Improvised Cooling Setup
Tech enthusiast and developer Matt Birchler has tested an Apple iPhone 18 Pro with a can of La Croix used as a cooling device to address persistent thermal throttling that he noticed during his other tests with the phone. Surprisingly, this yielded much stronger results than one would assume, given that he simply placed the can of sparkling water on top of the phone, providing a 25% improvement in sustained performance.
Birchler has been benchmarking the A20 Pro processor inside the iPhone 18 Pro, and it has so far offered excellent transcription results in its normal non-sparkling-water-cooled configuration. In one test run, the latest Apple smartphone hit a maximum speed of 447.9 words per second, before settling down to a little over 320 for the 7th to the 20th runs. The reduced performance during the latter stages of a prolonged benchmark run is normal for nearly every portable device, as they reduce performance to avoid thermally damaging their chips and other components.
It’s exactly for this reason that high-performance computers often come with advanced CPU coolers, with some enthusiasts preferring AIO coolers or custom water-cooling loops to get the most out of their high-end processors. However, this usually isn’t possible with most mainstream phones, unless you’re running a specialized gaming handset like a liquid-cooled model. Birchler noted that while the iPhone 18 Pro thermal throttling isn't severe, applying a cold beverage to the back of the device provides immediate cooling.
Benchmark Results
Using an ice-cold can of La Croix from the fridge during a 20-run benchmarking session, the modified iPhone 18 Pro setup maintained a higher average speed of 400.4 words per second compared to standard throttled runs, despite a slightly lower initial run of 429.5 words per second. This improvised method helped the device sustain roughly 25% higher performance, though it required keeping the phone face down during heavy processing.
Practicality and Alternatives
While average users rarely need such cooling measures, heavy workloads like gaming, video recording, or photo editing can trigger performance drops and screen dimming. Although strapping a cold drink to a phone successfully mitigates thermal throttling, it remains impractical for daily use. Instead, various manufacturers offer dedicated mobile accessories such as magnetic phone coolers, universal cooling cages, and advanced enthusiast kits.
Other hardware enthusiasts have similarly experimented with external cooling rigs, such as custom SSD coolers attached to previous-generation iPhone models. While these modifications successfully extract higher sustained performance, they introduce significant bulk, additional weight, and potential impacts on device usability.
