New iPhone 16 Pro leaks suggest that Apple is looking for a way around the problems that arose after the iPhone 15 launch. And that could lead to new battery technology for next year's phone.

Shortly after the latest iPhones hit the market earlier this fall, some users reported problems with their iPhones overheating. The problem was mainly concentrated on the iPhone 15 Pro model, but it appears that some standard iPhones also had the problem. Apple blamed the problem on a software bug and released iOS 17.0.3 in October as a fix.

Apple would want to avoid a reoccurrence of this type of problem in future phone launches - hence the new reports that handset makers are looking for ways to improve the iPhone 16's heat dispersion.

To that end, the iPhone 16 Pro's battery could come with a matte metal shell and new connectors for heat dispersion, according to photos and a post shared by X user Kosutami on the social network formerly known as Twitter performance. The leaker added that the battery shared in their post would have a capacity of 3355mAh, an increase over the 3274mAh cell of the iPhone 15 Pro.

Until now, Apple has relied on a shiny black foil design for its iPhone batteries. While there are rumors that Apple is working on a major redesign of the iPhone battery, those reports have primarily focused on Apple improving battery life and longevity rather than dispersing heat.

Still, it would not be unprecedented for Apple to move away from a shiny battery design to a metal alternative; since the Apple Watch Series 7, Apple has used a metal housing to better disperse heat from the wearable.

When reports of the iPhone 15 overheating first surfaced, some users focused on the new phone's titanium design. Apple countered that titanium is better at dissipating heat than the stainless steel it used in earlier models. Besides software bugs, Apple claimed that third-party apps were causing the iPhone 15 Pro's overheating issues, stating that various apps, including Instagram and Uber, were overloading the iPhone's CPU. The affected third-party apps were patched after the iPhone 15 Pro was released.

Apple has not commented on its plans for the iPhone 16 Pro. And since the leaked photos show components undergoing initial testing, it is possible that Apple will go in a different direction; Kosutami was quick to point out that the battery pictured in their post is an "early stage" prototype and therefore subject to change.

Nevertheless, Kosutami has a solid track record of predicting Apple's next move. Indeed, earlier this year, the popular X-Account said that Apple would release an Apple Watch FineWoven band, which actually appeared this fall.

Apple, of course, would not comment on the rumor, so we are left to simply speculate on what the company is planning. With nearly a year to go before Apple announces the next iPhone, expect many more of these rumors to come out before we get answers from Apple itself.