MediaTek Helio P22 Benchmark and Review

Planning to buy a smartphone that has the MediaTek Helio P22 Processor?

Here’s a detailed review of this chip along with its benchmarks and gaming performance.

In the last couple of years, MediaTek has introduced some really powerful processors in the mid-range segment such as the Helio X23 and Helio P60. They’re proving to be a worthy competitor to the other processor brands. In fact, the current budget processors of MediaTek are providing a lot more value for money than Qualcomm Snapdragon Processors.

The Helio P22 is an Octa-Core processor with modern features such as AI-enhancements, Dual VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0, and LPDDR4X Memory. Nokia 3.1 Plus and Xiaomi Redmi 6 are two popular devices that are powered by this SOC.

It is fabricated using the TSMC’s 12nm FinFET fabrication process. Yes, 12nm seems exciting, but it is not as great as you might have expected. If you look at the transistor densities, it is only slightly better than Samsung’s 14nm Process that is used by Qualcomm’s 14nm SOCs like Snapdragon 450.

Do you know? Helio P22 is almost similar to A22 in terms of features and performance. The only major difference is the number of cores. P22 has 8 Cortex-A53 cores while A22 has 4 Cortex-A53 cores.

Before we jump into the detailed review, here are the pros. and cons. for those of you who are in a hurry.

    Processor Specification

Here are the major specifications of this processor. For rest of the details, you can visit its product page on MediaTek’s official website.

Name	Helio P22
Codename	MT6762
Brand	MediaTek
CPU Bit Architecture	64-bit
Fabrication Process	12nm FinFET
CPU Cores	8 (Octa-Core)
Core Configuration	8x Cortex-A53 @ 2.0 GHz
GPU	PowerVR GE8320
Max. Display Resolution	1600 x 720 (HD+)
Memory	LPDDR4X / LPDDR3
Storage Type	eMMC 5.1
Modem	LTE Cat. 7 (Download)
VoLTE Support	Yes, Dual VoLTE
Bluetooth version	5.0
Fast Charging	Yes, via MediaTek Pump Express
Camera ISP	13+8 MP Dual Camera

This chip is also known by its codename MT6762. It is a 64-bit chip by MediaTek which is manufactured using TSMC’s 12nm FinFET technology. It has an Octa-Core CPU with eight ARM Cortex-A53 cores with 2.0 GHz clock speed. This CPU configuration is rather common in the majority of processors at this price range.

Moving on to the graphics, we have the PowerVR GE8320 GPU clocked at 650 MHz that can handle the majority of games at low settings. Unfortunately, it only supports 720p display resolution and some of the heavy games suffer from frame drops. With a choice between LPDDR4X and LPDDR3 Memory, phone manufacturers have the flexibility to choose the memory type. The maximum memory size supported is also dependent on the type of memory being used. 6GB and 4GB are the maximum memory size for the LPDDR4X and LPDDR3 configuration respectively.

The flash storage type being used here is eMMC 5.1. The modem has an LTE Category 7 which allows maximum download speeds up to 300 Mbps. Dual SIM VoLTE is also supported by the phone’s modem.

The latest version of Bluetooth 5.0 is also available and fast charging can also be implemented using  MediaTek’s Pump Express. This processor also brings various AI enhancements to the table. These AI based features include Face Unlock, Portrait Mode with Single/Dual Camera, and Smart Photo Album.

    Centurion Mark

On Centurion Mark, it gets a score of 69 which makes it similar to Snapdragon 450 and 625 in terms of performance. You can find the rank of all the processors here.

    Antutu Benchmark

On Antutu Benchmarks, this processor has performed surprisingly well. All the three phones, i.e. Xiaomi Redmi 6, Vivo Y83, and Nokia 3.1 Plus crossed the 75K mark. Redmi 6 has the highest score in this graph with 78,679 points. This score is quite impressive as it outperforms all its major competitors.

    GeekBench Score

Even on GeekBench, the performance is quite good. The above score belongs to the Xiaomi Redmi 6 where it scored 907 points on Single-Core test and 3,768 points on Multi-Core test.

    MediaTek Helio P22

Let’s now leave the benchmarks aside and see if this processor is as promising as we see it on the paper.

Well, it almost is. For a budget processor, the performance is quite good but the only downside is its performance during heavy gaming. Even though the majority of games run pretty well, some suffer from constant frame drops. Let me divide the review into subsections so that you can have a better idea.

Real-World Performance

In real-world usage test with all kinds of apps, the phones powered by this processor are smooth and so far I didn’t observe any lags. For general users, it is fast enough for all your general tasks like texting, browsing, and occasional gaming.

So, if you were wondering whether it lags or not, there’s nothing to worry about. But I wouldn’t call it too fast either. If you’re a power user, I’ll recommend going for a phone with a better SOC.

Gaming Review

For light gaming, the PowerVR GE8320 GPU does its job as expected. Even PUBG Mobile runs without any issues at the lowest settings. But in some heavy games including Asphalt, there’s significant lag and occasional frame drops. If you’re only planning on playing PUBG, you can consider it. But for all the heavy mobiles gamers out there, this one is not for you.

Power Efficiency

The 12nm Fabrication Process makes it quite power efficient and the device does not overheat on heavy usage. Also, an efficient processor consumes less power and gives you longer battery life. For those of you whose major concern is battery life, the Helio P22 is one of the best options out there.

Other Features

Even though the chip is not too exciting for power-hungry users and gamers, there are many features out there which we have seen for the first time in budget processors. It is good to see the inclusion of Dual VoLTE and LPDDR4X Memory technology on a budget processor.

Ratings

 

    Comparison with Similar Processors

Here is the comparison with other similar processors and I’ve also explained the reason behind choosing a winner in brief.

Helio P22 vs A22

The Helio A22 is similar but has only four cores. You can read more about Helio A22 here.

Helio P22 vs Snapdragon 636

Snapdragon 636 outperforms it all the major fields such as CPU and GPU Performance.

Helio P22 vs Snapdragon 625

These two have similar CPU performance but Snapdragon 625 has an edge in GPU performance. While Helio P22 is manufactured using a better fabrication technology. It is a close call but if we look at rest of the features and real-world performance, 625 has a slight edge here.

Helio P22 vs Snapdragon 450

Snapdragon 450 has better real-world and GPU performance. While Helio P22 has an edge in CPU performance and fabriaction technology. I’ll consider it a draw. For general users, P22 is better but for gamers, 450 will be a better choice.

Helio P22 vs Helio P60

MediaTek Helio P60 has a more powerful CPU and GPU.

Helio P22 vs Snapdragon 425

Snapdragon 425 is weaker than P22 in almost all the aspects.

    Final Recommendation

I hope you find this post useful and it helps you out in choosing the right phone. If I have to summarize it, the simple answer is: For general users, this processor has got everything you need for a smooth working smartphone. But if you’re a gamer, you should look for other alternatives with a better Graphics Processor.

List of Phones with MediaTek Helio P22 Processor:

• Xiaomi Redmi 6
• Nokia 3.1 Plus
• Vivo Y83
• Meizu V8
• Vivo Y81