Top smartphone throttles to 70% performance in test and it seems to make absolutely no difference
Inside the Realme GT 8 Pro is the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. In our review, the manufacturer's flagship phone delivers strong CPU performance. This puts it well ahead of many competitors, such as the Pixel 10 Pro XL.
But how does a current top-of-the-line smartphone with a high-performance SoC handle high heat output in everyday use? In our tests, the GT 8 Pro exhibited significant throttling. In 3DMark stress tests, we observed a performance reduction of up to 70%. Are these limitations also noticeable in everyday scenarios, such as demanding games?
To find out, we pushed our test unit to its limits with the Burnout benchmark until it overheated (approximately 10 to 15 minutes). Immediately afterwards, the CPU was subjected to a Geekbench test and the GPU to a gaming test.
Th reduction in CPU performance is hardly noticeable in everyday use
In terms of CPU power, there hasn't been much of a change compared to our Geekbench benchmark results. When cooled, the Realme phone achieves roughly 10% better scores in both single-core and multi-core tests.
In everyday use, this reduction in performance is barely noticeable. After the GT 8 Pro shut down due to overheating, we observed no significant limitations in the form of stuttering or lag within the system interface.
Furthermore, with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 at operating temperature, the Realme phone still performs significantly better than a Google Pixel 10 Pro XL with its Tensor G5 under optimal conditions.
Even after heavy use, gaming is possible with a top-of-the-line mobile phone
Next, the Realme phone had to prove itself in a gaming test. For this, we attempted to play the demanding game Genshin Impact at maximum detail settings and a maximum of 60 frames per second.
Under our load scenario, the GT 8 Pro reaches a very good 59.2 fps, while the high-end phone previously reached almost identical 59.4 fps when cool. While frame drops were somewhat more pronounced when the phone was hot – we occasionally measured 48 fps, while drops to 51 fps were observed without load, which is unlikely to make a significant difference in everyday use.
Source(s)
Review of the Realme GT 8 Pro
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