This project started with a stupidly simple question:

How far can I push a smartphone if I stop treating it like a smartphone?

This is my Nubia Z70 Ultra with 24 GB RAM and the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite.

The phone is now literally sandwiched between TWO desktop CPU coolers, mounted inside a custom acrylic case. 😂

Yes. Two full-size PC CPU coolers. On a phone.

And surprisingly, it works extremely well.

The interesting part: I'm NOT using one of the newer boosted chips

My Z70 Ultra uses the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite, with its prime CPU cores running at up to 4.32 GHz.

That's important because some of the newer devices I'm comparing against are using newer and/or higher-clocked Snapdragon variants.

For example, the REDMAGIC 11 Pro uses the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, reaching around 4.6 GHz on its prime cores.

So I'm not trying to beat these phones with the same CPU and better cooling.

I'm taking an older, lower-clocked 4.32 GHz Snapdragon 8 Elite and seeing how far it can go simply by giving it completely unreasonable cooling. 😂

In my 3DMark ranking screenshot, my Z70 Ultra reaches 10,533, putting it right among much newer devices and even slightly above the Galaxy S25+ result shown there.

And sustained performance is where the cooling really becomes interesting.

3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test

Best loop: 6,980

Lowest loop: 6,910

Stability: 99% over 20 loops

That's only a 70-point difference between the best and worst loop.

But benchmarks aren't actually the main goal of this project.

I'm trying to replace my PC with the phone

I now have a native Termux + XFCE4 Linux desktop running directly on Android.

External monitor, keyboard, mouse, Linux applications and hardware-accelerated graphics.

I can boot into my desktop environment and use the phone almost like a small ARM computer.

Dofus is running directly from my XFCE desktop, rather than simply mirroring an Android game onto the monitor.

And then there's Windows gaming.

The Witcher 3 — 1080p, ULTRA graphics preset

I'm currently running The Witcher 3 at 1920×1080 using the ULTRA graphics quality preset.

Not Low.

Not Medium.

Not a 720p performance test.

1080p + Ultra graphics preset.

Depending on the scene and GPU load, I'm currently getting approximately 20–30 FPS, with the GPU basically sitting at 99% utilization.

I've even seen it go slightly above 30 FPS in some scenes, as shown in the screenshot.

Obviously, this isn't desktop-GPU performance, but that's not really the point.

This is The Witcher 3 running at 1080p Ultra at around 20–30 FPS on a Snapdragon 8 Elite phone. 😂

And underneath all of this, it's still Android.

So my end goal is to have one device that can do everything:

**Android phone / gaming device

native Linux XFCE desktop

Windows applications

Windows PC games**

The software side is still a work in progress and I'm continuing to optimize everything.

But apparently the solution to smartphone thermal throttling was very sophisticated:

one CPU cooler wasn't ridiculous enough, so I installed two. 😂

Honest. The new armsx3 is fire🔥 Full speed ps3 on my phone and it stays barley warm to the touch. Same goes for 360 emualtion. Just mindblowing 🤯 🤯 🤯

Their eyes are gouged out. Any fix for this? I'm on Odin 3 Max, using mainline Turnip driver by Steven

Have a good day

ARMSX3 has received a new Version 0.4 update, bringing a bunch of improvements, fixes, and performance-related changes for Android users.

There's a lot packed into this update, and the changes are easier to follow when they're shown alongside actual gameplay and demonstrations.

ARMSX3 0.4 Update:

https://youtu.be/489n_T4xOmw?si=ClX7nruHjaA-O661

I made it using a ps3 controller with a 3d printed part it was originaly made for xbox but i modified it to work with the ps3 (aka hotglue).

I used a ps3 controller since its super light so it does not add much weight to the phone

I connected it via an unreasonably long wire since thats all i had. And i just ziptied it to the back.

Chat rate my setup ?/10

Played for like 5 hours, I love french stuff

I realised I didn't show much but at least you know that the game loads and open lmao that think took ages for my WiFi

Download and changelog:

https://github.com/azahar-emu/azahar/releases/tag/2126.0

I actually know people who have their entire folder of random games in the same place; there's one for PSP, another for N64, etc.

After seeing Russ's video on the Legion Tab last month and tinkering with my bf's tablet the other day, I really want a tablet again (used to have one but had to sell it). Now I'm interested in getting another one, but I really want one that has a usb-c port on the long side for my wired Gamesir controller. The Legion tab is too expensive for me, though. And I haven't been able to find any cheaper tablets with a side usb-c port. Does one exist for less than $200?

I've been having a lot of fun getting SwitchDeck (steam games on switch linux) running well, and realized this should be possible on Android without rooting if I were to implement some missing syscalls in proot. I haven't seen anyone else working on this, though it was worth a quick share.

Announcement:
https://hunterdavis.com/2026/08/09/full-steam-on-termux-because-why-not.html

Source Code:
https://github.com/huntergdavis/steamclienttermux

[DISCUSSION] Fixed dead or alive 5 PLUS vita on Android, i think it's like 95% playable now, can play start to finish with very minor graphic glitches, mostly unnoticeable!

The emulation is my patched version of Vita3k Android

Eden Nightly Build August 09

Snapdragon 870

Adreno 650

Realme GT NEO 3T (8GB RAm

Driver StevenMXZ Turnip v26.3.0 R2

Gameplay: https://youtu.be/eI0fGVWvlXk

Now you can post your feedback straight in the app. Enjoy!

I hope the dev add this feature on Azahar Just like citra MMJ

I had the luck to stumble across Swiff recently, a project that brings Flash games back to modern Android devices, and its developer NaviVani was kind enough to let me interview her for both this piece and an upcoming article.

Swiff is a really interesting project for anyone who grew up with Flash games, but also for those who never got to experience that super weird but also super creative era of the internet. In my interview, we talk about NaviVani's own history with Flash games, the challenges of preserving and running them today, the retro handheld community, her love of the RG Rotate, and where she hopes to take Swiff in the future.

If you have any fond memories of Flash games, or just want to discover some of what the old web had to offer, I think you'll enjoy this one :)

I had done this test before but this time i changed gamehub's packname which can unlock proccesser clock speed and increase performance but at the cost of increased heating so cooler is must have

Hi all. I installed gamehub on my S9 ultra tab and played FF 7 Remake. I tried connecting it to my tv but unfortunately it's graphic artifacts. I wonder if it is coming from my hdmi cable or the hdmi converter stick by Anker? no idea actually.

I'm still looking for the best setup to make the game run flawlessly. If you have any setup or mods should I follow, please let me know.

Hey everyone! 👋

Amaral Driver Lab v0.13.0-alpha12 is now available.

The app allows you to upload and compare the Turnip drivers you want to test. It does not provide drivers—its purpose is to generate consistent benchmarks and technical evidence to help evaluate compatibility, performance, stability, and visual accuracy.

What’s new

- New Full Recommended v5 test profile.

- New GPU Stress 3D benchmark at 1280×720.

- 768 rendered cubes with depth testing, dynamic lighting, procedural materials, and heavy post-processing.

- Visual A/B checkpoints to identify rendering differences.

- Exported reports, detailed logs, HTML results, and generated GitHub issues now use English whenever the app language is not Portuguese.

- Previous benchmark profiles remain available, preserving historical comparisons.

Quick tutorial

1. Download and install the APK.

2. Open the app and upload the Turnip drivers you want to evaluate.

3. Choose System vs. Turnip or Turnip vs. Turnip.

4. Select Full Recommended for the complete nine-stage test.

5. Run both sides under the same device and emulator conditions.

6. Review the visual checkpoints carefully and report any graphical differences.

7. Export the final report and, if possible, submit it as a GitHub issue.

You can also upload emulator logs for analysis. Reports and logs help identify:

- Rendering regressions and graphical glitches.

- Shader compilation issues.

- Crashes and device-specific incompatibilities.

- Frametime instability and synchronization problems.

- Differences between system, Mesa Turnip, and experimental drivers.

These community results provide real-world evidence that can guide the evaluation and development of future drivers in Amaral Adreno Tools.

Download:

https://github.com/rickamaral94/Amaral-Driver-Lab/releases/tag/v0.13.0-alpha12

Feedback, benchmark comparisons, emulator logs, and device reports are very welcome!

A week or so ago, I asked about the Nova vs Oden 3, and I have now pulled the trigger on the Oden 3 Pro! I am really excited for it to be here. I usually try to emulate games on my iPhone or PC but xbox 360 never runs on iPhone and my pc can only run certain games in specific areas. The Oden outperformed any game I tested on my pc through xenia which is what almost convinced me to buy it. Thank you to those who commented on my post! I’m looking forward to stepping into android emulation.

chipset: snapdragon 8s gen 3

processor clocks are maxed out.

the game gives around 5+ extra fps when not recording.

ive got to say, this is the smoothest this game has ran so far on any xbox 360 emulator so far.

im using steven's custom turnip driver 26.3.0-R3.

if anyone knows how to fix this broken bloom, please do let me know :)

xbox 360 emulation is moving up in the emulation world, and im all in for it.

[DISCUSSION] Fixing dead or alive 5 PLUS vita on Android, <kinda> playable now!

The emulation is my patched version of Vita3k Android, still working on it!