I did a little stress test on the iPhone 16e using 3DMark — tested it both with a cooling fan and without. I was just curious if active cooling actually makes a difference. Turns out, it kinda does… but not massively.

With the fan on, the phone stayed noticeably cooler and the performance was a bit more stable, especially during longer runs. Without the fan, the phone got pretty warm after a while and there was a small but clear drop in FPS mid-test.

That said, the difference wasn’t huge — not something most people would notice in everyday use. Still, if you're planning super long gaming sessions, the fan might help the phone stay efficient a bit longer and even stretch the battery life slightly.

For consistency, the phone was always placed the same way — lying flat with the back facing up — and the tests were run at normal room temperature. I’ve shared the results too, so you can see the comparison for yourself.

Solar Bay Unlimited Stress test (cooling on):

https://preview.redd.it/bpykfh2pgw4f1.jpg?width=1233&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8225e6f38ca28eaa7d7ea132d9c3077c4693275e

The percentage looked weird — it seemed to drop from 40% to 23%, not 25% to 20% like it showed. I think it was just a UI bug because I didn’t restart the app. Not a battery health issue, just a glitch.

Solar Bay Unlimited Stress test (cooling off):

https://preview.redd.it/2qlh43emkw4f1.jpg?width=1233&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f202b5785a88bf4db04010288e0cf0932f26cb43

Steel nomad stress test (cooling on):

https://preview.redd.it/ygx5bysrfw4f1.jpg?width=616&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d727267c0ddeee3b3a674b56eda72e306aab9ee

Steel nomad stress test (cooling off):

https://preview.redd.it/1p2qzp8vfw4f1.jpg?width=616&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9104873ed44f1a1c5a349b27e4d1b634c48cd200

Wildlife Unlimited Stress Test (cooling on):

https://preview.redd.it/hacsb9izfw4f1.jpg?width=616&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8adbf3916064d00b90d6937f2eb7e82f4d50b750

Wildlife Unlimited Stress Test (cooling off):

https://preview.redd.it/ie5wdr39gw4f1.jpg?width=616&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=27717982c9dcebf8d5669c2638a4cf65da472438