Mid-range smartphone users are becoming more demanding with their usage and chipset makers are fortunately keeping up with these needs of young consumers. Back in February, Qualcomm added a new Snapdragon 712 chipset in their popular 700-series that’s meant to bridge the gap between the lower mid-range 600-series and the flagship 800-series chipsets. It succeeds Snapdragon 710 which really flourished in the Indian market under Rs 20,000 segment in India.
Several months after its debut, the Snapdragon 712 chipset is a new sensation in sub $300 dollars or ₹20,000 market. Many online exclusives employ the chipset for their game-centric phones.
Snapdragon 665 vs Snapdragon 710 vs Snapdragon 712 specs comparison
| Snapdragon 665 | Snapdragon 710 | Snapdragon 712 | |
| Model Number | SDM665 | SDM710 | SDM712 |
| CPU | Octa-core (4×2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver) | Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Kryo 360 Gold & 6×1.7 GHz Kryo 360 Silver) | Octa-core (2×2.3 GHz Kryo 360 Gold & 6×1.7 GHz Kryo 360 Silver) |
| GPU | Adreno 610 | Adreno 616 | Adreno 616 |
| RAM | 8GB, LPDDR4X (1866 MHz); Dual-channels | 8GB, LPDDR4X (1866 MHz); Dual-channels | 8GB, LPDDR4X (1866 MHz); Dual-channels |
| Storage | UFS 2.1 / eMMC 5.1 | UFS 2.1 / eMMC 5.1 | UFS 2.1 / eMMC 5.1 |
| Modem | Snapdragon X12 | Snapdragon X15 | Snapdragon X15 |
| Display | 2520x1080p Full HD+ | 3360x1440p QHD+; HDR10 |
3360x1440p QHD+; HDR10 |
| Process | 11nm | 10nm | 10nm |
| ISP | Spectra 165 with 2x ISP | Spectra 250 with 2x ISP | Spectra 250 with 2x ISP |
| DSP | Hexagon 686 | Hexagon 685 | Hexagon 685 |
| Camera | Single 25MP, MFNR, ZSL, 30fps or 48MP, MFNR; Dual 16MP + 16MP MFNR, ZSL, 30fps |
Single 25MP, MFNR, ZSL, 30fps, 48MP, MFNR or 192MP; Dual 16MP + 16MP MFNR, ZSL, 30fps |
Single 25MP, MFNR, ZSL, 30fps, 48MP, MFNR or 192MP; Dual 16MP + 16MP MFNR, ZSL, 30fps |
| LTE Speed | D/L Speed: 600 Mbps U/L Speed: 150 Mbps |
D/L Speed: 800 Mbps U/L Speed: 150 Mbps |
D/L Speed: 800 Mbps U/L Speed: 150 Mbps |
| Video | Up to 4K Ultra HD, H.265 (HEVC), H.264 (AVC), VP8, VP9) | Up to 4K Ultra HD, H.265 (HEVC), H.264 (AVC), VP8, VP9) |
Up to 4K Ultra HD, H.265 (HEVC), H.264 (AVC), VP8, VP9) |
| Charging | Quick Charge 3.0 | Quick Charge 4.0 | Quick Charge 4+ |
| GeekBench | Single-Core: 1,526 Multi-Core: 5,600 |
Single-Core: 1,899 Multi-Core: 5,966 |
Single-Core: 1,910 Multi-Core: 6,000 |
| Antutu | 1,54,483 | 1,77,153 | 1,85,489 |
Out of the growing list of Snapdragon 712 phones here are the best options you may consider.
1. Vivo Z1X
Vivo has been one brand that has shown immense faith in the Snapdragon 712 chipset. You may conclude this from the fact that the Vivo Z1x is its second smartphone with Snapdragon 712 platform in a short span of 2 months.
The Z1X, apart from featuring a capable chipset, also boasts of an AMOLED screen, 48MP primary sensor led triple rear cameras and a 32MP selfie camera. The phone packs a 4500mAh battery and supports 22.5W flash fast charge. The Vivo Z1X retails only on Flipkart.
Buy Vivo Z1x from Flipkart.
2. Realme 5 Pro
Earlier in August 2019, Realme launched two new phones – the Realme 5 Pro and Realme 5. Out of these two, the Realme 5 Pro (review) is the one that houses Snapdragon 712 chipset at its heart.
The Realme 5 Pro is currently the poster boy of the Chinese smartphone maker’s new quad-camera marketing pitch. A Sony IMX586 48 MP sensor leads the pack with assistance from 8MP wide-angle sensor, 2 MP depth sensor, and 2 MP mono sensor. The 5 Pro includes a 6.3-inch full HD+IPS screen which is fueled by a 4035mAh battery.
Buy Realme 5 Pro from Flipkart.
3. Vivo Z1 Pro
For the Vivo Z1 Pro (review) success story, the brands owe a lot to the Snapdragon 712 chipset. It was the first SD712 processor based smartphone in India. It helped Vivo to cash-in PUBG Mobile craze among young buyers and woo them with its Adreno 616 GPU.
Apart from its performance, other key highlights of the Z1 Pro include its 6.53 inches full HD+ IPS Display with punch hole, 5000mAh battery, and triple rear camera setup. The Z1 Pro is available on both Amazon and Flipkart.
Buy Vivo Z1 Pro from Amazon or Flipkart.
4. Realme XT
Realme X (review) successor also boasts off an upgraded Snapdragon 712 chipset against SD710 previously. While the chipset has been bumped up, the biggest highlight of the Realme XT is its quad-camera setup.
The rear cameras are led by Samsung 64MP GW1 sensor coupled with 8MP wide, 2MP depth sensor and 2MP mono sensor. It is worth mentioning that the Realme XT is one of the early adopters of Samsung recently announced a 64MP ISOCELL sensor. The Realme XT India launch is likely to happen in the third or fourth week of September.
Best Snapdragon 712 Phones To Buy In 2020
The Snapdragon 712 phones is a fairly young chipset and only a handful of phones featuring it have made it to market. It’s an excellent chipset for gaming and has proven to handle high-end games like PUBG and Fortnite very well in sub 20K budget segment.
Eventually, we expect the Snapdragon 730 will supplant it for affordable phones, but that won’t happen anytime soon. As new Snapdragon 712 phones show up, we will be updating this list.
List of best Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 Phones
| Phone name | Price |
| Vivo Z1X | ₹16,999 |
| Realme 5 Pro | ₹13,999 |
| Vivo Z1 Pro | ₹14,999 |
| Realme XT | ₹ 19,999* |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 FAQ answered
Which is better, Snapdragon 712 or Kirin 710?
In comparison to Huawei’s HiSilicon Kirin 710 platform, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 712 chipset is more powerful, has better power efficiency and better connectivity capabilities.
The Snapdragon 712 is a higher binned version of Snapdragon 710. The CPU cores and GPU cores are clocked at a higher frequency, resulting in 10% boost in performance.
