Apple reportedly bringing iPhone 17 Pro–style vapor chamber cooling to iPad Pro, Gurman says

Apple reportedly bringing iPhone 17 Pro–style vapor chamber cooling to iPad Pro, Gurman says
source: gettyimages
February 16, 2026

Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, via his Power On newsletter, notes that Apple is exploring vapor chamber cooling for the iPad Pro as chip performance continues to rise. The feature, modeled after the cooling solution rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro, could land with the next iPad Pro generation and would likely coincide with a new M6 chip fabricated on TSMC’s 2-nanometer process. The liquid cooling system aims to reduce throttling during demanding tasks, keeping the iPad Pro from overheating during intensive workloads.

If Apple proves successful with vapor chamber cooling on the iPad Pro, the company could expand the tech to other passively cooled devices, including future MacBook Air models. Gurman also notes that Apple appears to be operating on roughly an 18-month refresh cycle for the iPad Pro, suggesting the next-generation model could appear in spring 2027.

Related notes and context from Gurman’s input

If you’re tracking Apple’s roadmap, the near-term chatter suggests a mix of incremental upgrades (A-series or M-series chips) and more ambitious thermal and design enhancements that could redefine performance boundaries for iPad Pro and other devices in the ecosystem.

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