RedMagic 11 Pro and Pro+ phones banned on 3DMark for artificial boosting mode that can't be shut off

The Redmagic 11 Pro series is among the fastest smartphones in the world right now, featuring liquid cooling and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC. However, the phone's special "Diablo" performance-enhancing mode has caught the attention of 3DMark and forced the team behind the benchmarking app to ban the Redmagic 11 Pro and Pro+ from its scoreboards due to artificially inflated benchmarking scores.

3DMark tested the Redmagic 11 Pro in two builds of the app, the official version on the Google Play Store, and an internal version not released to the public. It found the phone was outputting Steel Nomad Light benchmarking scores 24% higher in the public build. The test indicates that the phone is programmed to turn on "Diablo" mode in 3DMark automatically by recognizing its name.

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"Diablo" mode is a mode that takes the reins off the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and lets the phone operate at a very high temperature. Redmagic warns against using "Diablo" mode for extended periods of time, as the feature can apparently cause damage to the phone if used constantly. 3DMark recorded surface temperatures of over 50C in some cases, while testing the mode.

3DMark banned the Redmagic 11 Pro series because "Diablo" mode does not comply with the site's benchmarking rules and guidelines. Phones that have a performance mode baked in and turn on automatically are forbidden; the phone must run the benchmark as if it were any other application. "Diablo" mode is a purely artificial mode that isn't designed for real-world use. Redmagic doesn't even trigger the mode during gaming sessions. 3DMark would allow "Diablo" mode to exist if the mode were an optional mode users could manually toggle, but the mode can't be turned off in any way while running the 3DMark app.

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All that said, the phone's score with Diablo mode shows how incredibly powerful the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is and how held back its performance is due to the limitations of smartphone cooling. The Redmagic 11 Pro series comes with one of the best smartphone coolers ever made, boasting a liquid cooling system attached to a vapor chamber and liquid metal.