Nagging Snapdragon 810 issues may push back this year's flagships

LG G Flex 2
The LG G Flex 2 is doing just fine with the Snapdragon 810 - or is it?

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 may be poised to change smartphones - but it can only do so if it actually lands successfully.

And it's looking like that might not happen, according to the latest rumors.

Word that issues with the Snapdragon 810 might cause delays in some 2015 flagships - including the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the LG G4 - first dropped in December, and those rumors persist to this day, despite Qualcomm's insistence otherwise.

The latest comes from the Korea Times, which reports the Snapdragon 810 is still plagued with "overheating and other technological issues."

Qualcomm vs the world

In addition J.P. Morgan analysts said their own research corroborates reports that the Snapdragon 810, as well as the Snapdragon 615, are suffering from overheating, as Android Authority points out.

The analysts said based on their research they believe the issue is caused by the chip's new 64-bit ARM architecture, and that devices with the 810 on board are getting too hot when they clock above the 1.2GHz to 1.4GHz range.

The LG G Flex 2 - a device we went hands-on with at CES 2015 - is packing the Snapdragon 810, and that curved beauty seems to work just fine on the surface. But Android Authority ran a benchmark that reportedly came in worse than phones with older Snapdragon chipsets.

Obviously that's a huge problem, though it's also very much unconfirmed at this time, and Qualcomm has maintained its innocence all along.

Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.


Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.