What is the best mid-range mobile processor?

Not everyone buys a flagship or premium smartphone. Brands like Xiaomi, Nokia, and Honor sell millions of devices a year in the mid-range market. A mid-range device is typically cheaper and has fewer features than a flagship or premium device. They generally use mobile processors with lower levels of performance compared to flagship processors, as these mid-range processors are cheaper and help reduce the overall price of the handsets.

A System-on-a-Chip (SoC) is made up of several different components including a multi-core CPU, a GPU, and a 4G LTE modem. They are manufactured in costly and technologically advanced fabrication plants. There are different manufacturing techniques known as “process nodes,” which are quoted in nanometers. It basically defines the distance between the transistors on the chip’s surface. A premium processor in 2018 is manufactured using a 7nm process. Mid-range processors tend to use older processes, between 10nm and 16nm. The lower the nanometer number, the greater the possibility of performance and battery efficiency. The higher the number, the cheaper the chip is to make.

Qualcomm, Samsung, MediaTek, and Huawei all make mobile processors for the mid-range. Understanding which processor is best for your needs can be complex. Is the Kirin 659 better or worse than a Snapdragon 632? What about the Exynos 5 Hexa 7872, where does that fit into the overall picture?

Here is a video that I have made tackling this exact topic: What is the best mid-range mobile processor? Check out the video above, and be sure to visit some of our other articles relating to mobile SoCs:

• Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC guide: All of Qualcomm’s current SoCs and how they compare
• MediaTek chip guide: All you need to know about MediaTek processors
• The best MediaTek smartphones
• The best budget phone you can buy