Snapdragon 636 Vs Snapdragon 625: SOC Specifications Comparison

No doubt, Qualcomm is the industry leader in manufacturing ARM-based Android smartphones processor. It is continuously improving the performance and efficiency of its mobile processors. In this post, we are going to compare two midrange high-performance processors of Qualcomm, Snapdragon 636 Vs Snapdragon 625.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625 has been quite popular in the midrange budget-friendly smartphones. Due to its high performance and better battery efficiency. But this was launched two years back. But in 2018, we have Snapdragon 636 that offers better performance. Let’s see how much has the Snapdragon 636 has got to provide the users over the Snapdragon 625.

Snapdragon 636 Vs Snapdragon 625

Snapdragon 636 has just made its debut with Xiaomi’s budget-friendly Redmi Note 5 Pro. It is built on a 14nm manufacturing technology just like the Snapdragon 625 but optimized. It can also be called a lower variant of Snapdragon 660. But the main difference is the clock frequency, the Kryo cores, and the GPU. Here is a quick comparison table below:

Snapdragon 636 SoC packs an octa-core Kryo 260 CPU along with the Adreno 509 GPU. While the Snapdragon 625 packs an octa-core 2 GHz CPU consisting of 8x ARM Cortex A53. That’s where the Snapdragon 636 out beats the Snapdragon 625. Despite having lower clock frequency, the Kryo cores outperform the Cortex A53 cores.

Snapdragon 625 has an integrated powerful Adreno 506 series GPU, but the Snapdragon 636 has got even better GPU, the Adreno 509. The Snapdragon 636 has an X12 LTE modem with 3 x 20 MHz carrier aggregation. You will get peak download speeds of up to 600 Mbps and peak upload speeds in the range of 100+ Mbps.

On the other hand, the Snapdragon 625 has an integrated X9 LTE modem with 2 x 20 MHz carrier aggregation. It will deliver you peak download speeds up to 300 Mbps which is half to that of Snapdragon 636 X12 modem. The upload speeds will be up to 150 Mbps.

Moving to the camera capabilities and image processing technology, the Snapdragon 636 supports up to 24 MP single camera ad up to 16 MP dual camera setup.  It has got 2x image Sensor processor (ISP). Snapdragon 625 supports up to 24 MP single camera and up to 13 MP dual camera setup. Indeed, there have been improvements in the camera capabilities and image sensor processor in SD 636 over SD 625.

Both the processor supports 4K video capture at 30 fps and 4K video playback. While the Snapdragon 625 supports Bluetooth 4.1, the latest and more powerful Snapdragon 636 supports more advanced Bluetooth version 5 with a peak speed of 2 Mbps. Being an older SoC, the SD 625 supports Qualcomm’s Quick charge 3.0 technology, while the Snapdragon 636 supports much faster and much efficient Qualcomm Quick Charge 4 technology.

Well, summarizing all the stats, Snapdragon 625 is a powerful SoC for midrange smartphones. And with Snapdragon 636, Qualcomm has raised the bar to a new height. Snapdragon 625 powered phones will be cheaper than the Snapdragon 636 SoC powered phones. Even though you won’t face any lag or performance issue with the Snapdragon 625, still if you could invest few bucks more you will be future more future ready with the Snapdragon 636.

Smartphone Buying Guide – Always choose the Best In Budget

Smartphone has become a basic need these days. Almost Everyone owns the phone. The lifecycle of the phone is not usually that long as of the other gadgets that we use in our day to day life. Moreover, smartphones are evolving rapidly. Every month you see new phones on the market with a plethora of new features and more powerful hardware. So a smartphone is a gadget that you can not live without, and you buy it more frequently.

But do you know what to look for in a smartphone while buying? Usually, when we go to the market or search on the e-commerce platform, we see plenty of phones, and it is obvious one would be confused which one is best. So to help you choose the best smartphone in your budget we have made this buying guide for you.

Budget

So the first thing is your budget. How much are you willing to spend on the phone? You should have a clear understanding that this is the maximum range in which you have to look for the best option available. Do remember one thing quality comes at a price. So higher will be budget, more powerful will be the phone. But it does not mean all the phones with a hefty price tag are good. Some of them are just overpriced for the value they offer. So once you are good with the budget, look for the second point mentioned below.

Smartphone operating systems

When it comes to smartphones, usually there are three Operating Systems in the market.

• Android
• iOS
• Windows

A significant portion of the smartphone market is covered by the Android phones then comes to the iOS devices and finally the Windows ones. I won’t recommend you to buy the Windows operated smartphones unless or until you like the Windows OS.

So most of you would not consider the Windows OS, we are left with only two Android and iOS. If your budget is above mid-range, you can either go with iOS or Android. But when it comes to below mid-range devices, Android is the only OS that offers the best value for your hard-earned money.

If you familiar with the iOS operating system and you have other Apple devices like iPad or Mac, iPhone will be a better option for you. Moreover, if you like are bored with the Android OS and wants to try something new and more secure, you can choose iOS. Also, if you are thinking of buying an Apple watch then my friend you must have an iPhone, as Apple smartwatch won’t work with any other phone. So Apple ecosystem is not that friendly to outsiders.

Android is an open platform OS, so the manufacturers alter the OS, and you get a bit unique look unless or until it is stock Android. Its open environment allows you to connect with things quickly. It is not brand specific. You can see an Android OS in a premium phone and the same OS in a low budget phone. If your budget is very low let’s say around 5000 INR, you have the streamlined Android OS like Android GO that runs smoothly on the devices with low RAM and less storage. So Android is for every smartphone, does not matter it is a high-end phone, mid-range smartphone or a low-range smartphone. Getting things done in an Android OS is very easy. If this is your first time with any smartphone, you better choose the Android ecosystem.

RAM

So now must have figured out the price and OS of the phone you are willing to buy. Let’s look down into some hardware aspects of the phone. If you choose the iOS ecosystem, there are not many options left for you. Every year, Apple launch two or more smartphones. So in case of Apple, the choosing the phone is pretty straightforward more you pay better you get.

But if you decided to go with the Android OS, you have a plethora of options. You can never be out of options in you have a reasonable budget in Android OS. First thing, always look for the latest Android OS. And if the phone you are considering to buy does not come with the newest OS, do confirm whether the phone will get the Android upgrades on time or not.

Next things are RAM (Random Access Memory) and storage. A 3 GB, RAM Android smartphone, works smoothly if it is paired with good SoC. More will be the RAM faster and smooth will be multitasking, and you can run a lot of apps in the background with easy without any lag or hang.

SoC (System on Chip) Or Processor

Next thing is SoC (System on Chip) or processor. It is good to have more RAM, but if the processor is weak, then the phone is still crap. Most of the smartphones come with a quad-processor clocked at different frequencies and paired with a GPU. So you have to choose the best processor.

Usually, we have two SoC companies for the Android, Qualcomm, and MediaTek. One can not say that Qualcomm processors are good or MediaTek processors are useful. You have to compare them side by side to find out which performs better. As you can not do all this on your own, you can search the comparison videos or articles, or you can ask our team on the social media handles or our forums.

Storage Capacity and Card Slot

How much data can your phone store in the inbuilt memory? Is there any storage expansion slot? We ask these questions so that when you need more space, you can simply add a micro SD card to expand the storage capacity. Also, these days smartphone is coming with Hybrid SIM slot. You can either use two SIM cards or one SIM card with a microSD card. In case if you want to use two SIM cards along with a micro SD card simultaneously, better look for a phone with a dedicated card slot.

Smartphone Camera Quality

The camera is an integral part of the smartphone. Gone are the days when you have to buy the DSLR for the vacation pics. Usually, smartphones have the camera set up on the rear side and front side. These days dual cameras are in the trend that takes the bokeh shot. If you are getting a decent dual camera on the rear side, it is good. But a dual camera on the front side is not of that much importance; you can avoid that. A single high-megapixel camera will do the job better, and a front-facing flash will be a plus point.

Also, don’t fall into the trap of more pixels camera. Always do compare the camera of the models you are confused with. You can check our review posts to have a better understanding of the quality of the camera. So the camera is something that is not just about more pixels. There are a lot of things like software, lens, aperture, sensors that decides the quality of the picture. If you usually make videos with your phone to check whether the phone features Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) to reduce the shakiness in the videos.

Battery Life and Fast Charging

Battery life is vital. Your phone should last at least full day at a moderate level usage. If your phone has a large screen, it will demand more power and bigger battery which might also increase the weight of the phone. So you have to choose the things accordingly. No one wants to wait for hours and hours to charge their phones. It will be better if your phone supports fast charging. Having a Type-C USB port is again a plus point.

Screen Size

Small form factor phones are good for portability. On the other hand, it is more fun to use a big display smartphone. Everyone has a different display requirement so you can choose that one better by yourself.

Others

Now I have covered pretty much all the significant things that have to look for while buying the phone on a budget. But few other small factors will help you choose the best one. iPhone X features a notched display that is kind of unique, and now most of the new Android smartphones are following the same trend. Even the Android P officially have support for the notch.

In Samsung Galaxy S8 and S9 we have seen ultra-thin bezels and curved displays. These are the things that make your phone looks good and offers you a prominent display in a relatively small form factor. So always for the screen to body ratio. It would be good if your phone should have a screen to body ratio of 80% or above.

There are few other things like Bluetooth version, better if you have Bluetooth 4.2 or above and Near Field Communication (NFC) will be an added advantage. Your phone should at least support 4G VoLTE and having dual 4G VoLTE support is the best.

Next time when you will be in the market or on any e-commerce platform, have a look at factors mentioned above.