Too hot: 5G smartphones have heat problems

Livia Gamper

22.7.2019

Translation: machine translated

In the USA, 5G smartphones are already reaching their limits at 28 degrees. However, the speed is still praised.

Manufacturers have a problem with their 5G smartphones: the heat. The problem became public when editors from the Wall Street Journal travelled through the USA with 5G-enabled smartphones. The journalists quickly realised that 5G is no longer usable in warm temperatures. The smartphones overheat and the function deactivates itself.

The outside temperature was usually only around 28 degrees Celsius. The hotter it gets, the shorter 5G can be used, according to the testers. At temperatures of 32 degrees, just two 5G downloads were possible. By then, the test phone was already overheating. The testers either had to move the phone to a cool room or wait until the evening to continue working with 5G.

The Wall Street Journal's testers measured 38 degrees on the Galaxy S10 5G - not enough to fry fried eggs, but enough to reduce the phone's performance to such an extent that 5G speeds were no longer possible. Samsung commented on this: "With 5G, data is transmitted at higher volumes and speeds, which causes the processor to consume more power."
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The fact that smartphones experience performance throttling as soon as processors and modems are put under too much strain is nothing new. But the fact that it only takes two 5G downloads to make 5G usage impossible for a hot day is food for thought. However, the Wall Street Journal did not specify how large the individual downloads were.

When the phones - in addition to the Galaxy S10, also the LG V50 - were working, the testers were able to measure data rates of up to 1.8 Gbps. That is many times faster than the usual LTE speed.

The current season of Stranger Things could be downloaded in 34 seconds at this speed.

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Livia Gamper

Editor

livia.gamper@digitecgalaxus.ch

Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.