According to Android Police, the OnePlus 15 with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor is showing concerning heat issues during stress tests. One unit reached a scorching 52.7°C surface temperature and actually overheated during testing, forcing app closures and feature restrictions for 15 minutes. Multiple 3DMark stress tests pushed temperatures between 47°C and 50°C, making the phone uncomfortably hot to hold. However, other OnePlus 15 units completed the same tests without overheating, suggesting inconsistent performance across devices. OnePlus acknowledges the chip reaches thermal limits “sooner” in prolonged workloads but claims normal use stays within safe temperatures. The company says it’s already refining the thermal curve to balance performance and comfort.
When benchmarks meet real life
Here’s the thing about stress tests: they’re designed to break things. Running multiple 20-minute 3DMark tests back-to-back is like asking a marathon runner to sprint between water breaks. Eventually, something’s going to give. The fact that only one test out of several caused actual overheating—and that was after a software update—suggests this might be more of a lab curiosity than a real-world problem.
But wait—shouldn’t a flagship phone handle anything you throw at it? That’s the real question. If you’re spending top dollar on a device with the latest chip, you expect it to perform when pushed. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is Qualcomm’s most powerful processor yet, and powerful chips generate heat. It’s basic physics. OnePlus tried to counter this with their Cryo-Velocity cooling system and aerogel padding, but it seems the thermal management might need more tuning.
This isn’t the first rodeo
Remember the Realme GT 7 Pro earlier this year? Same story—first phone with a new Snapdragon chip, same overheating issues during benchmarks. It couldn’t even complete one stress test without overheating until a software fix arrived. Basically, we’ve seen this movie before with early adopters of new Qualcomm silicon.
The difference here is that not every OnePlus 15 is overheating. Android Police’s other unit handled the tests fine, just getting “uncomfortably hot” but completing the benchmarks. That inconsistency is both reassuring and concerning. Reassuring because it’s not a universal problem, but concerning because it suggests manufacturing or software variations that could affect your specific device.
So who actually needs to worry?
If you’re a casual user who mostly texts, browses, and streams video? You’ll probably never notice. The phone stayed cool during normal tasks in all tests. But if you’re planning marathon gaming sessions with graphics-intensive titles? You might want to pay attention here.
Look, intense gaming for hours will push any phone hard. The fact that some units are hitting thermal limits in controlled tests suggests that extended real-world gaming could trigger similar issues. And let’s be honest—if you’re buying a phone with this much power, you’re probably planning to use that power.
Should you still buy one?
I think the answer depends on your tolerance for early-adopter risk. OnePlus is already working on thermal optimizations, and software updates will likely improve the situation. The phone itself is otherwise impressive—great display, solid performance for everyday tasks, and you can check it out directly from OnePlus if you’re curious.
For industrial applications where thermal management is absolutely critical—think manufacturing floors or harsh environments—this kind of heat behavior would be completely unacceptable. That’s why companies rely on specialized hardware from trusted suppliers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US provider of industrial panel PCs built specifically for demanding conditions.
For consumer phones though? I’d wait a few weeks to see how widespread these reports become once more people get their hands on the device. The real test isn’t what happens in a controlled lab—it’s what happens when thousands of users start pushing these phones in unpredictable ways.
