According to reports from analysts and smartphone manufacturers themselves, the greatest demand is not for flagships or budget phones, but for balanced mid-range models. Therefore, a serious struggle is flaring up in this price category, which includes chipset manufacturers. At the beginning of 2016, Qualcomm introduced the first 600 series chip based on the 14 nm process technology - Snapdragon 625. Around the same time, MediaTek showed the world the first ten-core processor for mobile technology– Helio X20 (MT6797). IN model range made by a Taiwanese developer, it is pre-top (the only cooler version is the overclocked modification of Helio X25), but in terms of price and capabilities it belongs to the average level.

Quite a few smartphones have been released based on both chipsets. The brainchild of Qualcomm attracted the interest of both the leader, Samsung, and the Chinese companies Lenovo and Xiaomi. The MediaTek chipset also turned out to be popular, but the leaders reacted more coolly to it. But Xiaomi, Meizu, LeEco and smaller Chinese companies have created a good selection of suitable gadgets with it inside. To find out which chipset is better, let's look at their pros and cons in more detail.

Pros and cons of Helio x20

Pros:

• Flexible multi-cluster CPU configuration. The Helio x20 chipset contains 10 cores grouped into 3 clusters. The first consists of a pair of high-frequency (2.1 GHz) Cortex A72, designed for heavy tasks that can only load 1 or 2 cores. The second one includes 4 Cortex A53 with high frequency(1.85 GHz), for multi-threaded tasks, and has reduced consumption. The third cluster is identical to the second, but operates at reduced frequencies (1.4 GHz) to further save battery. Dynamic switching between cores, depending on the current task, allows you to select the optimal balance between performance and power consumption.
• Dual channel memory controller. The chipset is equipped with a dual-channel memory controller, which theoretically makes the Helio x20 faster when launching and switching between programs, as well as when processing background tasks.
• Powerful screen controller. The MediaTek chipset is equipped with a display controller that supports QHD resolution (up to 2560x1600 pixels), as well as FullHD operation with an image refresh rate of 120 Hz. Such characteristics are closer to flagships and make smartphones based on Helio x20 more suitable for viewing content high definition and working with virtual reality.
• Price. MediaTek has gained market share through low prices, and its chips are still relatively cheap. Thanks to this, Chinese manufacturers were able to initially offer smartphones with it at an attractive price.

Minuses:

• Problems with autonomy. In theory and in the infographics of MediaTek marketers, the multi-cluster configuration looks attractive, but in practice, not everything is so smooth. The system does not always correctly assess the load and activate the most optimal CPU configuration, which can lead to rapid charge consumption and heating. For example, in applications for which 4 A53 cores are enough, A72 cores may be unreasonably used, which in this situation are excessively power-hungry.
• Heat dissipation. Helio x20 is produced using a 20 nm process technology, which, although not the worst option today, is inferior to 14 and 16 nm in terms of energy efficiency. Yes, and integrated MediaTek modems consume more than Qualcomm. Because of this (and also because of not always high-quality software optimization on the part of Chinese developers), smartphones based on the Helio x20 chipset tend to overheat and reduce performance under prolonged load.
• Problems with OS update. MediaTek is famous for its special, selective attitude towards supporting manufacturers. There are often situations when for budget chipsets a new version Android and drivers come out just a couple of months after the release of Google OS (as was the case with MT6737), and for the top ones, “they wait three years for what was promised.” Previously, only a couple of HTC models received Android 6 for Helio x10, and Android 7 for Helio x20 owners have been waiting for six months. There has been no visible progress in this regard yet, which is not encouraging.

Pros and cons of Snapdragon 625

Pros:

• Fine technical process. The Snapdragon 625 chipset is manufactured using the thinnest and most modern (of those mass-produced, as of March 2017) 14 nm process technology. Due to this, it is characterized by low energy consumption and low heat generation.
• High frequency. All Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 cores have an ARM Cortex A53 microarchitecture, are not divided into groups, and operate at frequencies up to 2 GHz. The frequency changes dynamically, depending on the load. This provides high processing speed for tasks optimized for multi-threaded computing.
• USB 3.0 support. Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 supports USB 3.0, which provides high connection speed when working with OTG flash drives, external SSDs and other accessories.
• Powerful modem. The Snapdragon 625 integrates a communication module that supports all current communication standards, up to LTE Cat 7. It is capable of working with any frequency range and ensuring the simultaneous activity of two SIM cards in LTE networks.

Minuses:

• Cortex A53 architecture. The Cortex A53 microarchitecture strikes a balance between high performance and low power consumption. Its specific performance per clock is significantly lower than that of the A72, so in tasks requiring 1-2 fast cores, the Snapdragon 625 will be noticeably inferior to the MT6797.
• A more modest screen controller. The display controller in the Snapdragon 625 chipset is capable of operating only in FullHD (up to 1920x1200 pixels) and only with a refresh rate of up to 60 Hz. If you use a smartphone for VR, this may not be enough; as a result, your eyes will get tired faster.
• Adreno 506 GPU may be inferior to Mali T880 MP4. The theoretical graphics performance of Qualcomm Adreno 506 is higher than that of Mali T880 MP4 in MT6797. However, due to better software optimization for Mali, the MediaTek chip can outperform its opponent if its temperatures are normal.

Results

To visually summarize and decide which is better than Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 or MediaTek Helio X20, let’s summarize the key parameters and features of the chipsets in a table. The SoC on the side of which there is an advantage in the selected item receives a plus, the lagging side receives a minus.

Based on the comparison, several conclusions can be drawn. So, in terms of performance, the Helio x20 has more potential than the Snapdragon 625. In theory, it is faster, has a powerful processor, and supports QHD screens. However, in practice, all these advantages are offset by the tendency to overheat, and the actual performance of both chipsets is approximately at the same level. Even a dual-channel memory controller doesn't help.

Considering the unpleasant issue with overheating, as well as the clear advantages of the Qualcomm chipset in terms of modem and communications, we can conclude that the Snapdragon 625 is more balanced. The situation with OS updates is also not on MTK’s side. Its visual illustration is Xiaomi smartphones. The first Redmi Note 4 (on MTK) has not yet received updates to Android 7, and it is not known for sure (at the official level) whether there will be any. But for (on Qualcomm) - the beta version of the seven for testers appeared back in January, shortly after the presentation of this smartphone on the Indian market. So if updates are important to you, the Snapdragon 625 is clearly better.

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At the beginning of 2016, Qualcomm updated its line of mid-class chipsets, introducing several interesting models. The middle solution (located between the Snapdragon 430 and 650/652) was the Snapdragon 625, a solid representative of the middle class. In the second half of 2016, interesting smartphones have already been released using this chip, both from recognized giants and companies from China. As of early 2017, the chip is a reference representative of the middle class and remains relevant.

Technically, the Snapdragon 625 chip is a balanced solution created using the latest technological standards. It is created using the 14 nanometer process technology, thus being the first chipset in the series created according to these lithography standards.

CPU

The Snapdragon 625 chipset contains 8 processor cores based on Cortex A53 microarchitecture. They represent an intermediate solution that can provide acceptable performance without loading the battery or overheating. All cores are grouped into a single cluster. Their frequency is adjusted dynamically, depending on the load, and can reach 2 GHz.

GPU and screen

Graphics processing in the Snapdragon 625 is handled by the integrated Adreno 506 graphics processor, which belongs to the newest (at the time of writing) generation of Qualcomm integrated graphics. It contains 96 computing units operating at 650 MHz. The peak performance of Adreno 506 is about 130 GFLOPS. The graphics in Snapdragon 625 support API Vulcan 1.0, OpenGL 3.1, and DirectX 11.2.

The display controller in Snapdragon 625 supports FullHD resolution. The maximum resolution can be 1920x1200 pixels. In this mode, the image refresh rate is 60 Hz (FPS).

Memory controller

The memory controller in the chipset is designed to work with LPDDR3 memory at a frequency of 933 MHz. There is only one communication channel with RAM (which is typical in the middle class), its throughput reaches 7.5 GB/s. To work with permanent memory, eMMC 5.1 and SD 3.0 controllers are provided.

Connection

The modem integrated into the chipset supports LTE Cat 13 in transmission mode (up to 150 Mbit/s) and Cat 7 in reception mode (300 Mbit/s). Theoretically, it is possible to operate 2 SIM cards on LTE networks; in practice, it all depends on the smartphone. Of the older standards, 3G WCDMA (HSPA), CDMA, TD-SCDMA and GSM are supported. All popular frequency ranges are supported at the hardware level, but in a particular device their list may be limited by modem drivers.

Wi-Fi supports 802.11a, b, g, n, ac standards at 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies. Theoretically, the peak speed can reach 433 MB/s, but in practice it will be lower, since only one MIMO channel is provided.

Navigation capabilities allow you to use for orientation GPS satellites, GLONASS, Beidou and even Galileo (which is still at the commissioning stage). There is also support for Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, and infrared. Snapdragon 625 is the first mid-range chipset to support USB 3rd generation.

Cameras

The Snapdragon 625 chipset contains dual ISP (image processing processor) which allows for dual cameras. For a single matrix, the resolution is limited to 24 MP. When using two sensors, their resolution should be no more than 12 MP. There is hardware support for recording video in 4K at 30 frames per second.

Other characteristics

Snapdragon 625 is equipped with DSP (processor processing digital signals) Hexagon 546. It is responsible for processing data from various devices, such as a screen sensor, and is designed to reduce the load on the processor cores and reduce battery consumption. The chipset also supports technologies active noise cancellation. The charge controller built into the chip is compatible with fast charging QuickCharge 3.0.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 performance

Modern characteristics are good, but without practical results they make little sense. In terms of performance, the Snapdragon 625 is doing quite well. The processor consists of Cortex A53 cores, which, although not very powerful, are not prone to overheating. In single-core mode, the chip does not work much faster than budget analogues, but in multi-core mode, due to the frequency, there is decent potential. The cores are not grouped into the big.LITTLE scheme, and this provides a foundation for the future.

In the GeekBench 4 test, single-core mode gives about 800 points, multi-core - almost 3000. In AnTuTu, the chipset scores 60-65 thousand points. The graphics account for about 12-15 thousand, which is a good indicator. In practice, these results mean that the processor is quite suitable for demanding games. Many of them will go to maximum settings, only the most demanding ones may need to set the quality to medium.

There is also enough performance reserve for web surfing and multimedia functions. Hardware support for decoding H264 and H265 formats provides the ability to play high-definition video, up to 4K resolution.

To summarize, I would like to note that this is one of the best solutions in terms of price/quality in the mobile chipset market. This chip is currently an uncompromising option, and smartphones with it are generally of a good level.

Technology continues to develop at a breakneck pace, but in some areas it is not particularly noticeable. One such area is duration. battery life mobile devices, where for many years in a row smartphones have been produced that can last only one day without recharging. Some smartphones show results a little better, some a little worse, but on average one day of work is the usual value.

Some of latest smartphones proved that such a situation should not be considered normal. It is interesting to note that all of these smartphones are not flagship smartphones, they are quite affordable. These devices are connected by the fact that they all run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. budget processor on a modern 14 nm technological process with high energy efficiency.

This processor has allowed many smartphones to reach a battery life of two days, and some even three. Even with the most active use of the device, it will be able to work for a very, very long time. Let's see which smartphones can boast of such performance.

1. The Lenovo P2 with a 5.5-inch screen has the largest battery on this list, with a capacity of 5100 mAh. Depending on the intensity of use, such a smartphone can work for three to four days without recharging. If you try to discharge it in two days, you will see that this requires keeping the screen on all the time. Lenovo P2 runs on a no longer modern operating system, although an update to Android Nougat is promised in April.

   Its user interface does not look very good, to put it mildly, but if battery life is your top priority, you can try to upgrade your smartphone with third-party loaders and icon packs. But the performance of the smartphone in everyday work is surprisingly smooth. The camera quality is average, the quality of 4K video recording cannot be compared with the capabilities of flagship smartphones, but given the affordable price, this is expected. Lenovo P2 is the champion of autonomy in its price category and that says it all.

2. 

   

   The Moto Z Play is an impressive thin smartphone, in terms of battery capacity it cannot compare with the Lenovo P2. Despite this, the 3510 mAh battery allows the smartphone to work for a surprisingly long time. With an average load, the device lasted two days. Moto Z Play supports magnetically plug-in Moto Mods, so you can connect a speaker, projector, and extra battery to it. The smartphone offers a functional and clean interface that is very close to stock Android versions, and also has a very good camera.

3. This smartphone is quite attractive considering its price of $230 for the base version. In terms of price-quality ratio, this is one of the best modern smartphones. It doesn't last as long as the Lenovo P2 or , but a day and a half isn't a problem for it, and with more moderate use the smartphone can last two days. The advantages of the Moto G5 Plus include an excellent camera and a nice Android shell, but the main advantage has already been named and it is the low price. For the price of one you can buy three Moto G5 Plus devices.

4. The mid-price smartphone from the Chinese company Huawei is selling well in different countries. This happens thanks to the high-quality design and economical processor, which allows the smartphone to work for at least two days without recharging. The main attraction of this device is the selfie camera with a lot of effects, although some of them are minor or aimed at teenagers. The smartphone runs very smoothly, which is typical for Huawei devices. In terms of price-quality ratio, this will be an excellent purchase.

5. It is very unusual to talk about stagnation in smartphone processors. “Is this really stagnation?” ask the owners of computers for which Intel was almost idle and gave “as much as a 5% increase in speed” once a year, while the only competitor, AMD, was hopelessly behind. “The reviewer is bored or doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”, Xiaomi smartphone owners chant and wave benchmark results. And I don’t argue that the numbers in work speed measurements are growing from year to year. The problem is that the processors in non-flagship mobile phones are similar to each other, like the tariffs of the Big Three mobile operators in Russia, and are just as “rotten” in essence.

   For example, you buy cat food and look at the packaging of Friskies, Felix, Purina ONE and Darling... and this is all the work of the same concern Nestle, which slightly changes the recipe, runs different advertisements for different foods, and packages these varieties in different packaging. There are even fewer differences in smartphone processors.

   There hasn't been a reason to talk about innovations in low-cost processors for a long time. Now it is

   Firstly, because all smartphone processors (systems on a chip, scientifically speaking) are produced at the same TSMC or Samsung factories. That is, chips are stamped on the same “machines” with minimal differences, and then they go to customers and receive HiSilicon, MediaTek, Qualcomm or Samsung stickers. You already know how different the final price of a smartphone with the same processor can be.

   Secondly, even the “recipe” for creating a chip for a smartphone is obscenely the same from different manufacturers. Each smartphone manufacturer buys, so to speak, “blueprints” of processor cores from the British company ARM (did you see the word “Cortex” in the processor description? That’s it!). And then it is simply determined how much to heat up these cores so that the smartphone does not overheat, does not explode, and the buyer does not get too good cheap smartphone– otherwise you won’t be able to promote it for a new purchase.

   Manufacturers order graphics (analogue of a video card) from the “half-dead” Imagination Technologies (PowerVR), but rarely. Or, almost always, with the same ARM (Mali), that is, they do almost nothing with their own hands. And in inexpensive smartphones the situation looks even more bleak.

   King of Cortex-A53 and no change of power

   To understand how advanced everything is with mobile chips, let’s go back to 2014. Plays from speakers and cell phones on the streets Pharell Williams, the Olympic Games took place in Russia, iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S5 – the latest and greatest cool smartphones. And the quad-core Snapdragon 801 processors are the best among all chips in Android phones.

   But there are a limited number of flagships, and give people cheaper smartphones. Therefore, “our everything” in smartphone hardware, Qualcomm and MediaTek, “give birth” to processors with eight new economical cores, Cortex-A53 (Snapdragon 615 and MT6752). This filling, if you remember, was in the first generation of Samsung Galaxy A7, Honor 5X, ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser and other rare rarities today. Smartphones, which in modern terms would cost 23-30 thousand rubles.

   Chipset	Snapdragon 615 (MSM8939)	MediaTek MT6752
   Year of issue	2014	2014
   CPU	8 cores (4x Cortex-A53 1.7 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 1.0 GHz)	8 cores (8x Cortex-A53 1.7 GHz)
   Video accelerator	Adreno 405	Mali-T760 MP2
   RAM	LPDDR3, 800 MHz	LPDDR3, 800 MHz
   WiFi		802.11n
   Bluetooth	4.0	4.0
   	150/50 Mbit/s	150/50 Mbit/s
   Technical process	28 nm	28 nm

   The initiative turned out to be so successful that the creators of the processors “continued in the same spirit” and began installing the same inexpensive processors in expensive smartphones already in 2015. For example, HTC wanted people to pay 40 thousand rubles for the One A9 based on Snapdragon 615 and with a dead 2150 mAh battery (don’t laugh, these are the characteristics). Huawei is asking over 40 thousand rubles for the flagship Mate S based on a processor with the same eight cheap cores (but now in Kirin 935). This was the period of the most brazen deception, when low-power fillings were sold at flagship prices.

   The same Cortex-A53 cores have been found in mid-range smartphones since 2014

   Only in January 2016, Xiaomi put greedy competitors in the place and installed Snapdragon 616 (a slightly accelerated processor from 2014) in the cheap smartphone Redmi 3. A year after the adventures of smartphone manufacturers, the processors finally found themselves in their place - in the fastest budget mobile phones.

   Based on this tragedy, Qualcomm created really new, very powerful Snapdragon 650 (4 Cortex-A53 cores + 2 new Cortex-A72 cores) and 652 (4x Cortex-A53 + 4x Cortex-A72). The processors were cool for their time - powerful, modern, created according to the patterns of the flagship Snapdragon 810 (2015), but with less heating and power consumption. But the prices for almost all models with them were inadequate (LG G5 SE for 50 thousand rubles, HTC 10 Lifestyle for 45 thousand rubles), they went “to the people” only with Xiaomi smartphones Mi Max and Redmi Note 3 Pro were almost never seen in new products.

   Truly new and powerful Snapdragon 650 and 652 processors went to the people with Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro and Mi Max

   Since then, Qualcomm has returned (and MediaTek, Samsung Exynos and Huawei HiSilicon have not stopped) to using the now three-year-old Cortex-A53 cores in overclocked mode. Overclocking (increasing the frequency, the number of gigahertz) with the transition to a new technological process (from 28 to 14 nm) and new production “machines” was easy. With a thick layer of chocolate protection from overheating and reduced power consumption, all eight cores were overclocked to the limit (the difference in benchmarks became almost twofold) and a new, twice as fast video accelerator was installed. We call this miracle Snapdragon 625 and, like Ivan Urgant, it takes part everywhere where it is needed and where it is not needed too. In variants with overclocking (Snapdragon 626), or new “Wi-Fi Bluetooth”, a 4G modem and RAM (Snapdragon 630), it is still installed in expensive smartphones in the fall of 2017 (ASUS ZenFone 4 for 33 thousand rubles, Motorola Z2 Play for 35 thousand). Selling an obsolete design for many years with almost no changes under the slogan “you’re not going anywhere” is a very Russian tradition. It’s strange that it was adopted by the American Qualcomm, the Korean Exynos (model 7880) and the Chinese HiSilicon (the circus with an attempt to “pull” the budget Kirin 650 into the middle class continues in the Kirin 655 and 659). MediaTek is also playing the fool, but it can be justified for the scandalously low prices for the 10-core powerful Helio (owners of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and Meizu MX6/Pro 6 know what we're talking about). Even taking into account the fact that the Chinese chip maker had to reduce prices not because of a good life.

   Chipset	Snapdragon 450 (SD450)	Snapdragon 630 (SD630)
   Year of issue	2017	2017
   CPU	8 cores (8x Cortex-A53 1.8)	8 cores (8x Cortex-A53 2.2 GHz)
   Video accelerator	Adreno 506	Adreno 508
   RAM	LPDDR3, 933 MHz	LPDDR4, 1333 MHz
   WiFi	802.11ac Wave 2, up to 433 Mbps
   Bluetooth	4.1	5.0
   Maximum performance in LTE networks (download/upload)	300/150 Mbit/s	600/150 Mbit/s
   Technical process	14 nm FinFET	14 nm FinFET

   I hope you didn’t fall asleep from the long and tedious introduction, but otherwise I couldn’t explain why the new 636 chipset is so important.

   For those who asked “even cheaper!”

   From the previous paragraph, you already understood how dreary the situation had become with processors at the “slightly above economy class” level, so everyone was expecting breakthroughs, surprises, and so on from the “big two” (Qualcomm and MediaTek). MediaTek was expecting another seasonal sale of the flagship 10-core Helio, now Helio X30 with a modern technical process (lower heating and greater efficiency, and not like in Helio X20/X25), so that they would again begin to appear in affordable mobile phones. But it didn’t happen - Meizu Pro 7 Plus based on this Helio even in China costs 25-30 thousand, for which you can buy a real one flagship smartphone with the “best of the best” Snapdragon 835.

   Enthusiasts believed in Qualcomm when the Snapdragon 660 was announced. “Finally, they will give us the performance level of last year’s flagships at a low price!” the geeks rejoiced. And these predictions partially came true if we are talking about ordering mobile phones from China - Snapdragon 660 began to be installed in ASUS ZenFone 4 ZE554KL (28 thousand rubles) and Xiaomi Mi Note 3 (23 thousand rubles) - standard middle-class smartphones with a good camera.

   In six months, few smartphones with the new Snapdragon have been released, but this is just the beginning

   But the Snapdragon 660 did not provide a beautiful replacement for the tired “8 Cortex-A53 cores and dead graphics” that have haunted us since 2014 - in Russia, ZenFone 4 with Snapdragon 660 exceeds well over 30 thousand, and Mi Note 3 is not even going to be sold, because “it will be too expensive, they won’t buy it.” Whether this eight-core miracle will be included in the future Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is also not yet clear, but it is clear that you shouldn’t expect really cheap mobile phones based on the Snapdragon 660, with the exception of Xiaomi.

   And then Qualcomm makes an unexpected “feint” and releases Snapdragon 636...

   Everything is like in a cool processor, but in small doses

   Unlike all modern mid-range processors, the Snapdragon 636 was not “puffed” from a cheap model, but “cut” from an expensive one. Qualcomm took the same Snapdragon 660 as a basis and lowered the performance little by little in each of the characteristics.

   The same 8 fast Kryo 260 cores, of which 4 cores are powerful Cortex-A73 redesigned in a new way, and another 4 are similarly customized, economical Cortex-A53. Only now the maximum frequency of the four fast cores can be a maximum of 1.8 GHz. That is, the processor part has lost approximately 20% of performance and will produce approximately 4600-4700 points in the multi-threaded Geekbench benchmark. “It won’t be enough,” you say? But this is 55-60% faster than the Snapdragon 625 in your Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 or ASUS ZenFone 3, and 40% faster than the overclocked Snapdragon 630 with the old type of cores. The RAM, however, was “cut” from 1866 MHz to 1333 MHz, but it does not affect performance in any significant way to complain about it.

   40% increase in processor performance compared to 8x Cortex-A53 at 2.2 GHz

   Qualcomm representatives speak allegorically about the Adreno 509 graphics accelerator - no data on the clock frequency or the number of computing units. No one would put separate graphics into an economical processor, but admitting that the fast Adreno 512 was artificially slowed down and degraded (no support for Quad HD displays, only Full HD+ in elongated and regular screens) would be a marketing failure. Therefore, they simply nod towards the Snapdragon 630 and say that the graphics have become 10% faster.

   Chipset	Snapdragon 636 (SD636)	Snapdragon 660 (SD660)
   Year of issue	2017	2017
   CPU	8 cores (8x Kryo 260, up to 1.8 GHz)	8 cores (4x Kryo 260 2.2 GHz + 4x Kryo 260 1.84 GHz)
   Video accelerator	Adreno 509	Adreno 512
   RAM	LPDDR4, 1333 MHz	LPDDR4 1866 MHz
   WiFi	802.11ac Wave 2, up to 433 Mbps	802.11ac Wave 2, up to 867 Mbps
   Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
   Maximum performance in LTE networks (download/upload)	600/150 Mbit/s	600/150 Mbit/s
   Technical process	14 nm FinFET	14 nm FinFET

   And this is what confuses me. Because if we have an Adreno 512 slowed down by 20-25%, then it cannot be only 10% faster than an old, repeatedly modified video accelerator from old chips (Snapdragon 625 and others like them). Either Qualcomm dug up the grave of the Snapdragon 652, pulled out the Adreno 510 from there and slowed it down, or we are faced with another feat in overclocking the long-outdated Adreno 506 (from the Snapdragon 625) “I just can’t.” In any case, the graphics in the Snapdragon 636, by modern standards, can handle games “back to back”, with no reserve for a bright future even for Full HD resolution.

   Qualcomm Snapdragon 425, 435 and 625 - new mobile processors with current capabilities

   The line of Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile processors has been replenished with three new models: Qualcomm Snapdragon 425, Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, which will bring with them improved functionality, increased levels of productivity and longer battery life for smartphones and tablets.

   

   The least productive and most affordable of them is the 28nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 425, equipped with 4 ARM Cortex-A53 processor cores (1.4 GHz) and a Qualcomm Adreno 308 graphics adapter. It can be paired with LPDDR3-667 MHz RAM and eMMC 5.1 drive, support 16-megapixel cameras and screens with a resolution of 1280 x 720.

   The Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 model is also based on the 28nm ARM Cortex-A53 design, but is already characterized by support for 8 processor cores and a more powerful graphics adapter (Qualcomm Adreno 505). It is also capable of working in tandem with LPDDR3-800 standard RAM, internal storage eMMC 5.1 and external cards memory standard SD 3.0 (UHS-I).

   In turn, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 is built using a 14nm process technology. Its 8 ARM Cortex-A53 processor cores can operate at over 2 GHz when paired with Qualcomm Adreno 506 graphics and LPDDR3-933 MHz RAM. As a result, it can support 24-megapixel cameras and screens with a resolution of 1920 x 1200. If we compare the energy efficiency of the new product with its predecessor (Qualcomm Snapdragon 617), it has increased by 35%.

   Comparison table of technical specifications of Qualcomm Snapdragon 425, 435 and 625 mobile processors:

   Technical process, nm
   Number and type of processor cores	4 x ARM Cortex-A53	8 x ARM Cortex-A53	8 x ARM Cortex-A53
   Maximum clock frequency, GHz
   Graphics core	Qualcomm Adreno 308 (OpenGL ES 3.0)	Qualcomm Adreno 505 (OpenGL ES 3.1+)	Qualcomm Adreno 506 (OpenGL ES 3.1+)
   Support random access memory, MHz
   Drive support		eMMC 5.1 SD 3.0 (UHS-I)	eMMC 5.1 SD 3.0 (UHS-I)
   DSP processor	Qualcomm Hexagon DSP
   Maximum camera resolution, MP	16	21 Dual Image Sensor Processor (ISP)	24 Dual Image Sensor Processor (ISP)
   Maximum video camera shooting format
   Maximum screen resolution
   Maximum data reception/transmission speed in the LTE network, Mbit/s
   Supported Wi-Fi standard