Look, I’ve been testing mobile gaming performance for years, and the thermal throttling wars have never been more intense. With PUBG Mobile’s 120 FPS mode pushing these flagship chips to their absolute limits, we’re finally seeing which phones can actually walk the walk versus just talking big numbers on spec sheets.
How We Put These Phones Through Hell
The Contenders
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra brings Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy firepower with 12GB RAM. That massive 6.8-inch QHD+ 120Hz display is gorgeous, and the 5000mAh battery should theoretically last forever. Samsung’s enhanced vapor chamber cooling sounds impressive on paper – but does it work when the heat’s on?
iPhone 15 Pro rocks Apple’s A17 Pro 3nm chip with 8GB RAM. The 6.1-inch 120Hz ProMotion display is buttery smooth when it works properly (spoiler: there are bugs we’ll discuss). At 4422mAh, it’s got the smallest battery here, plus MetalFX upscaling that should help performance. Should being the key word.
ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro doesn’t mess around – Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, up to 24GB LPDDR5X RAM, and a 6.78-inch 165Hz display with insane 720Hz touch sampling. The 5500mAh battery includes bypass charging (game-changer for marathon sessions), and that GameCool 8 vapor chamber system better live up to the hype.
Testing Setup That Actually Matters
We kept room temperature locked at 23°C – no cheating with AC blasting directly on phones. PUBG Mobile ran Smooth graphics with Ultra Extreme frame rate (that’s 120 FPS), shadows disabled because they’re performance killers, and brightness cranked to 125-150% for realistic gaming conditions.
Temperature readings every 10 minutes during full 30-minute sessions. No breaks, no pausing – just pure sustained gaming torture. For PUBG Mobile Top Up, BitTopup consistently delivers UC instantly, which honestly saved us time between test runs.
The 30-Minute Endurance Results
When Things Get Hot (Literally)
ROG Phone 8’s thermal story: Started cool at 28-32°C with rock-solid 120 FPS. By the 10-20 minute mark, temps rose to 35-38°C but performance stayed locked. Even at 20-30 minutes hitting 40-42°C, we only saw minimal throttling to 115 FPS. Impressive.
S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro told a different story: Both started strong at 30-34°C with stable 120 FPS, but the cracks showed quickly. Minutes 10-20 brought 38-42°C temps and the beginning of the end – throttling kicked in. By the final stretch at 45-48°C, both phones were struggling at 90-100 FPS.
Here’s what really stung – standard flagship phones we tested separately? They hit 48-52°C and dropped to pathetic 75-85 FPS. Gaming-focused hardware isn’t just marketing fluff.
Battery Reality Check
Let me be brutally honest about 120 FPS gaming – it’s a battery vampire. We’re talking 40-60% more power consumption compared to 60 FPS.
Per-match damage: 60 FPS steals 8-12%, 90 FPS takes 12-16%, but 120 FPS? A crushing 18-25% per match. Maximum session durations before your phone dies: 120 FPS gives you 2.5-3 hours, 90 FPS extends to 3.5-4 hours, while 60 FPS can push 4.5-5.5 hours.
The ROG Phone 8’s party trick? Three consecutive ranked games only consumed 10% from that massive 5500mAh battery. That’s the kind of endurance competitive players dream about.
Frame Consistency Under Pressure
ROG Phone 8 maintained 95%+ frame consistency for the entire 30+ minutes with minimal ±2-3ms variance. Buttery smooth doesn’t begin to describe it.
S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro? They managed stable 120 FPS for that initial 15-20 minute honeymoon period, then dropped to 70-80% consistency with noticeable ±4-6ms variance once thermal throttling kicked in. You can feel those stutters during intense firefights.
Arena Mode: Maximum Stress Test
Arena mode cranks up the thermal torture even further – more players, more chaos, more heat. The ROG Phone 8 barely broke a sweat, maintaining those same 40-42°C temperatures while operating at just 42.30% GPU utilization. That headroom is absolutely massive.
The S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro? Peak temperatures jumped another 2-3°C higher, with throttling beginning after just 12-15 minutes. Ouch.
Touch responsiveness improvements from higher frame rates are real: 60 FPS delivers 45-55ms latency, 90 FPS drops to 35-42ms, while 120 FPS hits 28-35ms. Those milliseconds translate to competitive advantages: 12-18% better target tracking, 15-22% improved recoil control, and 8-12% faster reaction times. Numbers don’t lie.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Deep Dive
That Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 absolutely crushes peak performance at 90fps HDR graphics – it’s genuinely impressive. Samsung’s Game Booster provides AI-enhanced optimization that works better than expected, but physics is physics. It can’t prevent thermal throttling after 20 minutes of sustained abuse.
The 5000mAh battery delivers roughly 7 hours of general gaming, though 120 FPS gaming slashes that significantly. The 45W charging hits 50% in 25 minutes, which is respectable for quick top-ups between sessions. For Buy PUBG UC, BitTopup’s mobile-optimized platform integrates seamlessly with Samsung’s secure payment system – no fumbling with payment methods mid-session.
iPhone 15 Pro Reality Check
Apple’s A17 Pro chip with MetalFX upscaling delivers excellent single-core performance that shows in PUBG’s optimization. But here’s the frustrating part – iOS ProMotion bugs cause choppy 120 FPS performance. The fix? Start screen recording before gaming or use the accessibility toggle workaround (more on that below).
That 8GB RAM proves sufficient thanks to iOS’s superior memory management, but reaching 45-48°C with throttling after 15-20 minutes feels disappointing for a premium device.
ASUS ROG Phone 8: Built Different
This phone doesn’t pretend to be anything other than a gaming beast. The purpose-built design maintains stable performance for 30+ minutes without breaking character. Those ultrasonic AirTriggers provide genuine console-like controls that change how you play.
The 165Hz display with 720Hz touch sampling delivers the most responsive experience we’ve tested. That GameCool 8 system prevents the thermal throttling that cripples other flagships. Bypass charging enables unlimited sessions without thermal buildup – a feature every competitive player needs.
The AeroActive Cooler X provides 15-20°C temperature reductions versus 8-12°C from generic coolers. Integration matters.
Optimization Strategies That Actually Work
Keeping Things Cool
Remove cases for an instant 3-5°C reduction. Avoid charging while playing (except ROG Phone 8’s bypass mode). Take 5-minute breaks between matches – your phone needs to breathe. Air-conditioned environments aren’t just for comfort.
Battery Life Extension
Use 90 FPS instead of 120 FPS for 30-40% longer sessions. Disable shadows and anti-aliasing – they’re performance killers. Set brightness to 100-125% maximum. Maintain charge between 20-80% for long-term battery health.
External Cooling Solutions
Magnetic coolers deliver 8-12°C reduction. Clip-on fans provide 6-10°C improvement. Thermoelectric coolers can achieve 15-20°C drops but drain battery faster. The ROG Phone 8’s integrated AeroActive Cooler X outperforms universal solutions every time.
The Final Verdict
Best for Competitive Gaming: ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro maintains 115-120 FPS for 60+ minutes with superior thermal management, gaming-specific features, and sustained tournament-level performance. It’s built for this.
Best All-Around Premium: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra offers excellent peak performance and versatility, perfect for casual competitive play. Just expect thermal throttling after 15-20 minutes of intense sessions.
Best for iOS Ecosystem: iPhone 15 Pro delivers solid performance within Apple’s ecosystem, but requires workarounds for ProMotion bugs and careful thermal management.
For PUBG UC Top Up Online, BitTopup provides lightning-fast delivery and seamless transaction processing during extended gaming sessions across all devices.
FAQ: The Questions Everyone’s Asking
Which phone maintains highest FPS the longest? ROG Phone 8 keeps 115-120 FPS for 30+ minutes and can sustain 120 FPS for 60+ minutes. S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro start throttling after 15-20 minutes down to 90-100 FPS.
How much battery does 120 FPS actually drain per match? 18-25% per match – that’s 40-60% more than 60 FPS gaming. You’re looking at 2.5-3 hours maximum session time.
What are the optimal PUBG settings for sustained performance? Smooth graphics (required for 120 FPS), Ultra Extreme frame rate, disable shadows and anti-aliasing, brightness 125-150%. Smooth graphics runs 5-8°C cooler than Balanced settings.
Do cooling accessories actually help? Absolutely: magnetic coolers (8-12°C reduction), fans (6-10°C), thermoelectric (15-20°C). The ROG Phone 8’s AeroActive Cooler X offers superior integration compared to universal solutions.
How do I fix iPhone 15 Pro’s choppy 120 FPS? Start screen recording before gaming, or use the accessibility method: enable ‘Limit Frame Rate’, launch and exit PUBG, disable the setting, then relaunch the game. Annoying but effective.
What’s the best value for competitive gaming? ROG Phone 8 Pro provides unmatched value for dedicated competitive gaming with sustained performance, gaming-specific features, and eliminates the need for external cooling accessories. It’s expensive upfront but saves money long-term.
