Nick Fernandez / Android Authority
TL;DR
- A leaker has claimed that Qualcomm will use Heat Pass Block tech on flagship processors released later this year.
- This is a Samsung-made cooling solution that’s currently used on the Exynos 2600 chipset.
- The leak comes a while after we first heard that Samsung wanted to sell this tech to other customers.
Our own benchmarks show that some recent Snapdragon-powered flagship Android phones can run extremely hot. That’s bad news for sustained performance, battery longevity, and comfort. However, a leaker has now made a rather interesting claim about Qualcomm’s solution.
Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority?
Tipster Fixed-Focus Digital claimed on Weibo that Qualcomm will use a so-called Heat Pass Block (HPB) on flagship processors released later this year. Check out the machine-translated post below.
The Heat Pass Block is a Samsung creation, and it’s effectively a heat sink that sits atop the processor to improve heat dissipation. In fact, Samsung uses this cooling solution on the Exynos 2600 processor, which is expected to power some Galaxy S26 models. So Qualcomm’s next-gen chips might run cooler thanks to Samsung’s own chip innovation.
This would be a welcome addition, as our own experience with recent high-end phones like the OnePlus 15 and realme GT8 Pro reveals high temperatures and significant throttling. We have seen some Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phones with cooling fans, but active cooling drains the battery and complicates IP rating certification.
Nevertheless, the rumor comes roughly two months after we first heard that Samsung was shopping around HPB technology to external companies. So this timeline makes me wonder how much time Qualcomm has to adapt this tech to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, if it is adopting this solution at all.
Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy before posting.
