You've noticed that your Xiaomi suddenly slows down during gaming or during long workloads? Perhaps it's because of trolling, which automatically reduces the performance of the processor to protect against overheating. This mechanism saves your smartphone from breakdown, but often interferes with comfortable work. In this article, we'll look at how trolling works in Redmi, Poco and Mi devices, why it turns on even on new models and what to do about it.
Trottling is not a breakdown, but a protective feature of MIUI and Qualcomm/Snapdragon hardware, but its consequences can be annoying: sudden friezes in games, FPS drops, slow app loads. This is especially true for budget smartphones with passive cooling. We tested the behavior of trottling on the Xiaomi 13 Pro, Redmi Note 12 Pro+ and Poco F5 — and we are ready to share the findings.
What is trottling and why is it needed
Trottling is the forced reduction of the clock speed of a processor, graphics accelerator or other components of a smartphone. The main reason is overheating. When the temperature of the chip exceeds a safe threshold (usually 40-45 ° C for the case and 60-85 ° C for the crystal), the system activates protection:
- 🔥 Heat trottling - reducing frequency CPU/GPU It's hot. Xiaomi works when it's hot. ~50°C (depending on model).
- ⚡ Electrical trottling – limiting energy consumption when the battery is below 15-20%.
- 🛡️ Software Trottling – Artificial Limitation MIUI to save charge (turned on in the "Battery" mode»).
Without trottling, the smartphone could overheat to a critical 100°C+, which would lead to:
- 🔋 Battery bloating (fire risk!).
- 💥 Detachment of the chip from the board (requires expensive repairs).
- ⏳ Reduce the service life of components by 2-3 times.
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On Xiaomi with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processors (such as Xiaomi 13 Ultra), trottling starts later thanks to an improved cooling system with a steam chamber.
How to check trolling Xiaomi: 3 working methods
Before you can treat, you need to confirm the diagnosis. Here's how to detect trottling on your device:
1. Through the built-in MIUI tools
Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and tap 7 times on the “Core” line. The hidden CIT menu will open (in some firmware - MIUI Diagnostic).
Hardware Test → CPU Throttling TestThe system will show the current core frequency and temperature. If the frequency is below the maximum (for example, 2.8 GHz instead of 3.2 GHz), and the temperature is above 45 ° C, trottling is active.
2. With the help of applications
Install one of these apps from Google Play:
- 📊 CPU Throttling Test - reveals history of frequency decline.
- 🌡️ AIDA64 — Monitors temperature and loading of cores in real time.
- 🎮 Game Bench - Analyzing FPS and trolling during games.
Run the test in the CPU Throttling Test| Check the temperature in AIDA64| Compare the frequencies to passports | Test in the game 15+ minutes-->
3.Manual Test in Games
Open a resource-intensive game (such as Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile) and play for 20-30 minutes.
- 🔄 FPS falls from 60 to 30-40.
- ⏱️ Animation slows down.
- 🔥 The body is very hot (especially in the area of the camera).
- It's a sure sign of trottling.
Never.|Only in summer.|In games/video editing|Constantly.-->
Causes of trottling in Xiaomi smartphones
Trottling doesn't just happen. Here are the main triggers for Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices:
| Reason. | How it manifests | Models at risk |
|---|---|---|
| Weak cooling system | Fast heating to 50°C+ with minimal load | Redmi 9/10, Poco M3/M4, budget models |
| Worn-out battery | Trottling under 30%, even if the phone is cold | Devices older than 2 years |
| Clogged vents | Local overheating in the area of the speaker / camera | Xiaomi 11T, Redmi Note 11 Pro |
| Aggressive MIUI settings | Decrease in performance in the “Battery” or “Balance” mode | All models on MIUI 12+ |
Smartphones with Snapdragon 7xx and Helio Gxx processors are particularly vulnerable, because they warm up stronger than flagship chips due to less efficient architecture. For example, the Redmi Note 11 Pro with Snapdragon 695 begins to throttl after 15 minutes of playing at maximum graphics settings.
Why is trolling stronger on custom firmware?
How to Disable or Reduce Trottling on Xiaomi
You can't completely turn off the trottling, which is dangerous for the device, but you can mitigate the effects of the trottling or delay the operation.
1. Optimization of MIUI settings
Go to Settings → Battery → Performance Mode and select:
- ⚡ Performance – Minimum trottling (but quick discharge).
- ⚖️ Balance – moderate constraint (recommended for most people).
- 🔋 Battery - maximum trottling (to save charge).
Also disable MIUI Optimization in Settings → Special. features → Optimization MIUI – this will reduce the background limitation of the processor.
2. Phone cooling
Physical methods help delay trolling:
- ❄️ Use a cooling case (such as from Black Shark).
- 🧊 Stick the heat pad on the back cover (sold on AliExpress).
- 🪟 Play in a cool room (air temperature below 25)°C).
3. Software Tweaks (for Advanced)
If you have an unlocked boot loader, you can:
- 🔧 Change thermal-engine.conf via Magisk (increase trigger thresholds).
- 🛠️ Install a core with optimized thermal control (e.g., FrancoKernel).
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On Xiaomi with Snapdragon 8xx processors (such as Xiaomi 12 Pro), trottling is less noticeable thanks to Qualcomm Thermal Guard technology, but it is impossible to completely avoid it.
⚠️ Warning: Changing thermal settings through Magisk or custom cores can cause overheating of over 90°C and chip failure. Do this only if you understand the risks!
Trottling vs. MIUI Limitation: What's the Difference
Many people confuse trottling with the background application restriction that MIUI uses to save battery life.
| Parameter | trottling | MIUI Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Reason. | Overheating or battery discharge | Optimizing work in the background |
| How it manifests | FPS drop, lags in games | Applications are not updated, notifications are delayed |
| How to turn off | Partially (see section above) | In the battery settings for each application |
For example, if you have a Redmi Note 10 Pro and Telegram not sending notifications, it is not trottling, but a restriction of background activity. You can fix this in Settings → Applications → Application Management → Telegram → Battery → No restrictions.
Xiaomi models with the most frequent trottling problems
Not all Xiaomi smartphones are equally susceptible to trolling, and we analyzed user reviews and tests to rank the “problem” models:
- Redmi Note 9 Pro (Snapdragon 720G) – overheats in 10 minutes in PUBG Mobile.
- Poco X3 Pro (Snapdragon 860) – trottling up to 50% performance when heated.
- Xiaomi 11 Lite NE (Snapdragon 778G) – a thin body aggravates the heat sink.
- Redmi K40 (Snapdragon 870) – despite the flagship chip, warms up because of the plastic body.
For comparison, the Xiaomi 13 Pro and Black Shark 5 Pro have active cooling (fan + steam camera), so they only start trolling under extreme loads (for example, 4K video rendering).
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If you buy Xiaomi for gaming, choose models with a metal body and a Snapdragon 8xx processor – they warm up 20-30% less budget options.
What to do if the trottling does not disappear
If you’ve tried all the methods, but the smartphone still strangles the processor, the problem may be deeper:
- 🔋 Worn-out battery -- when it's degraded below 80 percent of its original capacity, trottling gets stronger. AIDA64 or AccuBattery.
- 🛠️ Damaged thermopaste -- it dries over time, degrades the heat sink.
- 🦠 Viruses or firmware curves – some applications (such as mining bots) load the processor 100%, causing overheating.
⚠️ Note: If your Xiaomi trolls even in temperatures below 40°C and 50% charge, this may indicate a malfunction of the temperature sensor, in which case a diagnostic in the service is required.
As a last resort, consider upgrading to a better-cooled model, such as switching from the Redmi Note 11 to the Poco F5 reduces game trottling by 40 to 50 percent thanks to a liquid-cooled system.