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Someone gave this old phone a cooling fan and 9,900mAh battery
- A YouTuber has extensively modified a Xiaomi Mi 9 flagship from 2019.
- Modifications include a cooling fan, tripling the battery capacity, and more.
Gaming phones are pretty commonplace these days, as the likes of ASUS, Black Shark, nubia, and Xiaomi all offer them. What if you don’t want to spend a ton of money on a gaming phone but still want a powerful, long-lasting device for gaming?
Well, YouTuber GeekerWan has extensively modified a Xiaomi Mi 9, bringing a cooling fan, much bigger battery capacity, and more to the 2019 flagship phone. More specifically, the YouTuber added the fan, tripled the battery capacity to 9,900mAh by adding two more 3,300mAh batteries, removed the camera modules, and put it all in a 3D-printed case.
GeekerWan also made a few more software tweaks, such as improving the prime CPU core’s clock speed (a minimum frequency of 1.8GHz and maximum frequency of 2.84GHz), increasing the maximum GPU frequency from 585MHz to 840MHz, and increasing the screen refresh rate to 75Hz.
The YouTuber noted that the project cost him $150, which includes the ~$110 price tag for the second-hand Mi 9. The entire modified device weighs in at 269 grams as well, making it virtually as heavy as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. So what about actually using it, then?
GeekerWan reported a 40% increase in the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme benchmark test, nipping at the heels of the Snapdragon 870. He also claimed an average of 50fps in Genshin Impact compared to the stock Mi 9’s average of 39fps.
Furthermore, the YouTuber claimed that the modified Mi 9 was actually capable of smoother performance than the Xiaomi 12 Pro and its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset in Genshin Impact. The customized handset apparently consumed slightly less power at 50fps than the Xiaomi 12 Pro as well.
This project is pretty impractical for many people, but it’s still really cool to see what’s possible when older silicon is unleashed. For everyone else looking for a great gaming phone above all else, you’re better off buying something like the REDMAGIC 6 or REDMAGIC 7, as both generations have a built-in cooling fan for better sustained performance.