Before we start this post and
dive deep into the above-mentioned topic, let me tell you that I am a
self-professed technology geek. Throw me any smartphone/gadgets related jargon,
and I’ll throw ten others at you. So, it’s no surprise I am THAT person among
my acquaintances who everyone trusts when they want to buy a new gadget, or
have some problems relating to the same. Now that we’ve established the fact
that I am competent enough to be your smartphone guide, let’s begin.
Not in a mood to read the whole thing? Click me and jump directly to our conclusion table.
Not in a mood to read the whole thing? Click me and jump directly to our conclusion table.
When a general consumer buys a
smartphone, the ‘features’ that they look for in them are generally: screen
size, memory, megapixels of the camera, and the number of cores the processor
has. Now, I myself look for the first two, but the megapixel count and number
of cores of a processor is something I have
A general consensus is that a
quad core (4 cores) processor is better than a dual core (2 cores) processor,
or in short, more the number of cores, better the smartphone. If that would
have been the case, a Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 with an octa core (8 core) processor
would have been 2 times better than the iPhone 7+ with its quad core processor.
But is that really the case? You know the answer to that. The actual fact
remains that the quality of individual CPU cores that are used in the making of
the processor, and not the actual number of cores, determine which processor is
better. In this post, I’ll give you a rundown of the processors made my
technology giant: Qualcomm, and help you determine which one is better and
which one you should look for when buying a new smartphone.
Now the basic hierarchy of
Snapdragon Processors looks like this:
- · 200 series
- · 400 series
- · 600 series
- · 800 series
As you would have probably
guessed, 800 series > 600 series > 400 series > 200 series. There are
various processors under each series, let’s take a look at them.
200 Series
- Models in market: Snapdragon 200, 210, 212.
- Specifications: Quadcore upto 1.3 Ghz with support for all basic connectivity aimed at low cost smartphones.
- Who is it for? Mainly for first time smartphone buyers who are looking for a cheap android entry level smartphone option.
- My suggestion: Unless you can’t shell out Rs. 5000-6000, never take up a smartphone with 200 series processor as they tend to get sluggish quite quickly even when using basic applications such as WhatsApp and Facebook side by side.
400 Series
- Models in market: Snapdragon 400, 410, 425, 430.
- Specifications: Apart from 400, each processor is 64 bit and hence, are better. They are quad to octa core going upto 1.4 Ghz each, aimed at budget oriented smartphone buyer. Also has basic connectivity support along with advanced 4G speeds and Quick charge support.
- Who is it for? Again for budget oriented smartphone buyers, smartphones range from Rs. 5000 to 10000 for 400 Series processors.
- My suggestion: This is the bare minimum processor you should be targeting while buying a budget android smartphone. Go for the more advanced 425 and 430 chipsets as 400 and 410 have grown quite old now. The cheapest and the best deal would be Xiaomi’s Redmi 4A with 425, and Redmi 4 with 430 processor starting at Rs. 5999.
- My pick: Snapdragon 425 for being a good performer and delivering better battery life than 430.
600 Series
- Models in market: 615, 616, 617, 625, 626, 650, 652, 630 (upcoming), 660 (upcoming).
- Specifications: These are all 64 bit octa core chipsets with heavy emphasis on good performance and efficient battery management. These have advanced connectivity and camera supports and can go beyond 2 Ghz.
- Who is it for? Mid range smartphone buyers who have a budget of upwards of Rs. 10000.
- My suggestion: This is my bare minimum when I look for a smartphone as it is the closest to the best processors in terms of performances and manages to deliver the best battery life out of all the Snapdragon processors. 61x series processors are known for overheating and giving a bad battery life so avoid those. 62x series are the best balance between performance and battery. 65x series are better in performance but not that good with battery life. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is the most bang for the buck smatphone having Snapdragon 625 and an insane battery life, starting at Rs. 9999. Another personal pick would be the Moto G5+ with Snapdragon 625 and great camera starting at Rs. 14999.
- My pick: For now it’s the 625/626, however when 630 and 660 hit the market, Im sure they would improve the battery efficiency and performances drastically.
800 Series
These are the beastly processors
and are the costliest out there. Throw any application at it, and they will
still fly with ease. Open 10 apps side by side, and provided theres enough
memory, they will still not shed a sweat. These are the best processors a smartphone
can have at the moment (apart from Apple’s A chipsets)
- Models in market: 808, 810, 820/21, 835.
- Specifications: Do I need to tell you this? Okay. Every possible specification in a smartphone processor is cramped into it.
- Who is it for? For more serious buyers aiming at shelling out upwards of Rs. 30000 for their phones.
- My suggestions: 808-821 are last generation processors launched in/before 2016 so 835 is marginally better than them. Although 820/1 are really good and would offer a better price to value proposition as the smartphones are cheaper now. OnePlus 5 offers the best value for money smartphone you can buy in the market right now. Best in class processor (835), two rear cameras, 6/8 GB RAM (yes you read that right), 64/128 GB storage for a mere Rs. 33000. If you want to turn heads in the crowd and have a good amount of money at your disposal, get the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ by burning a Rs. 57000 hole in your pocket, its definitely worth it. For a little less money Xiaomi’s Mi 5 is great for around Rs. 22000.
- My pick: OnePlus 5 with its Snapdragon 835.
Comparison table:
Processors:
|
200 Series
|
400 Series
|
600 Series
|
800 Series
|
Models
|
200, 210, 212
|
400, 410, 425, 430
|
615/6/7, 625, 650/2, 630, 660
|
808, 810, 820/21, 835.
|
Ideal price range
|
Less than Rs. 6000
|
Rs. 5000-1000
|
Rs. 10000-25000
|
Upwards of Rs. 25000
|
For?
|
First time buyers with little budget
|
Entry level buyers
|
Buyers looking for a balance between performance and
battery life.
|
Buyers looking for extreme performance in their
phones.
|
Can play games?
|
Not well
|
Not so intensive games run fine (NOVA 3, Modern
Combat would face issues)
|
Most of the games playable fine
|
YES.
|
Pick of the lot
|
Advise against this series
|
425
|
625/626
|
820+
|
Best smartphones
|
HTC Desire 626s
|
Xiaomi Redmi 4/4A
|
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, Moto G5+, Lenovo P2.
|
OnePlus 5, Samsung S8, LG G6, Google Pixel, Mi 5.
|