This takes us back to the old days when Qualcomm had just released Snapdragon 888 or even Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and people immediately started complaining about their heat issues. Snapdragon 8 Elite, well, it clocks way higher and releases way more heat than those.
Samsung may have come a long way with its cooling solutions, but this chip is probably trouble for their next Galaxy S25 series, at least the ones with Snapdragon 8 Elite in them. This SoC got debuted on Realme GT 7 Pro, right after Qualcomm revealed it.
Of course, reviewers began testing it, but it turned out to be a disappointment. Android Authority and Digital Trends noted quite a few problems when they benchmarked the Realm GT 7 Pro x Snapdragon 8 Elite. The first one: it kept heating up while benchmarking.
GPU benchmarks specifically made GT 7 Pro crash over and over after getting hot, and folks at Android Authority felt the phone uncomfortable to touch when running 3DMark GPU stressor. They say it showed heat warnings on the screen, and after that, the phone wasn’t even allowing the user to do anything, except make calls.
Even switching the power profile didn’t work, and the phone kept crashing mid-way during tests. So they disguised 3DMark as a non-benchmarking app, and they were able to complete the test. The data showed temperatures reaching 46 degrees and performance tapering off.
Everyday usage and gaming are all fine, but GT 7 Pro and Snapdragon 8 Elite have a particular problem with the GPU benchmarks. That means more flagship phones will face the same troubles as they come out, but it’s also a heads-up for Samsung to proactively address this heat issue before they debut the Galaxy S25 series.