Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite

Early Snapdragon 8 Elite tests reveal potential overheating problems

Ben Schoon | Nov 1 2024 - 7:40 am PT

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset is impressive on paper, but there might be a problem in practice, as early tests with one of the first devices using the chip have revealed some overheating problems.

One of the biggest advancements in mobile chips over the past few years hasn’t necessarily been power, but rather how efficient these chips have become. Especially looking at Qualcomm’s offerings, overheating problems and bad battery life have in large part disappeared from the conversation.

But it seems the Snapdragon 8 Elite may run into an issue.

The Realme GT7 Pro is one of the first Android smartphones using Snapdragon 8 Elite, and one of the first in the hands of reviewers. It’s been quickly noticed that the chip is running into some overheating problems, as the Snapdragon 8 Elite is running rather warm.

The folks over at Android Authority ran into some issues with the GT7 Pro running so warm that a message appeared, and Digital Trends ran into the same issue. In both cases, the message appeared during benchmarking, which is never reflective of real-world use in the first place, but it’s exceptionally rare nowadays that these sorts of tests lead to the device having to intervene and stop the process because it is running too hot, especially seeing as the GT7 Pro is equipped with a huge vapor chamber cooling system.

Outside of benchmarks, the overheating issue seems to be less worrying, as 30 minutes of Asphalt Legends United in a high-performance mode with the screen brightness at full only led to a “hint of increased heat,” Digital Trends says.

It’s also worth noting that it was quickly noticed that the GT7 Pro appears to be manipulating benchmarks, which could have led to some of the overheating problems.

It’s going to be a while until Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered smartphones start hitting the market in any large quantity, meaning it will also take some time to see if these overheating issues crop up in true day-to-day use, where benchmarks aren’t even a thought. Still, this gives some indication that Qualcomm’s latest, very powerful chip might end up running on the warmer side.