OnePlus 15 falters under synthetic stress: benchmarks crash, features disabled
The OnePlus 15 — OnePlus’s newest mainstream flagship — is earning praise for its specs and performance but is drawing scrutiny after independent reviewers found it overheats during prolonged GPU stress tests. Multiple outlets and testers report that running graphics-heavy benchmarks such as 3DMark Wild Life Extreme causes the phone to spike in temperature, crash benchmarks, and temporarily disable core features until the device cools.
The problem has been documented across several devices running Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, but the OnePlus 15’s behavior has been particularly visible in hands-on reviews and stress runs. Testers recorded surface temperatures in the low 50s Celsius and described forced benchmark shutdowns and system lockdowns that block apps beyond basic calls and messaging.
What happened in the lab: temperatures, crashes and disabled functions
Independent testing captured dramatic results:
- A side-by-side stress run comparing the OnePlus 15 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max showed surface temperatures of roughly 52°C for the OnePlus versus about 39.5°C for the iPhone after repeated loops of 3DMark Wild Life Extreme. (Test reported by Max Tech and summarized in coverage.)
- Android Authority reported a peak surface temperature of 52.7°C and said the OnePlus 15 shut down the benchmark about two-thirds of the way through its usual stress run. The phone reportedly blocked access to most apps — leaving only calls and messages available — until temperatures fell.
- Reviewers testing other Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phones noted similar thermal pressure: the REDMAGIC 11 Pro showed very high temperatures (above 52°C) even with active fan and liquid cooling and reportedly shut down during one stress test. Some sister devices using MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500 (for example, the OPPO Find X9 Pro and Vivo X300 Pro) stayed noticeably cooler in equivalent workloads.
- Reduced sustained frame rates and potential frame drops during long gaming or emulation sessions.
- Temporary disabling of features — testers reported limited functionality (e.g., flashlight, hotspot) when temperatures triggered safety responses.
- Faster battery wear and reduced real-world endurance if components regularly operate at higher temperatures.
Reviewers stress that these failures occurred during extreme, synthetic stress tests that are designed to push silicon harder than most real-world use. However, the failures illustrate the gap between peak benchmark numbers and sustained performance you can rely on for long gaming sessions, extended emulation, heavy video encoding, or prolonged camera and AI workloads.
OnePlus responds — and points to real-world usage
When asked about the behavior, a OnePlus spokesperson said the units run within "normal thermal limits" in everyday use and that the company is "refining the thermal curve so that our peak performance remains uncompromised while surface temperatures stay comfortable." The company also noted it has received no reports of excessive heat from customers in normal usage scenarios.
That defense is consistent with other manufacturers’ assertions that 3DMark stress tests are extreme and that most consumers will not encounter those exact conditions. Yet multiple reviewers argue the issue matters because sustained heavy loads—especially in emulator communities, long cloud-gaming sessions, or creative workflows—can mirror or exceed what the synthetic benchmarks simulate.
Why the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is under the microscope
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 delivers class-leading peak performance, but reviewers say that comes at the cost of higher power draw and heat. Comparative data cited by analysts and reviewers show Qualcomm’s flagship sometimes drawing considerably more board power in peak workloads compared with rival chips — a factor that magnifies the thermal design challenge inside thin flagship chassis.
Manufacturers face trade-offs: hit peak clocks for short bursts and show impressive benchmark results, or prioritize sustained efficiency and tune the thermal curve to hold performance at lower, cooler levels over time. Some devices (gaming phones like REDMAGIC) take a different approach by adding active cooling to sustain the highest clocks, while mainstream flagships have limited room to do so without compromising everyday ergonomics.
Consequences for users and device makers
Practical implications include:
Analysts and industry commentators recommend that OnePlus and other OEMs shipping Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 devices adjust thermal profiles, increase vapor chamber and graphite coverage where possible, and expose balanced performance modes to users. A range of user-side mitigations can help today: enable Balanced/Battery Saver modes, cap refresh rate, limit in-game FPS, and avoid heavy gaming while charging.
How the OnePlus 15 compares to rivals
Reviewers note that while the OnePlus 15’s peak CPU and GPU results can be competitive, other handsets powered by the Dimensity 9500 or by differently tuned Snapdragon implementations have an advantage in sustained workloads. The OPPO Find X9 Pro and some MediaTek-based phones completed the same stress tests with fewer thermal events; gaming-focused phones with active cooling sustain high performance but at the cost of bulk and noise.
Bottom line: a powerful chip facing thermal reality
The OnePlus 15 showcases the performance potential of modern mobile silicon, but independent stress tests show the limits of packing higher peak power into slim flagship hardware. For typical daily tasks the phone should be fine, and OnePlus says it’s tuning software to improve surface temperatures; for heavy, sustained gaming or pro-level sustained workloads, prospective buyers should weigh sustained thermal performance and real-world cooling against peak benchmark results.
Until OEMs and chipmakers strike a clearer balance between peak speed and sustained efficiency, shoppers who prioritize marathon gaming or uncompromised long-run performance may prefer devices that either include more aggressive thermal hardware or use silicon tuned for longevity rather than momentary peaks.