It is the end of summer 2017 and there are many different smartphones on store shelves in the segment under 5,000 rubles. But if you look closely at their specifications, then almost all of them use two current chipsets. These are Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 and MediaTek MT6737. Let's take a closer look at them.
For several years now, technology reviewers and readers have been complaining about the uselessness of Antutu tests and the like, but at the end of the article, you will most likely reject your words. For now, let's compare the hardware of the chipsets from San Diego and Hsinchu.
Curious young men and women may wonder what they mean when they talk about a chipset as a 'SoC', i.e. 'system on a chip'. They mean manufacturing technology when, in addition to the central processor, there is something else on the silicon wafer (substrate). Nowadays, in addition to the CPU in the SoC, ARM chipsets contain a graphics processor, 2,3,4G-communication modems and other useful things, which a year or two ago were soldered on the motherboard separately and took up a lot of space in the case. In addition to saving space, this arrangement of elements gives a big plus to the speed of the entire device and saves battery power. This is all we will consider.
Menu
- CPU and GPU
- RAM, ROM and SD
- Modems
- Sound
- conclusions
The CPU Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 contains 4 32-bit Cortex A-7 cores, manufactured using a 28nm process. These are absolutely stock cores from ARM that were released back in 2011. In stock, these cores operate at a frequency from 1.2 to 1.6 GHz, but Qualcomm decided in a different way and lowered it to 1.1 GHz. According to the official version, this was done for the sake of 'energy efficiency'.
GPU Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 is an Adreno 304 video processor operating at 400 MHz. The video processor at the hardware level handles the OpenGl ES 3.0, OpenCL 1.1 and DirectX 9.3 libraries. Displays up to HD 720p are supported. Despite the number 304 in the name, this video processor is a direct descendant of the Adreno 305, which appeared earlier, which is part of the Snapdragon 400. And it differs from its parent only by the frequency reduced by 50 MHz. And, if Adreno 305 was slightly more productive than Mali-400 MP4 (in Samsung Galaxy S III GT-I9300 or tablets with Rockchip RK3066), then Adreno 304 is equal to or slightly inferior to it. Needless to say, this is a terrible antiquity, which owes its long existence on the market solely to the desire of the manufacturer to save money, and not at all the performance, which is just enough to turn the interface Android 5+. You shouldn't count on playing WoT Blitz with a smooth picture.
Like a competitor, the Qualcomm CPU MediaTek MT6737 is manufactured using a 28nm process and is represented by four Cortex A-53 cores, clocked at 1.3 GHz. The processor works in 32 and 64-bit modes. Although there is no special sense in supporting 64-bit mode in this chipset, since budget devices do not have more than 1-2 GB of RAM and the chipset itself is limited to 3 GB of RAM. The performance of the CPU Cortex-A53 in the MT6737 can be compared with the same in the Snapdragon 410. These are the same Cortex A-53 cores operating at comparable frequencies (1.3 versus 1.2-1.4). When using other components of the same level, the performance of the 'central processor' on the Cortex A-53 in the MT6737 is about 30% higher than in the Cortex A-7 Snapdragon 210. You will not find official information on this issue anywhere, the conclusion was made only after studying numerous tests. In addition, the chipset implements AES hardware encryption and virtualization. There are no other fundamental differences with the Cortex A-7 in the Snapdragon 210.
According to the official data of the company MediaTek, the MT6737 uses a single-core Mali-T720 video chip, clocked at 550-650 MHz, with a maximum display resolution of 720p HD. Like the processor side, it is entirely developed in the bowels of ARM. Official sources indicate that it is 150% more energy efficient than its predecessor (apparently they mean Mali-450). The officialdom is silent about the performance of the Mali-T720, but judging by the tests, it is approximately equal to the Mali-400 MP4 and Adreno 305, i.e. faster than Adreno 304 in Snapdragon 210. However, there is another important advantage over Adreno 304. This is support for modern graphics libraries OpenGL ES 3.1, OpenCL 1.1, DirectX 11.1 and Renderscript. This means that the choice of games on Google Play will be much wider for the owner of a smartphone based on MT6737. And yet, calling the platform 'gaming' does not turn out to be enough, unless you are confused by 20-24 Fps at the minimum settings in WoT Blitz.
The Snapdragon 210 SoC works with LPDDR2 and LPDDR3 RAM. RAM LPDDR3 operating at 800 MHz and higher is about twice as efficient as LPDDR2 operating at a maximum frequency of 533 MHz. This happens in the 6xx and 8xx series of Qualcomm SoCs, but in 210, the maximum LPDDR3 frequency was cut to all the same 533 MHz. The more we delve into Qualcomm Snapdragon 210, the more often we want to write a 'stub'. In mobile SoCs, understated RAM frequencies negatively affect not only the performance of the CPU, but also the GPU, since they have a common memory. Ultimately, no matter what type of memory (LPDDR2 or 3) is used in a particular phone with Snapdragon 210, in both cases its performance is equally sad.
Our hero communicates with the built-in memory (flash drive, main storage (etc.) in the settings of your smartphone) according to the Emmc 4.5 standard. This standard was created by JEDEC and presented to the public in 2011. It is understood that the internal speed of read-write operations of the medium can reach from 104 to 200 MB / s (on the bus). But, this standard implies compatibility with earlier standards, with which communication will take place at a speed of 26 MB / s. And here the main question is, will they put in a budget device a drive capable of transmitting information at high speeds?
The same JEDEC is engaged in the standardization of memory cards. According to the specifications, the Snapdragon 210 supports the SD 3.0 (UHS-I) standard. This means that the smartphone / tablet supports Class 10 MicroSD cards with SDHC and SDXC marks. All restrictions on these parameters in the end device are for marketing purposes only. It is also worth noting that the Cortex A-7 specifications imply work with a drive with a total capacity (internal + external) up to 1 TB.
Like the opponent, MT6737 uses LPDDR2 or LPDDR3 RAM. The maximum frequency for LPDDR3 is limited quite a bit and reaches 640 MHz (versus 533 MHz in Snapdragon 210). When choosing a smartphone based on MT6737, pay attention to the type of RAM, giving preference to LPDDR3 – these are quite tangible additional frames per second in games.
MT6737 communicates with a flash drive within the JEDEC eMMC 5.0 standard. The maximum speed of internal write / read (on the bus) can reach 400 MB / s. But again, no one will put expensive modern eMMC modules in a budget device with MT6737 on board. As in the case of the Snapdragon 210, the less a smartphone costs, the higher the likelihood of running into a previous generation drive, with which the CPU will communicate at a minimum of 26 MB / s.
As in the case of its competitor, the MT6737 has no hardware restrictions on the volume and speed of data transfer when working with modern microSD memory cards. Any limitation on the size of a memory card of the form 'up to 32 GB' is of artificial origin, implemented by the smartphone / tablet manufacturer through software.
The Snapdragon 210 chipset integrates the proprietary X5 LTE Global Mode modem. And this is the strong point of the chipset, given the coverage of communication protocols: LTE ABB / TDD (Sat.4), WCDMA (3C-HSDPA, DC-HSUPA), CDMA1x, EV-DO Rev. B, TD-SCDMA, GSM / EDGE. The modem also supports GPS, Beidou, GLONASS and Galileo receivers.
The Qualcomm 210 chipset natively supports VoLTE, HD-Voicе, RCS and allows you not to miss a call over an LTE channel while talking over Wi-Fi. Although the latter situation is rare in life, it speaks of an excellent component base and turns a smartphone based on this chipset into an excellent 'dialer'.
Wi-Fi only works in 802.11n mode, which is a disadvantage. Bluetooth version 4.1 + BLE.
An unknown modem, integrated into MT6737, provides operation of the device in FDD / TDD LTE (Cat. 4), HSPA +, TD-SCDMA, GSM / EDGE and CDMA 2000. CDMA 2000 is not supported by the competitor, therefore, according to its capabilities in international roaming MT6737 better than Snapdragon 210.
МТ6737 supports the following voice services: VoLTE, ViLTE, VoWiFi and RCS. As you can see, HD Voice, a technology that transmits sound over a 3G channel (the predecessor of VoLTE), is not among the list. For some, this might make a difference. As a result, MT6737 is slightly inferior to Snapdragon 210.
Wi-Fi: 802.11 a / b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.1. As with storage devices, Wi-Fi range can be cut by the manufacturer of a particular smartphone.
The chipset supports GPS receivers. Some manufacturers thoughtlessly indicate support for Beidu receivers, but in the official information MediaTek there is not a word about this, as well as about GLONASS with Galileo. All these receivers can be soldered on the motherboard by specific manufacturers, but MT6737 can interact with them only at the software level, there is no question of hardware support. As a component for a navigation system, the MT6737 is much inferior to the Snapdragon 210
Compared to MTK chips, Qualcomm chips boast decent sound in headphones and proprietary crystal clear voice calls and noise canceling technologies. If sound plays an important role in your life, then smartphones with Qualcomm chipsets are worth choosing.
We won't talk much about the sound in MT6737. Since the MT6580 and earlier, nothing has changed for the better. There is sound, but using a device based on MT6737 (without additional music chips) as a player is not respecting your ears. And music lovers will experience almost physical pain.
When collecting information for the material, I was faced with egregious cases of misrepresentation on public resources. For example, Wikipedia made a number of fundamental mistakes regarding MT6737. Among them – allegedly included in the SoC MT6737 Mali-T720 MP2 (dual-core instead of single-core), limiting the main camera to 8 Mpx (versus 13 official ones). In relation to Snapdragon 210, imaginary 64-bit is mentioned here and there. And most of the errors were found in electronic stores. Before you 'refute' the above information, keep in mind that everything is taken from official sources ARM, Qualcomm, MediaTek and JEDEC. Now let's move on to the results.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 is a flawed cross between the Snapdragon 400 and the Snapdragon 200, into which the manufacturers have placed an excellent all-purpose modem. The chipset is absolutely not suitable for games, but as a 'dialer' it will delight its owner with confident reception and clear sound (at least in headphones). It is also suitable for travel, as a navigator.
MediaTek MT6737 will allow you to play modern games with relative comfort at minimum or medium graphics settings. Support for more modern graphics libraries will allow it to stay afloat longer. And this is its only advantage over the SnapDragon 210.
In addition to the above, I would like to add that parameters such as power consumption in exact numbers or the type of flash drive used in a particular smartphone can only be found using specialized utilities (like CPU-Z and Antutu). Smartphone manufacturers keep these secrets behind seven seals and you will not learn anything, even being a developer three times. And this is the answer to the question why two smartphones with the same hardware on paper show different results in tests. Using slower LPDDR2 RAM or a legacy drive can bring this difference up to 30%. All that remains is to advise you to read the Mobile-Review and carefully look at the screenshots with the test results.