Filed under: iPhone
iPhone working in sub-zero temperatures
I purchased my iPhone on a warm, summer evening. Soon it will be exposed to a New England winter with sub-zero temperatures. How will it perform?
Apple lists an official "nonoperational temperature" of -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C). Minus 4°F is entirely possible in my neighborhood. Does this mean my iPhone won't work?
These guys found out by placing an iPhone in a freezer with an ambient temperature of -20°C (-4°F) for about 30 minutes. The good news is that the iPhone performed all functions perfectly with a surface temperature around -10°C (14°F). The bad news: It won't work with gloves. Prepare for cold hands this winter.
Thanks, Olli!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Stephon said 2:04PM on 8-01-2007
I'd love to know how the iPhone operates after being submerged into water for a short period of time. Accidents do happen...
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tim said 2:17PM on 8-01-2007
@stephon - my sister in law found her ipod video floating in a pool of water last week after an unknown length of time, same with her blackberry. the blackberry was dead, the ipod was unharmed at all. i would imagine it and the iphone are as tight as can be, other than the obvious port hole entries.
what id like to know about this article, is what is a common operating temp for phones? especially the more popular phones
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punkassjim said 2:20PM on 8-01-2007
I can understand the scientific curiosity, but um...generally even if you're gonna be weathering the freezing cold out there, you're gonna have your phone in your pocket or in your bag (which is likely to trap warmer air inside and keep it relatively warm compared to the outside air).
If the army uses Toughbooks to get the job done, why can't the general population understand that wearing a hip-holstered iPhone in sub-zero climes ain't such a good idea? Neither is dropping it in a toilet.
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Sparks said 2:25PM on 8-01-2007
I am not at all surprised that the iPhone can function outside of the range of temperatures Apple lists; companies will tend to err on the side of caution in giving such guidelines, after all.
That said, I would think that the battery would function with less-than-optimal efficiency at those temperatures. But that is the case with any lithium ion battery; you'll see battery performance issues at extreme temperatures with other phones, too.
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Daniel said 2:26PM on 8-01-2007
Presumably, shouldn't the iPhone work with Tavo's Gloves?
http://www.tavoproducts.com/TavoGloves.html (warning: obnoxious Flash site)
They're not too expensive, either.
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Tony said 2:33PM on 8-01-2007
You'd have to leave the iPhone sitting outside for the internals to reach a non-operational cold temperature. Even then, if you could just get it powered up, the CPU would bring it well within the operating range pretty quickly. And, given the external materials, it'd warm very quickly in indoor temps.
Presumably, you don't plan on leaving it outside at night!
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witz.org said 3:05PM on 8-01-2007
I am glad someone did this, as I was to scared myself. I asked this same question on witz.org a few weeks back:
http://www.witz.org/archives/iphone_sure_it_works_now_but_what_about_in_the_cold.html
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charles said 3:36PM on 8-01-2007
Bah--there aren't too many phones I could use with gloves. Dang tiny buttons...
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Alex said 6:19PM on 8-01-2007
wouldn't a stylus work with the iphone?
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Zoheir El-Eita said 7:35PM on 8-01-2007
okay here is the deal with ipods and iphones they use a capacitance technology to recognize the touch of a finger in comparison with other things so if you are gona use gloves you have to use gloves that have a capacitance such as the tavo gloves, there are others as well look for ipod gloves, stylus's with capacitance are coming out as well soon.
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jrod said 8:42PM on 8-01-2007
I'm glad i live in the hot Las Vegas weather. No gloves here.
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schmod said 9:29PM on 8-01-2007
It goes down to below -50C in Alaska, and phones generally continue to keep chugging along.
The two things you have to watch out for are the screen (response time will be 'glacial'), and the battery, which will lose its charge much more quickly than usual.
All in all, I doubt you'll permanently damage anything as long as you don't heat it or cool it too quickly.
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