The Mobile CPU Vendor Bias Admission Thread

[dark zero]

In similar fashion like the previous ones
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2466655
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2466186

In this poll is to see the preferences of the user on Mobile CPU like Qualcomm, Mediatek or even Apple.

Please feel free to vote in this poll, anonymously.

If you want to state your reasons why, go ahead, let's not troll or flame each other. Otherwise, it will be notified to the moderator.

Purely for interesting discussion points only.


BTW, is not necessary to add "Yes, I prefer X" due the obvious reason.

Also added "Other" if you want other brands or you are Mobile CPU agnostic. Sorry if that can lead to confusion.


EDIT: Poll is open and my choice is here with the reason:

Qualcomm: Really good Single Thread performance, with decent Multi Thread Performance, enough for the daily basis and some advanced applications.
The device used is the Moto G with Qualcomm Snapdragon 400.

Mediatek can be a close second due great MT, but I didn't chose them since it has poor ST performance and closed drivers.

 

[Sweepr]

Uhh... there is no poll.

 

[Burpo]

Never mind.

 

[MrTeal]

Why no option for "I don't care"?

More than any of the other polls, the mobile CPUs are so linked to their devices that I imagine most people are buying the platform or the phone/tablet. You buy an iPhone 6S or Galaxy S7, not an A9 or Snapdragon 820.

 

[dark zero]

Why no option for "I don't care"?

More than any of the other polls, the mobile CPUs are so linked to their devices that I imagine most people are buying the platform or the phone/tablet. You buy an iPhone 6S or Galaxy S7, not an A9 or Snapdragon 820.

Agreed, however some people can get confused in some devices, like some LG models having Medatek processors or Qualcomm ones or the S7 itself which can have Exynos or Qualcomm Snapdragon 820.

Anyways, you can chose the "Other" option.

 

[Rngwn]

As for me, I care more about the phone's features. I don't care much about the chip inside the phone, as long as they are the latest of their kind and not overwhelmingly inferior to others.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I picked other. We don't buy SoCs, we buy devices.

Apple probably has my favorite SoC on paper, but I can't stand how they hold back punches on their phones so I wouldn't own one.

 

[Andrei.]

I picked other. We don't buy SoCs, we buy devices.

Apple probably has my favorite SoC on paper, but I can't stand how they hold back punches on their phones so I wouldn't own one.

There's plenty of people who outright refuse to buy MediaTek devices or people who complain whenever Samsung uses Exynos and swear on Qualcomm even if the latter has no technical merit.

 

[DeathReborn]

I picked Samsung Exynos because I prefer that SoC in my phone to any other. Brands like Mediatek (that GPU hate), Huawei or Intel are my do not buy warnings. Qualcomm are just a company that I just can't seem to like, all the fines they generate for monopolistic practices don't help on that front either.

 

[NTMBK]

TI or GTFO

 

[poofyhairguy]

There's plenty of people who outright refuse to buy MediaTek devices or people who complain whenever Samsung uses Exynos and swear on Qualcomm even if the latter has no technical merit.

Sure the SoC is part of the decision process to some people but I don't think for most people SoC is the number one deciding factor. Even for those that do have it as their number one criteria it isn't the old computer nerd thought process of "I want the one that is fastest" (aka "technical merit"). Instead we see people prefer Qualcomm for example because thanks to open drivers those phones get better/faster ROMs to patch over Android's fundamentally broken update model. Very very few people just buy the phone at the top of the benchmark charts or a phone like the Mate 8 would get more press in North America than the 6P. It is clear that the feature of stock Android and fast updates trump any SoC to most of the Android journalist community.

On that point, tastes can change quickly given the options we are given. Heaven forbid it, but if a Mediatek SoC ended up in an otherwise great Nexus many people against them today would jump on board. What matters much more in 2016 are the actual devices, and their features such as camera, RAM, battery life, update speed, depth of OS skin, etc. When Touchwiz can make a Qualcomm 820 lag more than a Nexus 6P with an 810 it is obvious that software matters almost as much as the SoC inside. iOS vs Android is another great example of that.

 

[Andrei.]

When Touchwiz can make a Qualcomm 820 lag more than a Nexus 6P with an 810 it is obvious that software matters almost as much as the SoC inside.

The 6P runs well with the 810 because Google spends the resources to investigate and fix issues. TouchWiz doesn't make the S7 lag, it's the Qualcomm 820 BSP which lags.

 

[lothar]

I don't have any mobile CPU vendor bias.
My mobile CPU vendor lies solely in Google's Nexus program, and nothing else.

If Google goes with Qualcomm CPU for their Nexus device, then so be it.
If Google goes with Apple CPU for their Nexus device, then so be it.
If Google goes with Samsung Exynos CPU for their Nexus device, then so be it.
If Google goes with Mediatek CPU for their Nexus device, then so be it.
If Google goes with Intel CPU for their Nexus device, then so be it.
If Google goes with nVidia CPU for their Nexus device, then so be it.
If Google goes with Huawei Kirin CPU for their Nexus device, then so be it.
If Google goes with "Other" CPU for their Nexus device, then so be it.

When it comes to phones for me, it's either Google Nexus or GTFO.
Hell, I'm probably more likely to buy an iPhone than a Samsung Galaxy TouchWiz device.

 

[WackyWRZ]

Sure the SoC is part of the decision process to some people but I don't think for most people SoC is the number one deciding factor. Even for those that do have it as their number one criteria it isn't the old computer nerd thought process of "I want the one that is fastest" (aka "technical merit"). Instead we see people prefer Qualcomm for example because thanks to open drivers those phones get better/faster ROMs to patch over Android's fundamentally broken update model. Very very few people just buy the phone at the top of the benchmark charts or a phone like the Mate 8 would get more press in North America than the 6P. It is clear that the feature of stock Android and fast updates trump any SoC to most of the Android journalist community.

Completely agree with the preference to whatever has the best ROM support - that's one of the first things I look for in buying a phone. Then again I generally won't buy a phone new - and it's usually 6+ months after it came out. Regardless of SoC, the whole ROM point also circles back to the phone manufacturer as far as boot-loader unlocking.

Regarding a phone such as the Mate 8 getting traction in North America... I think a lot of that boils down to the crap carriers here. I'd wager that a good percent of phone users don't even understand the concept of an unlocked device. Aside from being stuck into thinking that they HAVE to buy a carrier branded phone (or no choice with Sprint/VZW) they also get sucked into the subsidies, contracts, and lease options that are downright horrible options to the consumer. God forbid that people could actually understand how much they are ACTUALLY paying for their leased device by the end of 2 years... And some of these options make you give the phone back at the end of your term!!!

 

[poofyhairguy]

The 6P runs well with the 810 because Google spends the resources to investigate and fix issues. TouchWiz doesn't make the S7 lag, it's the Qualcomm 820 BSP which lags.

I defer to your expertise on that one, I wasn't trying to sling mud indiscriminately at Touchwiz. If anything it is Google that deserves scorn for not fixing the 5X lag issues already if attention is the only secret sauce of a smooth phone (I know a fix is maybe coming soon).

My point was often the software package matters more than the SoC in mobile. I don't think any non-nerd consumer thinks "I want the iPhone because of that awesome CPU," they want an iPhone for iOS and they luck out that Apple has the best SoC. In comparison for over a decade desktop PCs were sold on the merit of their CPUs, and consumer bought if the system had "Intel Inside." Qualcomm tried to market their SoCs to consumers in the same way and it never caught on.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Apple by far.

 

[DooKey]

TI or GTFO

Screw that. Give me some VIA power!!!

 

[SPBHM]

my current tablet runs a Rockchip SoC
for my next tablet I would prefer an x86 chip, so I could run windows,
but overall I think Apple makes the best SoCs since the A7.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Dont care. As long as I can make a phone call, SMS, GPS and check email. And that doesnt require a any overheating SoC.

My current S3 Mini got an STMicroelectronics SoC as far as I know.

 

[happy medium]

no bias here but I'd like to see Intel's Atom do well in a windows phone . I'm waiting for a Surface phone, I'm getting tired of my 1520 Lumia..

 

[Piroko]

I buy devices, not SOCs.

 

[lothar]

The 6P runs well with the 810 because Google spends the resources to investigate and fix issues. TouchWiz doesn't make the S7 lag, it's the Qualcomm 820 BSP which lags.

Why does an Exynos S6 with TouchWiz lag more than both the Nexus 6 and Nexus 5 despite having superior hardware?

 

[CuriousMike]

Why no option for "I don't care"?

This is a problem with polls that drives me nuts.
There always needs to be the "I don't care", "No preference" and "I don't understand the question" options.

 

[superstition]

Why no option for "I don't care"?

If you don't care you don't vote.

 

[Raduque]

I don't really care, I have Qualcomm and Mediatek devices, and had Exynos and Apple A# devices in the past.

I do attempt to avoid NVidia though. Won't buy anything with a Tegra.