One of the hallmarks of every annual refresh of any smartphone lineup, particularly the flagship category of smartphones, is upgraded internals. More specifically, yearly SoC upgrades in the mobile phone space have become a well-established trend that is yet to be disturbed. Yet as manufacturers continue to build their new smartphones around the latest SoC, it has become increasingly obvious that performance gains are no longer as tangible as in previous upgrades. Even more concerning, sometimes these marginal performance gains come with substantial penalties. Most notably, regressions in terms of efficiency and thermal performance have become more and more evident over the past couple of years. Unlike in previous editions, where thermal throttling was an avoidable state, now it has become nearly inevitable. Vapour chambers and heat pipes have become more of a necessity rather than a luxurious feature. Even so, some manufacturers opt to limit the phone’s CPU speeds from the get-go, only allowing it to reach its theoretical maximum speeds momentarily when it is absolutely necessary, regardless of whether the phone exhibits any overheating symptoms. So why has it come to this state?
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