A (still dust sealing) rippled back cover like that might actually thermally connect to the internal heat sources.
And the heat-sink grip might even provide a better feeling, too? (reduced contact area feeling cooler?)
Wow - one can really see the steam leaving the back cover!
To write something on topic:
What about dust, water drops etc which could enter there?
Would this feel like the fan output of the laptop which is like a hair dryer? (ok I guess there would be no fan^^)
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Haha, I can’t explain the steam. There must be a very hot phone underneeth. 
But, yep, the device on the picture has no fan. My impression is that it feels much cooler as it actually gets during usage, because of the reduced skin contact.
With the furrows ending in a rounded way (that also avoids any longitudinal edges on the bottom) it’s easy to clean out with a brush.
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I also wished the back cover could form a narrow display bezel on the front, protecting the screen when placed (and moved) face down. (hovering display)
when that grill gets clogged up with sweat and all kinds of shit you will be sorry for ever wasting time on designing something like that … you have to consider HOW a certain object will be handled and WHERE it might be used BEFORE you design a new case … accounting for palm sweat, dust, dirt is something that you have to think about when considering man-handled smartphones … maybe the dog and cat will have something to say about it too …
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That’s true deep grills are probably not good when the device is handled in some places.
Maybe the type of dents that a golf ball has could work. They’re meant to go into the dirt, as well as getting polished.
haha ! that means i’m gonna’ play golf by using my L5 instead of a ball … talk about an expensive sport
It may not be visible, but the cover on the picture is completely closed and sealed. There is no air exchange with the interior. It’s just the increased rippled surface of a cover that serves as heat sink.
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ya but those “ripples” also make the L5 thicker than it ALREADY is … might be a fun “brick” project though …
It is not a bad idea honestly. I’m sure with some proper engineering a solution could be found that doesn’t dramatically increase the size of the L5. Certainly something a company in the market space could pick up. I wouldn’t want to use it as displayed above, for example.
Heck maybe Purism could talk to Compulab in a future version of the Librem 5, and see if they really could enable some serious TDP.
In the example above the rippled space fills the internal gaps between the components. Considering that a simple box encasing also has some thickness, I don’t think it’s making the device any larger. The largest internal components like the plugs on the (non-rippled) edge determine the minimum height etc.
it’s not that … we get that the “ripples” help to provide much greater heat-dissipation surface-area (it’s based on the internal design of the animal digestive system - that deals with surface are in order to maximize nutrient absorption potential - but it’s the same principle)
one could argue that what your attachment shows is a highly simplified and less efficient system than the one you have in your guts but that would be too expensive to implement in an industrial way …
it is illustrated here > http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EyJjDQw2IJE/T3Akvel-UHI/AAAAAAAAAFw/t2o7-1Em8gM/s1600/intestwallcells.jpg
Die casting has a price, that’s probably not dumped.
Compared to a flat case, the price may still vary less than the usefulness of a device that can, or can not, be reliably used continuously for longer periods. For example when connected to a larger display and keyboard, or just during mobile gaming or video call compression tasks.
The question is whether a device or company can deliver their specs. There may be a need for possible solutions.
The cooler can be a separate part. Attach it only to use the monitor.
https://www.amazon.com/Cyezcor-Cooler-Radiator%EF%BC%8CSuitable-Phones-inches/dp/B0822BMPQ4/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=cell+phone+cooler&qid=1580650398&sr=8-3
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Unfortunately, artificially increasing the dissipation with external cooling accessories, or internal down-throttling have one thing in common. Not meeting the specs.
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your OP could be a good idea for a docking-station when in convergence/desktop mode … no active fans though. it’s not a desktop PC.
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Yep, no active fans. The “dust” up there 
is just the remains of the glossed over label.
Ive seen those thermal electricity blocks that convert heat to electricity . Is there anyway to run one of those to an onboard micro fan like we’re seeing in the new android gaming phones such as reg magic’s latest offerings.
Just a thermal electricity converter , micro controller for fan speed and a micro fan we could mount somewhere theres room ?
to produce energy you need temperature difference, otherwise you;ll have near equilibrium state just with a higher potential.
Could you just I dunno solder the leads from one of those thermal electricity generators right to the processor ? Certainly there would be enough variance coming off the processor itself ?