Some of the first smartphones built on Qualcomm’s newest flagship chips, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, are reportedly shutting off and rebooting on their own under heavy load, most often during gaming. The complaints come mainly from owners in China and involve the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max, HONOR Magic 9 Pro Max, iQOO 16 and some Xiaomi 18 Pro units. Neither Qualcomm nor the phone makers have named a cause. Manufacturers have begun releasing software updates that reduce the reboots, but processor clock speeds have dropped overall.
What you need to know
- The reported symptom is the same across devices: the screen suddenly goes black and the phone reboots under heavy load, especially in games.
- Models named in complaints include the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max, HONOR Magic 9 Pro Max and iQOO 16 on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, plus some Xiaomi 18 Pro units on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.
- No official cause has been given. Two unconfirmed explanations are being discussed: excessive clock speeds on the two cores that reach 5 GHz, or firmware that sets the chip’s voltage too low to save battery.
- Updates are rolling out and reboots are becoming less frequent, but processor frequencies on these phones have dropped overall.
A forced reboot on the Xiaomi 18 Pro
What happened
Qualcomm released the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 in September. They are the company’s first chips with core frequencies of up to 5 GHz, and the first phones using them appeared in China only a few weeks ago.
Owners began complaining almost immediately that their phones were rebooting spontaneously. The complaints first appeared on Chinese social networks and forums and were then picked up by outlets around the world, PC Guide reports.
How the problem shows up
Reports describe the same failure each time: the screen suddenly turns off and the phone restarts. This happens under heavy load, not while the phone is idle. Users most often run into it while gaming, when the processor is working at its limit.
Genshin Impact on a new Android flagship
Not everyone is affected. Some owners use the same models without a single crash, and published gaming and benchmark tests have not yet recorded widespread failures. For now, this is a matter of numerous user complaints rather than a confirmed defect.
Which phones are mentioned in the complaints
The reports concern flagships built on Qualcomm’s new chips. The models mentioned most often are:
- Xiaomi 18 Pro Max with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6;
- HONOR Magic 9 Pro Max with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6;
- iQOO 16 with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6;
- Xiaomi 18 Pro with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, affecting some units.
So far, complaints are coming mostly from China, where these models launched first. Other phones using the same chips are on the way, including global models. For example, the OnePlus 16, scheduled to be unveiled on October 12, will also use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6.
Why the phones may be rebooting
A phone restarting due to overheating of the new Snapdragon processor (illustration)
Neither Qualcomm nor the smartphone manufacturers have officially named a cause. Two explanations are being discussed, and both relate to how the processor is supplied with power:
- the clock speed of the two most powerful cores, which boost to 5 GHz, is too high;
- the firmware sets the voltage too low, giving the processor less power to improve battery life, so it does not get enough under load.
The first explanation is cited by MT Today, and the second by several international outlets. Neither has been officially confirmed.
A separate rumor blaming TSMC’s new 2 nm manufacturing process is not supported by evidence so far. Taiwanese outlet KOCPC notes that TSMC’s chip yields are holding at 60–70% or higher and that there is no evidence of a defect in the processor itself.
How it is being fixed and what owners can do
Manufacturers have already started sending out updates. At the same time, processor frequencies on these phones have dropped overall. The reboots are becoming less frequent, but stability comes at the cost of some performance.
If you own one of these phones and it reboots during games, the original report recommends installing the latest firmware:
- Open Settings.
- Go to the About phone or Software update section.
- Check for updates and install the latest firmware version.
Updating a smartphone through Settings
Menu names may differ on Xiaomi, HONOR and iQOO phones. If the reboots continue after updating, the original report suggests contacting a service center under warranty, arguing that a phone at this price should work reliably.
Should you buy a new flagship now?
The original author advises against panic: not every unit is affected, and manufacturers are already releasing fixes. The author points to a similar recent case with the iPhone 18 Pro, which was rebooting because of a driver bug that Apple fixed within a couple of weeks with iOS 27.0.1. On that basis, the author expects the Android flagship problem will most likely also be resolved through software updates, though that remains a forecast rather than a confirmed outcome.
Even so, the author recommends against rushing to buy a phone with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 or 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 in the first weeks of sales. The suggested approach is to wait a month or two until fixes are released and it becomes clear how much performance they cost. For buyers who need a flagship right away, the author suggests considering proven models with last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which, in the author’s view, should have enough power for several more years.
