Flashback: the Snapdragon 625 efficiently conquered the mid-field in 2016

22 January 2023
This chip wasn't the best - but it was good enough and it wore that as a badge of honor.

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Anonymous, 22 Jan 2023I’d say the legacy of being the annoying 6 series chip is n... moreI care way more about price/performance than if it can record 4k video. I just wanted a phone with a chip than can run Android without stuttering and lagging and freezing every time I re-enable internet that wouldn't break the bank, and the SD695 fits the bill for me.

    • p
    • pralea
    • dMk
    • 23 Jan 2023

    I had a lenovo p2, one of the best smartphones I have ever used. Battery life was just awesome!

      Anonymous, 22 Jan 2023I’d say the legacy of being the annoying 6 series chip is n... moreWeird, I have a phone with SD695 (Moto G Stylus 5G 2022) and I can record video at 1080p60.

        • F
        • Flattish
        • 64i
        • 23 Jan 2023

        Still using Mi A1 for music & streaming videos (beloved 16:9 screen+audio jack), Slightly OC kernel 2.3GHz and this is pocket friendly phones.

          Battery efficiency on this chipset was mega insane


          Was a tip tier chipset no doubt wish we had a 2023 version

            Samath N8 808 owner, 23 Jan 2023Well, tough to pinpoint one. Most midrangers have far left... moreit might be also 680 for the second successor. in terms of efficiency
            also, it makes me miss my redmi note 4, it had great audio quality on any earphones, even with cheaper ones. i hope i could find another mint stock of it. dont wanna deal with "new" phones that comes with cheap af waterdrop notch, pixelated 720p punch hole display.. i'd rather have old 16:9 display that fits in every videos. besides, its the cheapest phone with 1080p display.

              Anonymous, 23 Jan 2023There must be another SD 625 that we never met. Because...... moreprobably you meant snapdragon 425

                AnonD-1037771, 23 Jan 2023What high-end cpu would you guys choose after SD 865? (that... moreSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 (or Plus Gen 1), but only those made by TSMC, the new foundry I guess?

                  you have to suffer, 23 Jan 2023any successor for the 625?Well, tough to pinpoint one.
                  Most midrangers have far left pursuit of great audio quality.
                  Most have even compromised on 4K video recording.
                  Battery life while good in most of these chipsets, doesn't stand out, because while SD625 was alone the king in 14nm, today we have above 5 chipsets even in 7nm construction.

                  A distant successor could be 778G.
                  Efficient, high performing and a 6nm construction, above the rest. Although phones with SD778G are nowhere near cheap today.
                  But SD625 phones were mighty affordable, even $150 at a point. So there's that.

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                    • AnonD-1037771
                    • 0Ca
                    • 23 Jan 2023

                    What high-end cpu would you guys choose after SD 865? (that doesn't overheat)

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                      • AnonD-731363
                      • SH3
                      • 23 Jan 2023

                      Next will be poll about SD710 probbably the one most used.

                        Power efficiency, Reasonable performance, great sound quality, good 4K30 support in 2014, and overall a small size within. SD625 was simply great. Even Audio quality through 3.5mm jack was great in whichever phone I used with SD625. (Although GSMA aruges that sound quality is mostly unperceivable by today's standards, I'll have to politely disagree after owning LG G8x)

                        There was some furore on Mi when SD652 (in Redmi Note 3) was 'downgraded' to SD 625 in Note 4... Eventually, some people did realise the power of overall value.
                        Although, Mi has been doing "stalegrading" in most of its mid-rangers and low-enders since some years.

                          Still using 625 on secondary phone. Xiaomi mi a2 Lite Lineage OS 18
                          No stuttering, perfect

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                            • David
                            • 3HZ
                            • 23 Jan 2023

                            I had a Mi Max, was massive phone being 16:9. I miss widescreen phones, no black bars!

                              • R
                              • Rkm
                              • FY0
                              • 23 Jan 2023

                              Motorola G5 plus was an awesome device. It had the same camera sensor as the google pixel of the time (imx362 I think), but motorola bottlenecked the phone by using a 32 bit OS making it unable to use gcam mods. So people flashed it with 64 bit 'pixel experience' type stock roms and loaded gcam mods. For the time, it produced excellent images. People even bought it used after 64bit roms were available just for this.

                                Derick Abraham, 22 Jan 2023I had a Lenovo P2 with it. It was a beast in SOT. 12-13hr... moreI feel back in those days Snapdragon 625 was one the rare SoCs that was able to achieve a complete harmony between usable performance and efficiency required by normal users.

                                In terms of battery backup, it sipped power rather than drinking it in previous Snapdragon 615. The shift to 14nm platform for SD625 from 28nm was a great move by Qualcomm. It greatly improved the thermals and efficiency of the SoC.

                                I say all this after using my previous primary phone Vivo V5 Plus for no less than 5 years. This phone was adorned with Snapdragon 625. A beautiful device better known as Vivo X9 in China, it had the all metal built quality, the premium in hand feel which is lost in current sea of plastic phones. Coupled with just a 3000 mAH battery the phone used to last me for 1 day under extreme heavy usage and 1.5 days eyes closed under normal usage.

                                So yeah... in my eyes Snapdragon 625 was a masterstroke from Qualcomm ... just like their current Snapdragon 778G. They have this perfect balance.

                                  • c
                                  • cbrnmed
                                  • 6rs
                                  • 23 Jan 2023

                                  OMG My former Moto Z Play 😭😭😭😭 i miss you

                                    695, say hello the 625. And the 4k recording.

                                      Anders, 22 Jan 2023The 2016 Snapdragon 625 supported 4K video recording but th... moreLmao 🤭

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                                        • Anonymous
                                        • mZw
                                        • 23 Jan 2023

                                        There must be another SD 625 that we never met.
                                        Because...
                                        That SD 625 which known by us was pure crap...