The most powerful processor on a phone. The most powerful smartphone in the world! The best phones with a powerful mid-range processor
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which just went on sale, have already been tested in benchmarks, and today they are the two most powerful smartphones in the world. The model with an enlarged case is traditionally more productive: on Antutu it scores almost 224,000 points, and just the “eight” - about 208,000 points. Simply put, the new six-core Apple A11 Bionic beats all competitors on all fronts.
Let's remember that this time inside the iPhone there are two productive cores that work 25% faster than in the Apple A10 Fusion, and four highly efficient ones - they are 70% faster. Graphics processing has been accelerated by 30%, and the triple-core GPU now runs ARKit augmented reality. Working alongside the A11 is the neural system and the new M11 motion coprocessor. The iPhone 8 has 2 GB of RAM, the older version has 3 GB.
OnePlus 5
The smartphone, which is very similar in appearance to the iPhone 7 Plus, is ahead of it in performance - in any case, it is the leader in all Antutu summer ratings. The main feature of the device is the dual main camera with 16 MP Sony IMX398 and 20 MP Sony IMX350 sensors - the second sensor is connected only in the “depth effect” mode.
The latest Snapdragon 835 is responsible for the speed here: it has four Kryo cores with a frequency of 2.45 GHz, and four with a frequency of 1.9 GHz. The smartphone is equipped with 6 or 8 GB of memory (internal storage of 64 and 128 GB, respectively) and an Adreno 540 graphics processor. By the way, this is one of the few smartphones on the market with 8 GB of RAM: on the one hand, the need for such a volume of RAM is questionable, with another - but the power reserve will last for a long time if the device does not fail in other respects.
HTC U11
HTC, as they say, has hit the mark with its new flagship - the U11 model has left behind many current flagships in terms of camera, design, and performance. Metal plus glass in the case, the HTC Edge Sense side edge compression function, the best DxOMark rated camera and the “fresh” Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset with 4 or 6 GB of RAM - from all points of view the indicators are more than just good.
In practice, the most powerful mobile processor of the first half of 2017 with 8 cores (4x 2.45 GHz + 4x 2.15 GHz) guarantees an instant response to user actions, Adreno 540 graphics and fast memory of the UFS 2.1 standard also indicate trouble-free operation of applications and games . In addition, the drive (64/128 GB) is complemented by a MicroSD card with a capacity of up to 2 TB, if anyone needs it at all.
Nubia Z17
Nubia Z17 was released immediately after the Z11 - ZTE decided not to bother with serial numbers, and this is now even in trend. The main thing is that “the suit fits,” that is, that everything is in order with the characteristics, and the Z17 does very well with this. Judge for yourself: in August it was one of the three leaders in Antutu in terms of performance and successfully replaces the previous model on all counts.
Yes, compared to the Z11, the appearance has not changed - the same frameless design with a 5.5-inch screen and a metal body, but the exception is the dual peephole of the main camera on the rear panel: now the smartphone has two modules with a resolution of 12 and 23 megapixels. But the hardware here is Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 with 8 Kryo cores, Adreno 540 graphics and generously sprinkled with 6 or 8 GB of LPDDR4x memory. The drive operates according to the fast UFS 2.1 standard and holds 64 or 128 GB of memory.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
At the end of August there is a new and even long-awaited phablet from Samsung, and enthusiasm for it will not subside. Let us remind you that the smartphone received a large curved screen, this time with a diagonal of 6.3”, a waterproof IP68 case and “inherited” a multifunctional S Pen stylus. Note 8 also has a dual camera and a less capacious, but not explosive 3300 mAh battery.
The hardware was inherited from the Galaxy S8: the eight-core Exynos 8895 Octa works together with the ARM Mali-G71 MP20 graphics accelerator. But inside there is 6 GB of fast UFS 2.1 RAM - more than the S8, and 64, 128 or 256 GB of internal memory, expandable: you can insert a card up to 256 GB into the microSD slot. In the Antutu benchmark, the device shows more than 176,000 points, which indicates solid performance.
Nokia 8
Another recent product based on the Snapdragon 835, which has already shown very good results in benchmarks: 174,674 points in Antutu and 6572 in Geekbench. Nokia 8 also has Adreno 540 graphics, and there is only one modification on the market - with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage. The internal memory can be increased by inserting a microSD card and losing the slot for the second SIM card for the time being.
The smartphone works smoothly even in complex games and generally creates a good impression: a dual advanced camera from Zeiss, a “pure” Android OS, and those who are picky about design can choose between matte and glossy aluminum housings.
Samsung Galaxy S8+/S8
Against the background of the fact that manufacturers compare the ratio of body area to screen area with each other, the new Korean flagships definitely win - this can be seen with the naked eye: the Super AMOLED screen here is frameless, and also with streamlined panels curved at the edges. The devices received an iris scanner, Samsung pay contactless payment technology, a waterproof case and support for wireless charging.
The hardware of the Koreans is also traditionally top-notch: in our market it is the eight-core Exynos 8895 (4+4), in the American market it is the already mentioned Snapdragon 835, both made using a 10 nm process technology. By the way, the American version does not perform very well in performance tests compared to its competitors and scores about 163,000 points. But the S8+ on Exynos 8895 in Antutu scores 172,711 “parrots”, its younger “brother” - a little less, 172,610. The amount of RAM has not changed compared to the previous flagship and is 4 GB, and 64 GB of internal memory is expandable using microSD cards.
Xiaomi Mi6
Mi6 is another smartphone with the latest Snapdragon 835 processor, but for 30,000 rubles. For this money, the user gets a 12-megapixel dual camera with many functions and settings, a powerful 3350 mAh battery for current flagships and, of course, top-end performance - in addition to the new chip, the smartphone is equipped with 6 GB of RAM, which is enough even with a reserve.
In principle, everything is not bad in terms of operating speed, but the newfangled USB Type-C with which the device is equipped shows far from the best data transfer speed - for some reason it works according to the old USB 2.0 standard. And with data transmission via LTE, not everything is smooth either: Mi6 does not support some bands. In particular, there is no support for band 20, which is developing in Russia, therefore, depending on the operator and location of the user, communication will be subject to reservations.
|
Average score by Antutu |
Processor, RAM | Storage | Price |
iPhone 8 Plus/ iPhone 8 | 216 000/208 000 |
Apple A11 Bionic |
64/256 GB | From i 64,990/56,990 |
OnePlus 5 | 181 042 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 |
64/128 GB | From i 39 990 |
HTC U11 | 179 883 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 |
64/128 GB MicroSD up to 2 TB |
i 44 990 |
Nubia Z17 | 177 122 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 |
64/128 GB MicroSD up to 128 GB |
From i 37 000 |
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 | 175 600 |
64/128/256 GB MicroSD up to 256 GB |
From i 66 990 | |
Nokia 8 | 174 674 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 |
MicroSD up to 256 GB |
i 39,990 |
Samsung Galaxy S8+/S8 | 172 711/172 610 |
MicroSD up to 256 GB |
From i 54,990/49,990 | |
Xiaomi Mi6 | 172 075 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 |
64 GB | i 29,990 |
The largest part of both ratings consists of smartphones from Chinese brands, but none of them include devices from Huawei, which ranks second in sales volumes in the global market after Samsung (IDC statistics for the third quarter of 2019). For obvious reasons, there was no place for Apple either, but Samsung got a total of three places out of 20, and not the highest ones.
In fact, the new AnTuTu ranking exclusively features smartphones from four Asian countries and from six manufacturers - China (Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo), South Korea (Samsung), Vietnam (Vsmart) and Taiwan (Asus). Many companies are represented in the ranking by their subsidiary brands.
The most powerful flagship smartphones
The first place among the most productive smartphones in the top segment, according to AnTuTu, as of November 2019 is occupied by the gaming Asus ROG Phone 2, one of the first smartphones based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus processor. CNews reported its release in mid-summer 2019. In a configuration with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal memory, the device scores 496?662 points in the AnTuTu benchmark.
Asus ROG Phone 2
The second and third places are occupied by OnePlus - OnePlus 7T (482?881 points) received “silver”, and, oddly enough, OnePlus 7T Pro (482,532 points) received “bronze”, although its characteristics are slightly superior to the regular 7T. Both new OnePlus products were released in the fall of 2019.
Xiaomi, despite releasing a significant number of productive smartphones throughout 2019, did not make it into the top 5 this time, and in general, there is only one of its gadgets in the ranking. The frameless Redmi K20 Pro Premium Edition (Xiaomi separated the Redmi line into a separate brand at the beginning of 2019) received 452,783 points and took seventh place.
Top 10 most productive flagship smartphones
The fourth and fifth places in the ranking went, respectively, to the smartphones Realme X2 Pro (a subsidiary of Oppo) and OnePlus 7 Pro. In sixth place is the OnePlus 7, which, like the 7 Pro, was released in May 2019. In eighth place is the Asus ZenFone 6 2019, and the ranking is completed by the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 5G, which debuted in early August 2019.
The most productive mid-segment smartphones
If Chinese devices took six positions in the ranking of flagship smartphones, then in the middle segment they captured eight places. Here only Samsung and Vsmart offer resistance - Asus dropped out of the “race”.
Top 10 most powerful mid-segment smartphones
The absolute leader in this category was Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro with 283,092 points. The smartphone was first shown at the end of summer 2019, and is currently available for purchase in Russia. Second place is held by Oppo Reno 2 with a score of 260,650 points, despite the fact that it is a flagship model. The top three is again closed by the Xiaomi smartphone, but this time released under the main brand, and this is Mi 9T, the older brother of the spring Mi 9. Its result is 251?491 points.
In general, this AnTuTu rating is exactly half made up of Xiaomi smartphones - for example, the Mi 9 SE is in fifth place, behind the Samsung A80 with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The sixth and seventh places were taken by Oppo with its Realme XT (released in August 2019) and Realme Q.
Xiaomi smartphones are again in eighth and ninth places - the basic flagship Mi 9 Lite and the bestseller Redmi Note 7 Pro. The rating is completed by the Live smartphone from the Vietnamese brand Vsmart. This gadget, like other new Vsmart products, has been available in Russia since October 2019.
Forecasts for the future
The compilers of AnTuTu ratings noted that based on the results of December 2019, the lists of smartphones in both categories may undergo significant changes. First of all, they will be affected by the release of new smartphones based on the latest chips from the Taiwanese company MediaTek, including the Xiaomi Redmi K30, a direct descendant of the Redmi K20 Pro participating in the current rating.
It is possible that there will be more smartphones with 5G support on the list. Currently, only the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 5G has access to fifth-generation networks.
Where did the iPhone go?
Apple smartphones are not included in these ratings due to the fact that they run on iOS instead of Android. However, AnTuTu also takes into account their performance - for example, the iPhone 11 Pro Max in the version with 512 GB of memory scores 549,717 points. It is followed by the iPhone 11 Pro 512 GB with a score of 545,608 points, while the smaller iPhone 11 256 GB scored 513,728 points in this benchmark.
Top 10 most powerful smartphones of 2018-2019 according to AnTuTu. Almost every month, manufacturers delight us with new top-end flagships. But in order to purchase a smartphone for 3 years and not have it become outdated, it is advisable to purchase top models.
Rating spring 2018
With the release of the latest version of the top processor from Qualcomm – Snapdragon 835, the first positions in the ranking of the most powerful smartphones have changed. The new products equipped with it took the lead, and the previously leading iPhone based on the Fusion A10 chipset was displaced.
The fact that a flagship smartphone with top-end hardware is purchased for more than one year is evidenced by the presence in the rating of a device equipped with a previous generation processor – Snapdragon 825. This was the One Plus 3T, equipped with a monstrous 6 GB of RAM.
As usual, smartphones powered by Kirin, Exynos and MediaTek processors were left out of this rating.
OnePlus 5
In the previous edition of this rating, the first place was occupied by OnePlus 3, and its successor, OnePlus 5, is not losing ground. The new product also received the highest-end hardware, which has no analogues on the market - 8 GB of RAM (6 GB in the younger version) and 64/128 GB of internal memory were added to the Snapdragon 835 processor.
OnePlus 5 is a lightning-fast smartphone that shows record results in synthetic tests. But, despite the top-end performance, cool screen and cool camera, it is not without its drawbacks. This includes the lack of dust and moisture protection, USB 2.0, secondary design and non-expandable memory. However, in terms of power, OnePlus 5 has no equal. Read the full review.
Nubia Z17
The specifications of the latest flagship from ZTE are identical to those of the leader in the rating - OnePlus 5. It has the same processor - Snapdragon 835, 6/8 GB of RAM and 64/128 GB of internal memory, which provides almost identical results in synthetics - Nubia is only behind 1+5 2 thousand parrots.
There are no special changes in the Z17 compared to its predecessor, the Z11. The same frameless design, emphasis on photography and good battery life. However, one can find fault with the new product due to mediocre optimization; the proprietary Nubia UI shell is extremely damp.
HTC U11
U11 is a lifeline for HTC, thrown in an attempt to maintain at least some position in the market. The popularity of Taiwanese products has recently declined significantly, and now no one considers them as a serious competitor even to second-tier Chinese brands.
![](https://i0.wp.com/mobnovelty.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/504192.jpg)
Apple iPhone 7 Plus
After Apple premiered its two models in September 2016, they took first place in the ranking, but were supplanted by the new generation of devices powered by Snapdragon 835. iPhone 7 Plus scored 170,644 points. Powered by a 64-bit 4-core ARM microprocessor A10, manufactured using the 16-nanometer FinFET process by the Foundry company TSMC. Two processors are highly efficient for running heavy applications and games. And two are energy efficient for simpler programs such as instant messengers, surfing the Internet, etc. This is the same case when the number of cores is not an advantage.
Apple iPhone 7 Plus
Sony Xperia XZ Premium
XZ Premium became the first serial smartphone to receive the Snapdragon 835. And despite the fact that 4/64 GB of memory, modest by flagship standards, does not allow it to rise to the top of the ratings in terms of performance, it is a very cool smartphone with a revolutionary camera (primarily for due to the ability to record crazy slow-mo), gorgeous sound, premium housing with dust and moisture protection, and a bunch of other characteristics.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium
![](https://i2.wp.com/mobnovelty.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/xpeeia-1.jpg)
Apple iPhone 7
The next top model is the junior iPhone 7, which scored 160,589 points. The difference between the two models is not so significant and is absolutely imperceptible during everyday use. The processor here is still the same Fusion A10, with the same characteristics as the older model.
![](https://i1.wp.com/mobnovelty.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Apple-iPhone-7-Review-disp.jpg)
Samsung Galaxy S8
Samsung Galaxy S8
![](https://i0.wp.com/mobnovelty.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/samsung-galaxy-s8-010.jpg)
OnePlus 3T
The updated model of the almost perfect 1+3 was doomed to success, which was reflected not only in getting into various performance ratings, but also in high customer demand. The then top-end Snapdragon 821 chipset was installed in the device, the resolution of the front camera was increased to 16 MP and the battery capacity was increased by 400 units. Also, 1+3T began to be produced in a version with 128 GB of ROM and received a new body color.
The characteristics of 1+3T are as follows: 5.5’’ IPS FHD screen, Snapdragon 821, 6 GB RAM + 64/128 GB ROM, 16/16 MP cameras (with optical stabilization and laser autofocus), 3400 mAh battery. All this can be obtained for 25 thousand rubles when ordering from China. Note that One Plus 3T has already been updated to the latest version of Android 7.0 Nougat.
Conclusions
Often when testing, in order to inflate the result, manufacturers come up with tricks by disabling some processes. Therefore, you should not completely rely on the rating results. However, this test only focuses on performance, and smartphones have many other features and unique characteristics. This rating will be updated monthly, stay tuned.
Classmates
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Alcatel smartphones have never been super-fast - even flagship models received mid-class processors, and state-priced phones were not particularly distinguished by their performance. It didn’t stand out that not a single model remains in my memory, with the exception of the flagship Idol.
Pop 4S was also not created as an extremely powerful mobile phone. On the contrary, it was a solid option for those who did not like “Chinese” and could not save up for middle-class Korean smartphones. Now the dam has broken and all sorts of Xiaomi Redmi and Honor/Huawei with the suffix “lite” have poured into cell phone stores at a reasonable price, but at the beginning of 2016 the choice was much more modest. This is probably why Alcatel asked for a smartphone as much as 19 thousand rubles.
Fans of Chinese phones did not appreciate this initiative and went to buy Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro, but lovers of beautiful nameplates on the case sighed and took out a Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) on credit, with a protective film and an extended warranty, but what!
As a result, the popularity of the Pop 4S did not work out, and it began to fall in price sharply. So much so that last year’s mid-range smartphone in some stores is now sold for 6,500 rubles! For this money, even from China, you can only order a cheap Xiaomi Redmi 4A, which will not have eight cores, a Full HD display, NFC (Android Pay), or a fingerprint scanner. And the Pop 4S even has a discrete DAC (AK4375). It's cheap and poorly configured, but even in this condition it produces better sound in headphones than almost all quad-core budget smartphones for the same money.
There are also plenty of disadvantages in the cheap Alcatel - a consumer-grade display, which is “adjusted automatically” to a good level of contrast, cameras exactly at the level of smartphones for 8 thousand rubles, stuffed with all sorts of rubbish and a bit “buggy” firmware (without prospects for updating Android, as is customary with Alcatel ), and autonomy, which is barely enough for a day. The question of reliability also remains open, which at Alcatel varies widely from model to model, and yet in the new Pop 4S for 6.5-8 thousand rubles, the pros outweigh the cons.
What is the price | 6.5 - 10 thousand rubles (official retail) |
What is known about the filling | MediaTek Helio P10M (MT6755M)- this is when the eight cores of a standard processor were “strangled” a little in order to push it into budget mobile phones at a more interesting price. Quite voracious under load, but otherwise does not cause problems. In applications, the difference with “just a Helio P10” is barely noticeable, but in games, the derated Mali-T860 is “blown away” to the level of Adreno 505 (Xiaomi Redmi 4X, Nokia 6), and with a screen in Full HD resolution it runs games either at medium or at minimal detail. |
As a model for a couple of years in advance, it’s so-so, but you can’t find anything as powerful and sophisticated for 6-8 thousand rubles in cell phone stores. If Xiaomi/Meizu/LeEco are not looming on the horizon for the same money, Pop 4S will do. With all its shortcomings, it is much better than the “glitchy calculators” for which chain stores charge 10 thousand rubles. |
Moto G5 - fast processor and nothing extra in the system
Smartphones with good modern processors today start from 10-12 thousand rubles - for this money you can count on a Chinese mobile phone that will be much faster than the flagships of past years (Sony Xperia Z3/Samsung Galaxy S5) or the new Samsung/Sony/LG cost 20-25 thousand.
You can even buy a smartphone with a rare processor and 4 GB of RAM - some ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML with Intel Atom and powerful graphics on board. But only if the monsieur knows a lot about perversions, because in Android everything that is rare or outdated in modern conditions does not work optimally. That is, it almost always turns out that the new simple “state employee”, without heating up and hesitating, performs the same tasks as the fire-breathing flagship of 2015 “I can’t jump over it.”
Although the “Aliexpress warriors” can afford nothing even for 7-8 thousand - there is enough money for both a cheap, reliable Redmi 4X and a fast LeEco Cool1, like the flagships of 2016. And the fashionable, stylish, although not so fast Meizu. But those who don’t want/can’t buy smartphones in Chinese stores, whatever one may say, are the majority, so today we will dance from official retail.
And in this very retail, your “Xiaoma” no longer looks so sexy - the Redmi 4X “at minimum” (2/16 GB) for 12 thousand rubles closely competes with the faster Wileyfox Swift 2 and the more intelligent Honor 6C in taking photos. Therefore, I will give preference to the Moto G5, and I have five two reasons for this:
The first reason is the software, it is very old and thick in Xiaomi. The second is, after all, the price; in Xiaomi it is very blatant. And, let’s be honest, a truly powerful budget Redmi is definitely not the 4X, which works just “within the bounds of decency”; you can’t count on more under the yoke of MIUI on 2 gigabytes of RAM. On the contrary, in the Moto G5, Android is one of the lightest of its kind, and this helps a lot. And Motorola also has a phenomenally bright and clear display (by the standards of state employees) - Xiaomi and ASUS, comparable in price, were not close!
Everything else in the G5 is a “B” - the camera is average in quality (by default it takes better pictures than in the Redmi 4X, but does not “drag” beyond that either in HDR or in manual mode), average battery life for a day, typical for Snapdragon 430 sound in headphones. Of the features dear to old believers, it’s worth checking out the separate SIM (two) and microSD slots. There are no more surprises, and that’s good, because you can’t imagine how many “jokes” (most often in the bad sense of the word) smartphones worth 10 thousand rubles contain.
What is the price | 10 thousand rubles (official retail) |
What is known about the filling | Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 (MSM8937)- twice the Red Banner of the Order of Californian capitalists and budget Chinese eight-core phones. In 2014, it was classified as a “mid-class processor” under the index Snapdragon 615 (Samsung Galaxy A7, Lenovo Vibe Shot, ASUS ZenFone Selfie). In 2016, it received a new name and was exiled to the “budget, but no longer scrap” smartphones. “Spins” games at low/medium (depending on the game) detail in smartphones with an HD display, and only at low detail, with rare stuttering, in Full HD. There is no reserve of power for years to come in this model, but the speed of operation on an un-crashed Android is already enough for everyone except the maximalists “I want this to turn on instantly!” At least with the Snapdragon 430 there is no feeling that “damn scrap metal will now freeze while loading a photo on VKontakte.” |
Is a smartphone good minus the processor? | To run faster, you don't need to build muscle mass, but get rid of excess weight - that's what the Moto G5 is all about. It “flutters” on a budget processor at the speed of more expensive models. To be honest, apart from the quality of the display, there is nothing surprising about it, but a smartly designed smartphone at a reasonable price is already a blessing. |
Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime is the most “evil” budget phone in a 5-inch case
Almost any Xiaomi smartphone can be called the fastest for your money, without even looking at the characteristics plate - Chinese “discounters” extract super discounts from processor manufacturers on cool chips. But Redmi 4 Prime is an outstanding mobile phone even by such standards. Because among the clumsy, powerful "shovels" this is the fastest compact smartphone - it combines exactly 5 inches of Full HD display and a processor that is now equipped in models that are twice as expensive.
Nobody talks about this, but the performance of budget smartphones has been growing by the teaspoon, if at all, in recent years. While for flagships hardware manufacturers are trying to “shoe the flea” and release an even faster, even more economical processor, with new cores and “full stuffing”, in state-priced devices manufacturers are more often fooling around, sticking new names on old processors or symbolically overclocking (“ an overheated smartphone becomes a little faster, but heats up more and consumes more energy).
MediaTek has been especially successful in this, which... worsens cheap processors every year instead of introducing faster options for the same money. MediaTek MT6752 degenerated into a slightly less fast MT6753, and then it was subjected to “secondary castration” and turned into an even weaker MT6750. Qualcomm killed the power-hungry but fast Snapdragon 650/652 and instead rolled out the very economical and fast in applications, but dead in games, Snapdragon 625.
Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
Therefore, when the Motorola Z Play was born, in which they asked for 35 thousand rubles for the Snapdragon 625, it, to put it mildly, “didn’t take off.” But Redmi 4 Prime with the same “heart” became a mega-popular and, for some time, scarce smartphone.
And it’s clear why - the brutal performance for just 11 thousand rubles in a smartphone with a metal body, a clear screen, an impressive storage device (32 or 64 GB), and even with a capacious battery (4100 mAh) “blowed the roof off” all enthusiasts. Yes, all Redmi had and still have cheap cameras, the body is also far from premium in appearance and touch, and the charging speed is far from Quick Charge and similar “bells and whistles”.
But Redmi 4 Prime is a unique racing projectile among budget smartphones, for which there has not been, is not, and, apparently, will not be (Xiaomi discontinued Redmi 4 Prime and left the less fast Redmi 4X to replace it). It hasn’t fallen in price even 9 months after its release, but it’s worth hunting for if you want to get a powerful, compact and budget smartphone at the same time.
What is the price | 15 thousand rubles (official retail) 12 thousand rubles (“gray” retail) |
What is known about the filling | - imagine that a secret clan of auto mechanics melted down the parts of a Zhiguli and assembled a car from ultra-light and super-strong alien materials, and the old engine from these materials was adjusted to high-octane fuel and “wasted” for greater power. Such a “Zhigul” will still not look like a Mercedes from the outside, will not be comfortable like premium cars on the inside, and is unlikely to become a record holder for acceleration on planet Earth (do you remember that the engine is ancient, albeit tuned?), but it will deliver a lot inconvenience at the fifth point for all non-racing cars starting from a traffic light. This is what the Snapdragon 625 looks like, which in its previous life was a dull mid-range processor from 2014, and then it was manufactured using a new 14 nm process technology (less heating, lower power consumption) and “boosted” all eight cheap cores to the maximum. As a result, in applications the newly born chip simply “flies”, in games it turns sour and is only suitable for medium detail settings at Full HD. But he knows how and loves to work in intensive load mode, easily pulls a pack of instant messengers + music + browser and does not “tweet” at the same time. You'll like it. |
Is a smartphone good minus the processor? | Well, how can I tell you - on the one hand, you pay an additional 4 thousand rubles, and in return for this Redmi you buy a much cooler and faster flagship Xiaomi Mi 5s on Aliexpress. But on the other hand - “the damn Muscovite is completely greedy, for you 4 thousand rubles is not money anymore?!” And from such a bell tower, for exactly 12 thousand, Redmi 4 Prime beats all competing mobile phones. |
With the exception, perhaps, of the same cool LeEco Cool1 for 8 thousand. But you won’t find this model in Russian stores, and there is a chance to have problems with the FSB when delivering from China - there is no notification. With Xiaomi, such problems are a thing of the past, although we have not forgotten and someday we will remember the culprits in the first place. |
Huawei nova - not very cheap, but good in everything
You see, what is the tragedy of fast budget smartphones - they are fast, but at the expense of anything else. In the Moto G5, for example, the battery capacity was shredded, in the Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime the quality of the cameras is “lame”, Alcatel is simply famous for the “curvature” of the firmware and rapid wear. There is no middle ground. In rare cases, it appears, but immediately goes beyond the boundaries of what we understand by the phrase “budget smartphone.”
Wake me up in the middle of the night and ask what kind of smartphones these are in 2016, “not budget phones, but not flagships either, but simply able to do everything well,” and I will answer you - ASUS ZenFone 3, Huawei nova, Meizu MX6. Reference mobile phones for those who have not decided what is more important to them - camera, games, autonomy or something else.
Of all this trinity, Huawei has become the cheapest and still quite widespread - partly because ASUS is still slow to release “just ZenFone 4” and has not reduced prices for the old model, partly due to its Chinese origin and the recent release of nova 2. But the fact remains that the smartphone has fallen in price from 23 to 18 thousand in all federal networks, and you can even order it from China for 12 thousand (although this is already in short supply, so don’t really rely on a “freebie”).
There’s nothing to tell about this smartphone, it’s like a taciturn “good guy” classmate - a normal guy, but not memorable. It takes good photographs (for 12 thousand, one might say, it’s cool), the autonomy was measured exactly for a day, the body is small, the display is bright and clear, the performance is the same as that of Redmi 4 Prime, but for 18 thousand this fact no longer excites the mind.
And it shouldn’t worry, because Huawei nova is just a slightly more civilized Redmi. If the main thing for Xiaomi buyers is that they “pump up the performance, but it’s cheap!”, then Huawei is more expensive, because the creators, in addition to this, stuff the smartphone with smart cameras (nova especially for taking selfies) and a body that is not as “consumer-grade” as Xiaomi. I am well aware that “hey, you can buy a 10-core Meizu Pro 6 for the same money!”, but 10 cores in a compact body will not work at full capacity, but the nova with its “cold” Snapdragon 625 will, and it, unlike the half-forgotten old flagship Meizu and Redmi 4 Prime, is still plentiful in stores.
What is the price | 18 thousand rubles (official retail) 12-14 thousand rubles (“gray” retail) |
What is known about the filling | Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (MSM8953)- I’ll pretend that I didn’t write a description of the same processor for last week, and you will read a new text about the same Snapdragon and be surprised. But seriously, the 625 is still good as a processor for non-gaming fans, but people who want fast messenger functionality and modest battery consumption. By the way, nova is perhaps the last Huawei that was equipped with the “enemy” American Snapdragon. Nova 2 already has the imported Chinese Kirin 659 installed, which, oddly enough, actually works slower than the hardware in the first nova. |
Is a smartphone good minus the processor? | If you are already indignant “how is this possible? But Xiaomi packs the same number of cores for less! Why do I need this regular Huawei of yours at a non-budget price?”, then remember that there are no radically faster smartphones in official Russian retail for 18 thousand yet. And if you are a “speed maniac” and want the very, very, very fastest smartphone at a budget price, read on. |