We have practically said everything about computer processors, the difference between CPUs and how to understand the speed of a multi-core processor but little is known about the processors used on smartphones. In this case, different types of chips are available with different characteristics and variable power depending on the manufacturer chosen and the number of cores offered.
In this article we will see together the best processors for smartphones, so as to understand how different they are from the CPUs of normal computers and how important the "Core" are .
READ ALSO -> Buy the processor or CPU of the computer; what you need to know
The best processors for smartphones
To facilitate the discussion of the topic, let's try to answer 4 questions as well as see if there is a better and faster processor than the others .
1) The CPUs of the smartphones are all the same ">
From the point of view of raw materials, the CPUs are all made with the same materials.
If we learned something from the desktop computer, however, it is that the performance of an AMD processor is different from that of an Intel processor.
For CPUs intended for smartphones, the same is true, even if all of them belong to the same ARM family (which allows you to execute different instructions than CPUs for PCs called x86), it would be wrong to say that they are all the same.
The following ARM CPU manufacturers are now available for smartphones and tablets:
- Apple (with its ARM AXX processors, where instead of the X there is an identification number)
- Samsung (which produces ARM CPUs called Exynos exclusively for its devices)
- Qualcomm (industry leader with its ARM Snapdragon XXX CPUs, where there is an identification number instead of the X)
- Mediatek (whose ARM CPUs are widely used in the low-end smartphone sector)
- Huawei (which produces ARM HiSilicon Kirin CPUs exclusively for its devices)
There are also other manufacturers such as NVIDIA and Intel but they are less common than those presented above.
Among these CPUs the most powerful are certainly those produced by Apple, Qualcomm and Huawei, the latter growing rapidly thanks to the spread of smartphones released by this manufacturer.
Mediatek produces cheap CPUs destined for the low end of the market, so we won't have to expect much in terms of performance but if we focus on models with at least 8 cores we will still have to get the power necessary to run the most famous apps without problems.
2) Doesn't having a good CPU mean bad performance?
Mobile device performance depends on all components, including the CPU.
A powerful CPU in a device with low amount of RAM and internal memory will not be fast and will show all its limitations very soon, as soon as we run or install many apps.
So let's try if possible to choose a smartphone with a good CPU but also with the right amount of RAM and internal memory, in particular if we want to buy an Android smartphone (in this case we recommend to focus only on models with 3 GB of RAM (or higher ) and 32GB of internal memory (or higher), associated with a Qualcomm, Huawei or Samsung CPU).
3) Are apps faster on multi-core devices?
Just like on PC, not all mobile apps are developed to take advantage of more than one core.
Multitasking may work better with multiple cores, but you will notice the difference only on applications designed to work in these environments.
Applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Kindle will not see significant benefits in speed as the available cores increase; while multimedia apps like YouTube and games will probably be faster if there are multiple cores.
We try if possible to choose only smartphones with quad-core CPU or higher, so as to always have the power necessary to start multiple applications simultaneously without having to fear excessive slowdowns.
4) Do multi-core processors consume more battery?
Some processors can turn off some cores when not in use, especially in the BIG.Little configuration : the cores are divided into two groups (2 + 2 or 4 + 4) and only the cores with less frequency are used for daily operations, while when more power is needed, the other group of cores starts with much higher frequency.
This allows you to use four energy-saving cores when the smartphone is off or with a low load of operations; as soon as more power is required, the entire load passes to the four powerful cores (at high frequency) which can perform the task much faster, all without the user being aware of the passage (which takes place inside the processor in fractions of a second, therefore without pauses or interruptions).
To answer the main question: if you use low-power choirs the battery will benefit, while often using the high frequency cores the battery will drop quickly.
To check the frequency of the processors on Android we recommend the CPU Control Free app, available here -> CPU Control Free .
Other Android CPU Overclocking applications allow you to lower or increase the CPU frequency.
5) Which is the best processor for smartphones "> comparison or benchmarking app like Vellamo or Antutu.
Currently the ranking of processors has the following elements.
The fastest processors are those produced by Apple for the latest generation iPhones, closely followed by the Exynos of the Samsung S9 + and the CPUs produced by Huawei (which become faster and faster every day!).
A little behind the Qualcomm, but which still rank at the top of the ranking demonstrating great balance between pure performance and energy saving even in 8-core configurations.
