> Which most people are going to immediately cover with an insulating layer of plastic or silicone.

Or their hand. Or their pocket.

It’s fine. It’s planned.

The cooling solution’s job is to spread the heat around as much as possible so it can be dissipated in the limited conditions available.

When the bare phone is in your hand and it's quite a bit warmer than body temperature, your hand may very well be carrying away more heat than ambient air exchange would be capable of.