Guide to Buying Processors in Smartphones
Selecting the best processor is the most important consideration before you buy almost any smartphone. A good processor means a smooth experience – apps load more quickly, gaming is more enjoyable, the phone remains usable longer, and battery life will likely be better.
What you will find below on Mobileaura is a complete guide that helps you understand what to focus on, what to avoid, and how to choose the best processor for your budget.
🔍 What Is A Processor in a Smartphone?
A processor (or chipset or SoC) is the brain of your phone. The processor controls its speed and performance such as gaming performance, battery performance, camera processing, network performance, and basically all the things you do on your smartphone.
A weak processor → a slow phone, no matter how high the RAM or megapixels are.
🥇 What Makes a Processor “Good”? — The Key Things to Check
Here are the most important factors that you should always look out for:
1) CPU Architecture & Cores (MOST IMPORTANT):
The CPU plays a key role in determining how fast your phone feels in every day usage. A CPU with good performance cores (Cortex-A78, A79, A710) can smoothly support demanding activities like gaming, multitasking, and editing while good efficiency cores support normal usage while preserving battery life. Many budget friendly phones you’ll find use low quality cores exclusively, resulting in poor performance, even with 8 cores on paper. For this reason, core quality is far more important than core quantity.
Processors consist of “performance cores” and “efficiency cores.”
Performance cores → do the heavy lifting and heavy tasks (gaming, video editing, multitasking)
Efficiency cores → save battery while normally working, functioning at less power You do NOT need to remember core names, but do check:
✔ GOOD sign:
- 2 performance cores + 6 efficiency cores
- Latest architecture: Arm Cortex-A78, A79, A710, A715
❌ BAD sign (do NOT go with):
- ALL of the very low-performance cores like Cortex-A55
- Less expensive octa-core processors that only “sound good,” but are very slow
2) Nanometer (nm) Efficiency:
The nm number shows how small the processor is and how efficient it is with power. A lower number like 6nm or 5nm means it uses lower power while also generating less heat, while still being faster. A larger number(12nm, 14nm) processor is old tech, uses more battery, and heats up quickly. Therefore, if you go with a lower nm processor, you will automatically have a smoother experience while also maintaining better battery.
This represents power efficiency.
- 6nm / 5nm / 4nm → best
- 12nm / 14nm → older, avoid if possible
- Smaller number = better speed + better battery + less heat
3) GPU (Graphic Processor):
The GPU is in charge of the visual aspect of the phone—animations, gaming, smooth scrolling, and general graphics quality. A well-built, top-rated GPU allows games to run smoothly with less lag, while an inferior GPU will even struggle with the simplest applications. Most, if not all budget phones will utilize the term “gaming processor,” but that means nothing without a strong performing, high quality GPU. Always check what the GPU is because that has a direct limpact on your gaming experience, visual experience, and overall quality of the phone.
This determines gaming experience, animations, and UI smoothness.
You can use the list below:
- Gaming under ₹10k, ideally Mali-G57 / Mali-G68 or higher.
- Mid-range devices, Adreno610, 619, 643, etc.
- Flagship: Adreno 730+
✔ Good GPU = smoother games, less frames dropped
❌ Weak GPU = laggy games, phone heats up when playing
4) Benchmarks (Geekbench / AnTuTu):
Benchmark scores are a good way to compare two processors in a hurry. They will not give you a full understanding of real-life performance but regarding the power of the processor they are a good indicator. Generally speaking, a higher score results in a better quicker phone, and better multitasking and stability. You don’t have to memorize numbers—just use benchmarks to compare a couple phones that you are unsure about, until you slowly get a feel for what makes sense and see how they measure up.
Benchmarks allow for comparing two different CPUs.
Quick Rubric:
- AnTuTu Score < 300,000 → underperforming
- 300,000-450,000 → acceptable for typical use
- 450,000–600,000 → decent performance
- 600,000+ → excellent gaming and heavy workloads
Don’t depend only on benchmark numbers — use them for comparison only.
5) 5G Bands and Modem:
The processor is in charge of handling the network system in the phone, which involves 4G and 5G performance. Increased 5G bands equal better coverage or signal strength in one or several outside conditions, where a better modem provides faster internet speed that’s less prone to connectivity drops. A lot of budget-friendly phones offer only 1-2 bands into a 5G modem system, and that reduces the quality of the 5G coverage. This is why it’s recommended to consider the number of bands supported and the modem in the processor if you want the phone to have a good, consistent internet connection in every specified area.
A processor is also responsible for taking the phone’s internet and 5G modem.
- At least 6+ 5G bands
- Latest modem (MediaTek T80, Snapdragon X51+)
- 1–2 5G bands
- No Carrier Aggregation
- Old modem (more heating & bad signals)
6) AI and Camera Processing:
You’ll also find that the major throughput marketers of processors come with AI engines, which optimize the photo output quality, mainly in the night mode and portrait settings. A powerful AI chip can process images in a timely manner , with reduced noise levels and improved outputs to selfies and videos. Sometimes a phone can have high-megapixel cameras, but if a majority of processing takes place in the AI engine, the output can appear dull. So suffice it to say, much of your quality comes from the processor handling camera quality too.
Modern processors often have an NPU/APU (AI engine).
- Better photos
- Faster night mode
