Galaxy S25 is proof that processor speed is the biggest scam in the smartphone world

And though the Apple iPhone 16 doesn't get as hot as the iPhone 15, there are still plenty of complaints about it running hot, which is probably why the company is considering a new cooling solution for the iPhone 17.

High-performance chips consume a lot of power, which leads to heat generation. However, if your blisteringly fast phone gets too hot to use, it's time to wonder whether smartphones have reached peak performance.

What good is high speed if performance is throttled?

When complaints about the iPhone 15 Pro's overheating issue first started cropping up, a rumor said Apple would dial back performance to address the issue. And even though that did not happen when the software update to fix the problem was rolled out, some iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 users still complain that their phones often get too hot to touch.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chip also appears to have serious overheating issues and performance is often throttled or reduced to keep temperatures in a safe range.

Whether it's performance throttling, battery drain, or your phone getting too hot to hold, if blazing-fast speeds are not improving the user experience, users don't particularly benefit from them.

Moreover, phones that are susceptible to overheating can damage internal parts and reduce the battery lifespan.

Phone makers need innovative cooling solutions

The Galaxy S25 comes with a better heat dissipation structure with a 40 percent larger vapor chamber and a tailored thermal interface material (TIM). Based on the number of complaints we have spotted online, the cooling system is no match for the heat generated by the phone.

The pace of development seems rather slow in this area and with power-hungry AI having the potential to create more overheating problems, smartphone makers need to move away from passive cooling systems. The increasing reports about phones getting hot is a sign that the current cooling systems have become obsolete.

Is there nothing more to smartphones than high performance?

Smartphones have ceased to be exciting. They are speedy, they take great photos, and the user interface is intuitive, but that's all there is to them. While smartphone makers are trying to sell us on AI, they haven't come up with a compelling use case so far. Similarly, foldable phones are exciting in theory but the masses aren't buying them, despite more affordable versions now being available.

This perhaps is the reason why manufacturers rely on performance metrics to market their latest releases. An average user doesn't necessarily need insanely fast speeds though.

A smartphone, at the end of the day, is not a productivity-oriented device. Neither is it a dedicated gaming gadget.

If most smartphone tasks are not resource-intensive, the blind chase for higher performance needs to stop, at least until manufacturers come up with a way to dissipate heat.

In the meantime, companies should start coming up with other ways to make smartphones interesting. For the vast majority of people, smartphones have hit peak performance, and instead of cramming in more power and making handsets prone to overheating, manufacturers should start innovating.