Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipsets are all the rage these days, even as there are many other chipset brands in the market. Adding to their wide range of good quality processors, Qualcomm had recently launched the Snapdragon 636 system-on-chip (SoC) that boasts of up to 600 MB per second downlink speed and long battery life. The chipset, according to Qualcomm, was designed with ‘enhanced photography and advanced gaming’ in mind.
While the Snapdragon 636 is not the top of the Snapdragon range of chipsets, it makes for a great mid-range processor that has made several mid-range smartphones a hit. Here, we detail five smartphones powered by the Snapdragon 636 you should consider seriously if you were looking for a mid-range smartphone.
Table of Contents
Motorola P30:
The Motorola P30 is set for a launch later this year, and we expect the launch price to be around Rs 22,990. The handset gets a 6.2-inch IPS LCD display with 18.7:9 aspect ratio and 402 ppi pixel density, and Corning Gorilla Glass protection. The Motorola P30 will come in a splash-resistant body with at least one gradient colour option. The handset will boot ZUI 4.0 based on Android Oreo and will be fitted with a 6GB RAM that can be bought in 64GB or 128GB storage options. Camera equipment includes 16MP+5MP rear dual camera and 12MP front sensor, with the front camera and rear primary camera getting large pixels.
Among all five options listed here, this phone gets the widest aperture of f/1.8 in its rear primary sensor. The rear camera gets dual tone dual LED flash, and the front snapper also gets an impressively wide f/1.9 aperture, with LED flash and HD video recording. The Motorola P30 also gets Dolby sound hardware, 18W fast charging for its 3,000 mAh battery, and dual-band WiFi. USB is Type-C 2.0 and Bluetooth is version 5.0.
Nokia 6.1 Plus (Nokia X6):
The Nokia 6.1 Plus is expected to launch shortly at Rs 19,999. The phone is named as Nokia X6 in China. The phone follows a notched display design language and features a 5.8-inch IPS LCD display, with 19:9 aspect ratio, 432 ppi pixel density, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. This is an Android One phone to be launched with Android 8.1 Oreo, so it will receive official updates for two years from Google, and will have no additional user interface bogging down the Snapdragon 636 chipset.
The rear dual camera is a 12MP+5MP unit and the front camera gets a 16MP sensor, with all three sensors using large pixels. The rear dual camera gets electronic image stabilization for HD video recording, and also dual tone dual LED flash. The Nokia 6.1 also gets dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, Type-C USB connector, and a 3,060 mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0 support.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro:
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro is a bit old, and boots Android Nougat when shipped, but it gets an OTA update for Android Oreo. The handset features a 5.99-inch IPS LCD display with 18:9 design style, and comes in 4GB and 6GB RAM options, with 64GB internal storage being common to both models. The rear dual camera has a 12MP primary sensor and a 5MP depth sensor, with both employing large pixels.
The front 20MP camera gets large pixels too, and comes paired to an LED flash, while the rear dual camera is aided by a dual LED flash. This handset misses out on Type-C reversible USB but gets QuickCharge 2.0 support for its 4,000 mAh battery.
The Redmi Note 5 Pro sells for Rs 16,999 in its 6GB variant at Flipkart and Mi Store.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1:
The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 comes in 6GB RAM, 4GB RAM and 3GB RAM variants. The 3GB RAM model gets 32GB internal storage and the 4GB RAM model gets 64GB internal storage. These two variants share all other specs, while the 6GB RAM variant gets a better front camera. The internal storage on the 6GB RAM model, however, is also 64GB.
The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 in its 6GB RAM variant packs a solid 16MP front camera and a 16MP+5MP rear dual camera. Both the front and rear cameras get LED flash, and the rear camera can record slow motion HD video at 60 frames per second. The display is a 5.99-inch IPS LCD unit with a full notch and hence a conventional 18:9 aspect ratio, and the battery is a heavy 5,000 mAh unit with 10W fast charging support. This phone does not get Type-C reversible USB but does pack in a Bluetooth 5.0 and 3.5mm audio jack. The Asus handset runs Android 8.1 Oreo in stock version.
You can buy the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 in 6GB RAM variant for Rs 14,999 at Flipkart.
Lenovo Z5:
The Lenovo Z5 sports a 6.2-inch IPS LCD display designed with a notch so that the aspect ratio achieved is 18.7:9, and the front offers a bezel-free affair with a very narrow chin at the bottom. The pixel density is a decent 402 ppi and the screen resolution is a Full HD 1080×2246 pixels. It has a glass-aluminium frame and a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to protect the screen. The handset runs ZUI 3.9, Lenovo’s user interface based on Android 8.1 Oreo.
The Lenovo Z5 comes with a 6GB RAM and two storage options: 64GB and 128GB. The internal storage is expandable to 256GB but you will have to sacrifice using a second SIM for that. The camera gear includes a dual real camera setup of 16MP+8MP and another 8MP front shooter. The cameras record HD videos in slow motion but not in super slow motion, and the rear camera gets a dual-tone dual LED flash. Battery is 3,300 mAh with 15W fast charging support, and connectivity features are up to the mark, including Bluetooth 5.0 and Type-C reversible USB 2.0.
The Lenovo Z5 is expected to launch here shortly, at an expected price of Rs 13,600.
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