Here's how One UI 7 could maximize gaming performance on your Galaxy phone
Coming soon
- Another potential One UI 7 feature has leaked
- Thermal throttling protects the CPU but can limit performance
- One UI 7 beta could be out later this month
We're hearing more and more about One UI 7 – Samsung's take on Android 15 – as the expected mid-November beta launch date draws nearer, and the latest unconfirmed link suggests the software could give Galaxy phones a gaming performance boost.
This comes from regular tipster @chunvn8888 (via Neowin), who found a reference to a new option to disable thermal throttling in an early version of One UI 7. The setting is visible once the developer options have been turned on.
In other words, the software could let you maximize the performance of your Galaxy phone's processor, with no safeguards in place to prevent excessive amounts of heat building up. The power vs heat balance is a tricky one for all CPUs to manage, and phone makers usually err on the side of caution to protect the silicon.
As SamMobile points out, Samsung users have complained in the past about the thermal throttling on Galaxy phones being too aggressive. This setting would give you the option to remove it entirely, if you're prepared to take the consequences (an overheating CPU, potentially, which would eventually shut down the phone).
Current options
Found this new feature on OneUI 7 inside Developer Options 🤔 pic.twitter.com/uu4D7xBm8YNovember 1, 2024
There has actually previously been a similar option in One UI 6, though it wasn't in Samsung's official developer options list, and isn't included in the latest builds of the software available for the Galaxy phone range.
You can also already do this to some extent via the Game Booster app that Samsung puts on its handsets – essentially tipping the power vs heat balance a little more towards power – but it's not the same as disabling thermal throttling entirely.
It's very much a 'use at your own risk' setting: while disabling thermal throttling may give you faster frame rates and smoother visuals in demanding games, there's also a good chance it's going to shorten the lifespan of your phone's components – and give battery life a significant hit, too.
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We'll have to wait and see whether or not this option is included in the One UI 7 beta when it eventually appears – and how accessible it is to the average user. The software update is expected to provide a more fluid user experience and some new AI tricks, and could make its full, non-beta debut alongside the Samsung Galaxy S25.
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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.