First, what does overclocking a device mean? It simply refers to upping the frequency of a phone’s CPU past the maximum frequency set by the manufacturer. A lot of people overclock their device because it lags. As at the time of purchase, it must have had the latest RAM, but with technology evolving daily, there is always something new and faster on the market.
With PCs, it is very easy to replace the existing RAM with a higher one. The reverse is the case for smartphones. Smartphones come with a fixed RAM. To do with your android phone what you would have done with your system, you need to overclock it. This involves utilizing android’s open-source ecosystem. You can overclock android with and without root. In this article, we will be looking at how to overclock android with and without root.
How to Overclock Android with Root
The first thing you need to do is to root your device. This is a process that gives you complete control over apps installed on your device including apps installed by the manufacturer. This means you can tweak them as you please. Note, though, that it is an illegal procedure and you risk losing your warranty.
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How to Root Your Android Device
The easiest way to go about rooting your device is to make use of android rooting apps like Vroot, C4 Auto Rot, Framaroot, and so on. Let’s see how to root an android device using one of these.
Vroot
- Download its latest version and install it
- Backup all data on your device
- Then click on the root button
- It will root your device and request that you restart your device
- On the restart, your phone is rooted
Once you have rooted your device, you can proceed to other necessary procedures for overclocking.
The next step is to Flash Custom Recovery. This is a process that will allow you to carry out advanced functions on your device. It allows more than what the default recovery from your device’s manufacturer allows. It also makes it easy to install a custom kernel which is essential for the overclocking process. You can install any custom recovery on your android phone, preferably TWRP.
Next, Backup all important data, from messages to contacts, pictures, and videos. This is necessary because flashing a custom kernel in the process of overclocking erases every single data on your device.
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A Step By Step Guide to Overclocking Your Device
- After backing up your files, unlock the bootloader. Do this by installing an Android SDK Platform tool on your PC and boot to fastboot mode. Connect your phone to a PC using a USB cable, then launch the Command prompt in the platform tool folder. You can then execute the Fastboot OEM Unlock command to unlock the bootloader.
- Next, download TWRP custom recovery on your PC and transfer it to the platform tools folder. Then, connect your device to your PC with a USB cable and execute fastboot recovery twrp.img to flash recovery.
- Next is to root your device as explained above.
- Then, search for a custom kernel for your device model. Download it, transfer it to your device, and boot your device to TWRP recovery. To boot the device to TWRP recovery, enable USB debugging on your device and connect it to the PC with a USB cable. Then, Launch Command Prompt window in the platform tools folder and type adb reboot recovery.
- Next, download and install a kernel manager app that gives you an interface to carry out desired adjustments
- Now that you have set up a custom kernel on your device, use the kernel manager app to overclock your device. It will provide minimum and maximum frequencies to choose from that are higher than what your smartphone came with.
Keep in mind that there are disadvantages to overclocking your device just as there are advantages. Besides the process being lengthy, you might experience reduced battery life, reduced CPU lifespan, overheating, and warranty void. Also, do not choose the highest overclocking power, a notch or two above that set by the manufacturer is better.
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How to Overclock Android without Root
You can overclock your android without root by enabling Force GPU Rendering and Force 4x MSAA in Developer Options. Enabling them generally makes your android faster without root.
As explained in a previous article, enable Developer Options by doing the following:
- Go to Settings
- Scroll down to System and click on it
- On the displayed page, scroll down to About Phone and click on it
- Click on Build Number about 7 times. You will see a popup message saying that you are now a developer
To overclock your device without root:
- Go to Settings >> System >> Developer Options
- Scroll down till you find Force GPU Rendering and enable it
- Next, find Force 4x MSAA and enable it
Your device is certain to run faster.
I hope you find the above methods helpful. With them, you can overclock android with and without root.
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John follows everything happening in the tech industry, from the latest gadget launches to some of the big-name moves in the industry. He covers opinionated pieces and writes on some of the biggest names in the industry. John is also a freelance writer, so he shares articles on freelancing every now and then. email: john@tekpip.com
