Our mobile chipset guide: The 2017 edition

07 February 2017
Some of you may know your Kirins and your Snapdragons, but others end up frustrated how to gauge the performance of a chipset inside the phone of their dreams based on the number of cores or the clock rate. This is where this article steps in. It's a guide to modern day mobile chipsets. It's meant as a long-term reference resource that you can always get back to when you are unsure which is which.

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  • AnonD-681019
  • LC5
  • 30 Jun 2017

I would like to see updated

    • D
    • AnonD-676812
    • D0e
    • 27 Jun 2017

    Fabulous article...Ty team gsmarena!!!

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • uS6
      • 08 Jun 2017

      Wow!! Excellent article.
      Please include some information about Apple chip-sets too.
      Thank you.

        • G
        • Grg
        • MDV
        • 07 Jun 2017

        Any update for this article? Specially the 4th part and the comparison with all the chip-sets since we got the new snapdragon and the new Helio.

        Thank you for a wonderful job!

          May you please update this clever article with the new chipsets on the market? Why not try some way to include the Apple chipsets too? It would be fair for users to know very well all options.

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            • AnonD-652237
            • Yan
            • 13 Mar 2017

            Anonymous, 09 Feb 2017Actually Apple can do that (it's closer to 3:1 rather than ... moreyes

              • M
              • Mohole U R
              • fCR
              • 01 Mar 2017

              Excellent technicaltour guiding layman like me into the dynamics and a bit of architecture in the making/development of SoC.
              By the way what ARM stands for?

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                • AnonD-600584
                • Q5i
                • 24 Feb 2017

                Eyzerman, 12 Feb 2017Why are iPhone processors not included... Is it coz people ... moreBecause Android chipsets are the only one that can do "multi-tasking" not more like with Apple Chipsets, it's fast because regardless if an Apple-user would open lots of applications on their phone, Apple just concentrates onto the one that's active; it stops the operations of the other apps. Simple it is. :-)

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                  • AnonD-600584
                  • Q5i
                  • 24 Feb 2017

                  All of the mobile chipsets has their own "opportunities" regarding on their make/model. However, it is not always the manufacturer's fault if the devices did not met your satisfactions. You can't blame them. Why? They are not the ones who are using the mobile device. Always, the device is their concern, but how we use it is not. Again, "it always depends on how you will be using the device; not about its make."

                  If you're into picture-taking or cameras, choose a chipset that would truly meet that expectation. If you're a heavy-gamer, choose a chipset that would be fitted for a gamer. If you're into an office-phone, choose a chipset fitted for a total multi-tasking.

                  Do not always compare "flagship" to "semi mid-range" to "mid-range" and so on. They have their own uses that's why they also belong to different categories depending on the consumers' use. What's wrong about this, is that, we consumers are buying devices by their looks but doesn't have any total idea regarding it's internal specs. Whew!

                    • B
                    • Biggles
                    • xKY
                    • 21 Feb 2017

                    I have to say this is one of the best articles you guys have ever done and one of the most useful by far. Whilst most people like flagship devices with flagship processors, the economic reality around the world is that not everybody can own a device rocking a Snapdragon 820. Given that over the last few years, the old high-end is now only comparable with the last year's mid-range and this year's low-end, this article is invaluable in figuring out what roughly compares to what.

                    The Snapdragon 800 in the Note 10.1" 2014 was probably the first CPU that I thought was "fast enough". I no longer have that device, so perhaps in the years since I'd have found it slow - but the Snapdragon 805 in my Note 4 which I use daily is definitely "fast enough". The tables in this article makes me realise that in all likelihood, the Snapdragon 430 in the Nokia 6 will be perfectly reasonable for most people. Being able to look and know what to expect from a cheap tablet with a Mediatek CPU (much better than I expected now!) is a great thing.

                    I would ask that you continue to update this article. Don't give it a date and make it something that becomes less relevant, but rather add new chips to it as you come across them, flesh out the gaps (Intel Atoms, Rockchips perhaps?) and keep it useful.

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                      • AnonD-590763
                      • Kg{
                      • 20 Feb 2017

                      What is better overall, Kirin 935 or Kirin 655?

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                        • AnonD-157828
                        • utI
                        • 20 Feb 2017

                        consumersmartphone, 16 Feb 2017How Sammy phone will get higher score. >> In multi co... moreSome manufacturers cheating by made all cores boost to performance mode when running some benchmark apps.. That makes the difference... You can get more benchmark scores using overclocked kernels and governors...

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                          • AnonD-157828
                          • utI
                          • 20 Feb 2017

                          Even with top end chipset built-in any mobile without properly optimized OS or kernel and good heat dissipation implement it's waste... Thermal throttling is the major problem in any mobile...

                            • D
                            • AnonD-560664
                            • 0xa
                            • 19 Feb 2017

                            Anonymous, 09 Feb 2017Actually Apple can do that (it's closer to 3:1 rather than ... moreYeah, they use various tricks which means performance suffers and software is much more complex to write to boot.

                            As usual, the user pays the price, again and again.

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                              • Nikhil
                              • PMT
                              • 17 Feb 2017

                              Great work guys. Really enjoyed this article. Thanks!

                                • c
                                • consumersmartphone
                                • K5u
                                • 16 Feb 2017

                                Anonymous, 13 Feb 2017same soc on diferent model / brand will have diferent score... moreHow Sammy phone will get higher score. >> In multi core: SD625 is better when it point to collective work of her core, why? new tech tend to be better.

                                SD625 in galaxy c7 getting 1k higher score than other brand and what is reason to that circumstances. >> EVEN RN4X sd625 get it too. Nothing special! New tech, bigger RAM, optimization and so.

                                Then I'm asking you guys, for what purpose in daily use you have phone with tremendous high of multi core score? Many people dont have idea about it, someone who know should help.

                                  The last graph on page 3, what is "pt" a measurement of? I've always wondered how the mhz of a processor doesn't give a good explanation of how fast it is. Could you explain (maybe in your Sunday q&a) what are some of the other factors that determine the speed and power of a processor chip? Like what makes an A72 more powerful than an A53 chip, what variables are changed to achieve the greater power when the 2 might be at the same mhz...?

                                    • f
                                    • funkboy
                                    • 3XV
                                    • 15 Feb 2017

                                    Thanks very much for putting together this comprehensive review.

                                    Two questions, if I may:

                                    - would like to see SD425 & Helio P20 included in test results

                                    - a little text on Cortex A35 & any reason why we haven't seen any yet would be much appreciated

                                      • E
                                      • Exynos 7880 Octa ???
                                      • 3DR
                                      • 15 Feb 2017

                                      Any plans to include the absent Exynos 7880 Octa?

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • 5H7
                                        • 14 Feb 2017

                                        Anonymous, 13 Feb 2017same soc on diferent model / brand will have diferent score... moreOptimizations in Software...Camera Modules...Display type...The SoC isn't EVERYTHING in a phone, just many things.

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