Top 10 Snapdragon 888 flagships that tend to overheat

If you are seeking to use a smartphone with a flagship processor, then you must have to think about heat emission. The higher the performance of a processor, the most likely it is to overheat. This eventually increases the overall average temperature of the smartphone. However, it is important to note that different manufacturers using the same processor have different average temperatures for their smartphones. The average temperature will partly depend on the heat dissipation design on the smartphone. There has been so much criticism on the poor temperature control of Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 due to the overturn of Samsung’s 5nm process. Even other lower models like the Snapdragon 865/865Plus and Snapdragon 870 also experience heating issues. However, most of these smartphones never get close to these peak temperatures except in extreme conditions like during gaming. Today, we will look at the top 10 Snapdragon 888 smartphones in terms of overheating.

1. Meizu 18 – Average temperature is 37.2°C

Meizu 18 is a March 2021 flagship and of course, it comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC. Considering the report from other brands, it is quite surprising that this smartphone tops the list. Meizu 18 is the SD888 smartphone with the highest average temperature of 37.2°C. The reason for this is not just the Snapdragon 888 alone, there is also a compromise in the design of this smartphone.

In order for the Meizu 18 to have a light-weight of 162g, this smartphone only uses a small-area VC heat sink with a liquid cooling radiator. This design basically conducts the heat through the back cover of this flagship smartphone. Thus, we can safely say that Meizu 18 sacrifices proper heat dissipation for portability and light-weight.

Nevertheless, in everyday use, Meizu 18 maintains an ideal heat dissipation and temperature. Thus, this smartphone is cold in many cases. However, during gaming, the temperature increases significantly and it starts from the camera region. If you must use the Meizu 18 for gaming, we recommend that you have a temperature-absorbing back cover.

2. Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro – Average temperature is 36.42°C

Considering the multiple complaints regarding the heating of this device, we expected it to be in Number 1 spot. However, the Meizu 18 beat it to that spot. Nevertheless, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro is not far away in the second position. According to Master Lu, Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro’s average temperature hits 36.42°C. However, I’m sure many online reviews of this device will disagree with this temperature.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro comes with a solid-liquid-gas three-state three-dimensional heat dissipation system. It uses a VC liquid cooling + graphite + copper foil as well as a heat dissipation pad. This design is to ensure that there is proper heat absorption. However, it clearly does not do the job.

According to some reviews, in extreme cases during gaming, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro surface temperature gets as high as 50°C. In fact, one review claims that this device hit close to 50°C temperature in just 30 minutes. Thus, we recommend that you will need an external cooling fan for a better gaming experience.

3. BlackShark Gaming Phone 4 Pro – Average temperature is 35.65°C

According to Master Lu, the BlackShark Gaming Phone 4 Pro has an average temperature of 35.65°C. However, some reviews claim that the surface temperature of this device is close to 40°C. The company knowing that this temperature will not give users comfort released a matching armor heat dissipation protective shell.

The thermally conductive metal in the middle of the phone ensures the heat dissipation back clip directly contacts the phone’s heating area, which in return improves the heat dissipation capacity.

4. Realme GT – Average temperature is 34.11°C

The Realm GT comes with a Stainless Steel VC Cooling System that is supposed to improve the heat dissipation of this device by applying stainless steel in the cooling system and optimizing the heat dissipation structure. However, this did not stop the smartphone from being in the top 10 Snapdragon 888 models with a tendency to overheat. This smartphone is ranked fourth with an average temperature of 34.11°C.

According to Realme, the heat dissipation design reduces the CPU temperature by up to 15°C with a 100% heat dissipation area. According to reviews, the surface temperature of this device during gaming is as high as 37.4℃. However, this did not cause significant discomfort when held in the hand.

5. Nubia Red Magic 6 Pro – Average temperature is 33.91°C

The Master Lu ranking for overheating Snapdragon 888 smartphones places Nubia Red Magic 6 Pro in the fifth position with an average temperature of 33.91°C. This smartphone comes with a comprehensive ICE 6.0 multilayer cooling system.

According to Nubia, ICE 6.0 combines 7 different cooling methods. The main elements of this cooling system are the fan, vapor chamber, and materials with heat dissipation properties.

6. Redmi K40 Pro – Average temperature is 33.87°C

The Redmi K40 Pro is one of the most populous flagships in the Redmi series. This smartphone comes with a liquid-cooling three-dimensional heat dissipation system. According to recent reviews, the upper half of the camera has higher heat generation than the lower half.

Nevertheless, the average temperature of this device is 33.87°C. Although it is in the top 0 overheating Snapdragon smartphones, this temperature should not cause any discomfort to the hands. Of course, users who are allergic to heat will still not be comfortable anyway.

7. OnePlus 9 Pro – Average temperature is 33.71°C

Just like the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro, there have been a lot of complaints regarding heating on the OnePlus 9 Pro. Considering the complaints, we would expect this device to be higher up Master Lu overheating SD888 smartphone ranking. However, the OnePlus 9 Pro is in the seventh position an average temperature of 33.71°C.

According to users, even while using the camera, the temperature of the OnePlus 9 Pro is “too high”. A user said “The temperature of your device is currently too high, please pause shooting for a while to bring it down,” and “Unable to take pictures as the phone’s temperature is too high.”

The OnePlus 9 Pro comes with a thicker copper and a larger heat sink than the OnePlus 8 Pro. This smartphone also uses dual 25W battery cells that help to control the heat. It is quite a surprise that it is still experiencing heating issues.

8. Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus – Average temperature is 33.63°C

In addition to the Mi 11 Pro and OnePlus 9 Pro, the Galaxy S21 Plus is another smartphone with multiple heating issues. However, it appears that the Galaxy S21 Plus overheating issues are more than just the Snapdragon 888 SoC. Nevertheless, this smartphone ranks 8th on Master Lu’s Snapdragon 888 overheating smartphones.

iQOO 7 – Average temperature is 33.59°C

The iQOO 7 comes with an advanced Liquid Cooling Technology for heat dissipation. This heat dissipation technique uses copper tubes to transfer liquid from the SoC area to cooler areas of the graphite plate.

On iQOO 7, this device has an average temperature of only 33.59°C. Though in the top 10 “overheating Snapdragon 888” smartphones list, this temperature should not cause any discomfort to users.

ROG Phone 5 – Average temperature is 33.24°C

The last smartphone on the list is the Asus ROG Phone 5 which has a thick metal frame, to act as a heatsink. Just like the other smartphones on the list, this device also experiences some heating issues. However, with a temperature of just above 30 degrees, it is not that bad.

Conclusion

Overheating problems can be annoying, especially when you have a flagship smartphone. However, it is important to note that overheating issues can be the result of either hardware or software issues. Thus, the Snapdragon 888 SoC may not be the sole reason for the heating issues on these flagships. We must also emphasize that on a daily usage, most of these smartphone does not come anywhere near the average temperature.

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