No CPU throttling for Galaxy S23 – improved cooling system

You may or may not remember Samsung tipster Ice Universe pointing out that the low Geekbench results for the Galaxy S23 line suggested that the overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip powering the Galaxy S23 devices was not functioning properly. A benchmark test called Geekbench is used to evaluate and compare the central processing unit CPU of chipsets used in smartphones (it works with processors on other types of devices, but we are focused on handsets for this story).

The Galaxy S23‘s single-core Geekbench score was comparable to other smartphones powered by the same SoC, as we noted approximately a week and a half ago. However, the multi-core scores fell short of expectations, which is strange given that the overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s X-3 high-performance core should result in higher Geekbench scores than other models using the chip’s stock configuration.

Previous Geekbench tests hinted that Samsung was throttling the CPU of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for the S23 line

And since none of the multi-core Geekbench tests for the Galaxy S23 line topped a score of 5,000 (something that other phones running the latest Snapdragon application processor (AP) did, it led to concerns that Samsung must be throttling the processor on the Galaxy S23 series which is something that would be done if the chipset was overheating.

Let’s explore the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset that powers the Galaxy S23 range in more detail. There are two variations; the Motorola X40 and OnePlus 11 will use the 4nm process node and the X-3 high-performance core, which has a 3.2 GHz clock speed. Samsung Foundry will produce the version for the Galaxy S23 range utilizing its 4nm production node and an X-3 high-performance processor clocked at 3.32GHz.

However, a recent Geekbench test on the Galaxy S23 Ultra resulted in a multi-core score of 5,179, finally crossing the 5,000 threshold, according to Android Headlines. This suggests that any thermal issues that would have compelled Samsung to reduce the processor’s speed may have been resolved.

The cooling system on the Galaxy S23 model will reportedly be enhanced and 1.6 times more effective than the cooling system on the Galaxy S22, according to a Twitter tipper by the name of Ahmed Qwaider (@AhmedQwaider888). The cooling system on the Galaxy S23+ will be 2.8 times more effective than the one on the Galaxy S22+, while the cooling system on the Galaxy S23 Ultra will be 2.3 times more effective than the one on the Galaxy S22 Ultra.

The new chipset and cooling systems should keep the Galaxy S23 line from overheating

The upgraded cooling systems will be able to prevent the Galaxy S23 series from overheating during periods of high usage without the need to throttle the processor, which is the bottom line. Furthermore, if your flagship phones’ overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipsets are going to be throttled in any case, what would be the point?

The tipper notes that the Galaxy S23 models’ battery life would increase and less heat will be produced as a result of the upgraded Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and better cooling system. Additionally, he claims that the performance of the Neural Processing Unity (NPU) would increase by 60% due to the enhanced usage of artificial intelligence (AI) features, and that the performance of the CPU will increase by 36% compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip used in the Galaxy S22 series.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 series is rumored to be pre-installed with the One UI 5.1 interface which includes newer Android 13 features that were released by Google with the Android 13 Quarterly Platform Release 1 that was dropped early last month. The One UI interface is designed to make it easier for users to reach on-screen elements that are usually placed out of reach of users sporting a large-screened phone. This is done by keeping most of the elements near the bottom of the display.