Snapdragon 810 overheating problem: Fix for Android devices

Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 featuresqualcomm.com

Months after the release of the Snapdragon 810 processor, Qualcomm's latest SoC product, the overheating issues still persist.

As early as January this year, several reports about the overheating problems plaguing smartphone devices that run using the high-end processor have been rampant. Qualcomm's vice president of marketing Tim McDonough earlier denied the reports, telling Forbes that none of the overheating problems are true.

"The rumours are rubbish, there was not an overheating problem with the Snapdragon 810 in commercial devices," McDonough said.

He also said that they conducted thorough testing before releasing the product, and the rumors were only created by their competitors.

However, the overheating concerns are still rampant despite McDonough's claims. Even Japanese network carrier NTT DoCoMo seemed to have been alarmed because of the problem, warning their subscribers about the possible overheating incident that could happen to the Sony Xperia Z4, the Sharp Aquos Zeta, as well as the Fujitsu Arrows NX, which are all equipped with the Snapdragon 810 processor.

The warning seen in one of the NTT Docomo retail shops advises subscribers to regularly shut down their phone and avoid turning it on when charging the battery. It also states that users should constantly back up the phone's data and reduce the time spent on using the device by using a PC or tablet as an alternative from time to time.

But when OnePlus released their latest flagship smartphone device called the OnePlus 2 that runs using the Snapdragon 810 v. 2.1 chipset, no overheating problems have been encountered. Because of this, DroidViews concluded that the reason why OnePlus 2 has no overheating issues is because it has a lower clock frequency. Instead of the typical 2.5 GHz, using 1.8 GHz seems to solve the problem.

However, since other devices are already built with a higher processor frequency, typical users cannot simply tone down the speeds to prevent overheating and throttling in their smartphones. The website offered several tips to lower the device's performance to avoid heating up.

Before users try to tamper with their devices, they must secure a rooted device first and have a kernel that can support underclocking and overclocking. Backing up the data stored in the device is also highly recommended. Please note that having basic knowledge about underclocking is highly recommended, and the author is not responsible for any damage to the device.

Here are the steps that can be used to avoid the overheating problems in Snapdragon 810-running devices.

  • Download and install Trickster MOD Kernel Settings that can be found in Google Play
  • Open the app and allow Superuser permission. Tap info>> General
  • Scroll down to "CPU frequency control," putting in the desired minimum and maximum speed. Please be reminded that setting up the wrong numbers may cause unfavorable results.
  • Tap "Governor status" and select "ondemand" then save the new settings

The new clocked frequency will be automatically installed after rebooting the device.