The famous “overclock” is almost as old as computers themselves. Formulas have always been found to increase the pre-set performance of any machine. This practice, so common in personal computers, can be very useful in certain circumstances. Today’s smartphones also have elements inherited from the PC such as multi-core processors, increasingly powerful GPUs or liquid cooling. But, can an Android mobile be overclocked?
Overclocking began as a real need to get a boost in power, when user-level computing was less accessible than now. Changing computers was more expensive and one way to get extra power to adapt to new tasks or games was to change the clock speed of the processor. The premise is that chip manufacturers leave a kind of safety margin, by which the processor can operate at a higher frequency than the preset without suffering operating problems.
Can you overclock Android?
Similarly, our mobiles have their own processor including a GPU dedicated to graphic defects. This means that it is possible to overclock Android phones , although it is not such a refined and risk-free process. In addition, it is not something that all users want to access, since it requires rooting the mobile and without any doubt, the problems derived from this practice void its guarantee.
To do this, it is as simple as downloading some of the most reliable applications, and modifying the clock speed of the processor. The idea is to make small changes and test that the stability is good. In Android, these types of tools allow you to modify the maximum and minimum frequency of the chips.
Loss of sense
Although the answer is yes, it is true that nowadays the sense of overclocking Android terminals has been lost. The high-end and mid-range launches are well above most of the demands of the available software in performance. In addition, Android has “Lite” versions of many applications to help terminals with less powerful hardware.
In addition, there are negative elements in this practice, such as an extra energy expenditure. This can translate to shortened battery life or unwanted heaters that can damage hardware. In the worst case, something that is usually common is the total blockage of the system or its complete disablement when misusing this practice.