prestige.
