Pretty much since the LG G Flex 2 was announced back at CES in January, we’ve been seeing all kinds of reports that Qualcomm’s latest flagship processor has an overheating problem. When other devices came out with the same processor, and it was still overheating, it became quite clear that the issue was the processor. The HTC One M9 also overheats and so does the Sony Xperia Z3+ (or Xperia Z4 in Japan). Qualcomm has steadily denied that it overheats, which to be fair, their reference model with the Snapdragon 810 inside did not overheat. So it could be the way some manufacturers are using the processor in their device, but when it’s overheating in about 5 different devices (LG G Flex 2, HTC One M9, Sony Xperia Z3+/Z4, Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet, Xiaomi Mi Note Pro), that sounds unlikely.
Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo is now warning customers about the heat of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, and have even gone as far as to give some tips to keep the device from overheating. The last one, is actually pretty funny.
“Periodically shut down the phone. Keep the phone off completely while charging. Regularly back up data on the phone. Reduce reliance on the phone by using a tablet or a PC when possible.”
In this day and age, we shouldn’t have to periodically shut down the phone, nor should we need to turn the phone completely off when it’s charging. But the fact that NTT DoCoMo had to say that users should use a tablet or PC when possible, is laughable.
It’s obvious the Snapdragon 810 is a hot mess, even the newer version which Sony is using in the Xperia Z3+. We do have the Snapdragon 820 coming out soon from Qualcomm – slated for later this year – which sounds like it’ll be a much better processor. As it will have Qualcomm’s touch to it, instead of just using ARM’s reference design for the chip. However, the Snapdragon 810 has allowed their competitors to gain marketshare. Like Exynos, and MediaTek. Both we’ve seen in more and more smartphones this year. Which might or might not be due to the temperature of the Snapdragon 810.