Unisoc Tiger T612 vs MediaTek Helio G88: Which SoC is better for your smartphone?
From out of nowhere to suddenly becoming the darling of smartphone manufacturers, the Unisoc Tiger T612 and the MediaTek Helio G88 has captured much of the low-end market. In this article, we're going to look at which SoC is the better one
If you are looking for a smartphone that offers decent performance, gaming, and battery life without breaking the bank, you might want to consider one that is powered by either the Unisoc Tiger T612 or the MediaTek Helio G88. These two SoCs are designed for mid-range devices and have some similarities and differences. In this article, we will compare them in various aspects and see which one has the edge over the other.
The Unisoc Tiger T612 is an octa-core SoC that was launched in May 2022 and it is designed for the lower-end market. Despite being a very cost effective option, a lot of smartphone manufacturers haven't really given it a chance. The Unisoc T612 can only be found on Realme phones such as the Realme C33, Realme C51, Realme C55, Realme Narzo N53, Realme Narzo N50A etc.
The MediaTek Helio G88 is also an octa-core SoC that was launched in June 2021. It is also a lower end SoC that is made to power budget friendly devices. The Helio G88 has been a huge hit amongst manufacturers and can be found many smartphones. These include the Redmi 10, Redmi 12, Honor X8a, Infinix Note 12, Realme C55, Infinix Hot 30, Infinix Hot 40, TCL 40 NXTpaper, Tecno Spark 10 Pro, Tecno Pova 40 etc.
>>See: Unisoc Tiger T612 vs MediaTek Helio G88 Specs comparison
Performance of The Unisoc Tiger T612 vs MediaTek Helio G88
Both the Unisoc Tiger T612 and the MediaTek Helio G88 have similar CPU configurations, with four Cortex-A75 cores and six Cortex-A55 cores. However, the MediaTek Helio G88 has a slightly higher clock speed for the Cortex-A75 cores (2.0GHz vs 1.8GHz), which should give it a slight edge in multi-core performance. However, according to GeekBench 6, the Unisoc Tiger T612 scores 418 points in single-core and 1505 points in multi-core, while the MediaTek Helio G88 scores 424 points in single-core and 1346 points in multi-core. Surprisingly, the T612 is slightly better in CPU performance than the Helio G88. The difference is not very significant, but it shows that the Unisoc Tiger T612 has a slight advantage in CPU performance.
On the other hand, the MediaTek Helio G88 has a better GPU than the Unisoc Tiger T612. The Mali-G52 MC2 is more powerful than the Mali-G57 MP1, as it has more shader cores (2 vs 1) and a higher clock speed (1000 MHz vs 614 MHz). According to the AnTuTu 10 benchmark, the MediaTek Helio G88 scores 41,484 points in GPU, while the Unisoc Tiger T612 scores 22,938 points in GPU. The difference is quite significant, and it shows that the MediaTek Helio G88 has a clear advantage in GPU performance.
Gaming
As we have seen, the MediaTek Helio G88 has a better GPU than the Unisoc Tiger T612, which means that it can handle more demanding games and graphics settings. Moreover, the MediaTek Helio G88 has a HyperEngine 2.0 Lite technology, which is a gaming optimization feature that enhances the network latency, resource management, and display quality. The Unisoc Tiger T612 does not have a similar feature, and it may struggle with some games.
Therefore, if you are a gamer, you might want to choose a smartphone with the MediaTek Helio G88, as it offers a better gaming experience than the Unisoc Tiger T612.
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Memory: Which SoC has faster RAM and storage?
Both the Unisoc Tiger T612 and the MediaTek Helio G88 have a dual-channel LPDDR4X memory controller, which supports up to 8 GB of RAM. However, the Unisoc Tiger T612 has a faster storage interface than the MediaTek Helio G88. The Unisoc Tiger T612 supports UFS 2.2, which is a faster and more reliable storage standard than eMMC 5.1, which is supported by the MediaTek Helio G88.
Therefore, if you care about the storage speed and performance, you might want to choose a smartphone with the Unisoc Tiger T612, as it has a faster storage interface than the MediaTek Helio G88.
Photography and Videography
Both the Unisoc Tiger T612 and the MediaTek Helio G88 have decent camera and video capabilities, but they have some differences. The Unisoc Tiger T612 supports up to 108 MP cameras, while the MediaTek Helio G88 maxes out at 64 MP camera. The Unisoc T612 has the better camera support, which may result in more detailed and sharper photos. However, this is entirely up to smartphone manufacturers. Both SoCs support video recording and playback at 1080p at 30fps so they're tied for video.
Moreover, the Helio G88 has a dedicated NPU (neural processing unit) for AI tasks such as face recognition, scene detection, and image enhancement. The Unisoc T612 does not have a dedicated NPU, but it has an AI camera enhancement feature that uses the CPU and GPU to perform some AI tasks.
Connectivity: Which SoC has better network and wireless options?
Both the Unisoc Tiger T612 and the MediaTek Helio G88 support similar network and wireless options. They both support 4G, 3G, and 2G networks, Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi 5. The only difference here is that Unisoc Tiger T612 has a slightly faster upload speed. Other than that, they're pretty much identical.
Battery life: Which SoC has better power efficiency?
Both the Unisoc Tiger T612 and the MediaTek Helio G88 are based on a 12nm fabrication process, which means that they have similar power efficiency. The smaller the nanometer size, the better the battery life, as it reduces the power consumption and heat generation of the SoC. However, the Unisoc Tiger T612 may have a slight edge over the MediaTek Helio G88, as it has a lower clock speed which should mean less power consumption for the CPUs and GPU.
Conclusion:
The Unisoc Tiger T612 and the MediaTek Helio G88 are both good SoCs for budget and lower mid-range smartphones, but they have different strengths and weaknesses. The Unisoc Tiger T612 has a surprisingly slight edge in CPU performance and storage speed, while the MediaTek Helio G88 has a clear advantage in GPU performance and gaming optimization. The battery life of both SoCs is similar, as they are based on the same fabrication process.
Therefore, the best SoC for your smartphone depends on your preferences and needs as there there's very little difference between both. Gamers however should go with the Helio G88 because of it's superior gaming performance but the rest of us are free to choose as we please.