Snapdragon 626 Benchmarks, Performance Review and Comparison

The Snapdragon 626 is basically a slightly improved variant of 625 and it doesn’t have any significant changes. It was announced in the last quarter of 2016 while the 625 was announced in the second quarter of the same year. The CPU frequency of 626 is 2.2 GHz while that of 625 is 2.0 and that’s the only major change between these two processors. The Graphics Processor, Memory, DSP, ISP, Fabrication Technology, and rest of the major features are in fact same as that of 625. If you’re looking to purchase a device having this processor, you’ve arrived in the right direction.

According to Qualcomm, Snapdragon 626 delivers 10% higher performance than the Snapdragon 625 and that is simply due to the fact that its clock rate is 10% higher. I wouldn’t actually call it the successor of 625, but I would rather call it the higher clocked variant of 625. Snapdragon 630 and 636 are the actual successors of 625. Down below, I’ve listed a few pros. and cons. of this System-on-chip. Even though the clock rate is high, the Cortex-A53 cores can never come close to the performance of Cortex-A72 and A73 cores.

    Snapdragon 626 Specification

The codename of Snapdragon 626 is MSM8953 Pro where the ‘Pro’ indicates that it is an improved variant of 625. It is manufactured using the same 14nm FinFET process and that is extremely power efficient. Coming to CPU Performance, it has eight Cortex-A53 cores that can reach to a maximum frequency of 2.2 GHz. It has the Adreno 506 Graphics Processing Unit which is well known for its good performance. This GPU can support a maximum display resolution of 1080p.

Unfortunately, it only supports a Single-Channel LPDDR3 RAM. I would have loved to see LPDDR4 RAM in this variant. The Qualcomm’s X9 LTE Modem can give you maximum download speeds of up to 300 Mbps and upload speeds up to 150 Mbps. Voice Over LTE (VoLTE) technology is also supported by this SOC. It has a Dual Image Sensor Processor can support a camera of maximum 24 Megapixels. Fast Charging is supported in this chip with the help of Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 Technology. It has the Hexagon 546 Digital Signal Processor and supports the Bluetooth version 4.1.

    Antutu Benchmark

Let’s talk about the Antutu scores of Snapdragon 626. I was expecting these scores to fall near the territory of 625 and I was right. Due to a slightly higher clock speed, the scores are a bit higher as well. Motorola’s Moto Z2 Play got a score of 68,849 points while the 10.or G managed to earn 66,712 points.

    GeekBench Score

The Single-Core score of most SD 625 chips is around 850 but in case of 626, it is slightly higher than 900. Even in Multi-Core Benchmark, there is a significant improvement. Here are some benchmark scores of Moto Z2 Play, Vivo V9, and the Samsung Galaxy C5 Pro (2015). On average, this chip will score around 900-950 in Single-Core tests and in between 4000 to 4500 in Multi-Core tests.

    Snapdragon 626 Review

In this section, I’ll discuss that how well this chip will perform in the real-world scenario and if it is good enough for your requirement. Even though this chip performs exceptionally well and fulfills all the requirements of a basic smartphone user. But if you’re an advanced user with a lot of heavy phone usage, I’ll recommend opting for a phone with Snapdragon 636, 660 or a flagship processor like 835. Let’s now hop into the review right away.

Real-World Performance

This processor does quite well while performing general tasks like messaging, web surfing, and light gaming. You will not observe any lag in casual phone usage or while multitasking. You can run tons of apps simultaneously and get your work done in the blink of an eye. Even though it is fast, it is definitely not the fastest in the same budget. Processors like Snapdragon 653 and 636 that have Cortex-A72 or the Cortex-A73 cores perform significantly better and the speeds tests can confirm the same.

Gaming Review

I’m a big fan of the Adreno 506 and because of its capability to handle heavy games without any frames drops and that too at 1080p resolution. If you’re a mobile gamer, you’re going to have a really good time with this chip. Furthermore, the power-efficient 14nm FinFET technology allows extended gaming with little or no overheating. So, you can enjoy your favorite games for long durations.

Power Efficiency

As I always say, the 14nm FinFET technology is more power efficient than the 16nm or the older 28nm Technology. A more efficient processor results in better performance, higher battery life, and less heating.

Other Features

This processor supports Fast Charging, Dual Camera Setup and other Qualcomm technologies like Qualcomm TruSignal. However, it is not necessary that your smartphone supports fast charging. Double check if the phone has fast charging or not before placing the order. It only supports a Single-Channel LPDDR3 RAM but we can accept that because it is only a mid-range chip aimed at sub-$250 devices.

Ratings

    Comparison

For the complete list of Qualcomm Snapdragon Processors and their Rankings, Snapdragon Processor List & Ranking.

Snapdragon 626 vs 625

The Snapdragon 626 has a higher CPU frequency and that’s the basic different between these two. Rest of the features are same but the 626 gets a slight performance boost here.

Kirin 659 vs Snapdragon 626

Even though the Kirin 659 has a clock rate of 2.36 GHz with the Cortex-A53 cores, the sub par GPU is a dealbreaker. Also, in real world performance, one would hardly notice a difference between a 2.2 GHz and 2.36 GHz mobile processor.

Snapdragon 636 vs 626

Snapdragon 636 is way ahead of 626 due to a far better CPU (Kryo 260 cores based on ARM Cortex-A73) and a better GPU (Adreno 509). Also, its LPDDR4X RAM and QuickCharge 4.0 Technology blows away 626.

Helio P60 vs Snapdragon 626

The MediaTek Helio P60 is almost on the same level as that of 636. It has the Cortex-A73 cores running at a frequency of 2.0 GHz, Mali-G72 MP3 Graphics Processor, LPDDR4X RAM and 12nm FinFET fabrication technology. It is way better than Snapdragon 626.

    Final Recommendation

For any general smartphone user, this chip is highly recommended. However, you also need to keep in mind the other features of a phone before buying a device. The SOC, without any doubt plays the biggest role but the Camera, Display, Design, and other major features can’t be ignored as well. Also, don’t forget to check if a phone offers good value for money or not. $200-$260 is a good price for a Snapdragon 626 phone but anything more than that should be considered overpriced (unless it has some exceptional features). Do comment below if you need help buying a device. Here is a list of phones that have this SOC.

List of Phones with Snapdragon 626 Processor:

• Vivo V9
• Motorola Moto Z2 Play
• Samsung Galaxy C5 Pro (2017)
• Samsung Galaxy C7 Pro (2017)
• 10.or G
• BQ Aquaris X