Do You Really Need A Quad-Core Smartphone? | TechTree.com

Do You Really Need A Quad-Core Smartphone?

This article will help you decide whether you should bother with this quad-core mumbo-jumbo.

 
Do You Really Need A Quad-Core Smartphone?

A decade ago, the world was crazy about computers. In those good-old days, people used to build their own rig. Things have changed overtime. Now smartphones are ruling the roost. Just like computers, people discuss processor, RAM, and storage in mobile phones. While there’s nothing wrong in that, some consumers think that a quad-core processor is a "must-have" in phones. The credit goes to manufacturers who barrage you with quad-core gimmick in adverts. So if you’re planning to buy a smartphone, let us help you decide whether you should bother with this quad-core mumbo-jumbo.

First, let me make it clear that there's hardly any app that requires quad-core processing. Seriously, an absurdly powerful processor can’t shoot your tweet faster or enhance your lousy Instagram pic. So unless, you’re a gamer who wants to play those fancy FPS (First Person Shooter) titles, it doesn’t make sense for you to invest in a phone with quad-core processor. Yes, it doesn’t improve the user experience either. I know that’s a hard pill to swallow, so let me present you some nitty-gritties.

Currently, there are three major smartphone platforms — Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. If you look at the iOS camp, Apple doesn't talk about specifications. The company believes in delivering top-notch user-experience instead of attracting crowds with impressive specs sheet. Going by the numbers, almost all Android flagships can humble the iPhone on paper. However, despite all those quad, hexa, octa core processors, Android phones stutter and lag. On the other hand, iPhones deliver fluid user experience with a dual-core processor.

Similar to Apple, Nokia (Microsoft) does not push processor as a USP. Even the high-end WP handsets such as Lumia 1020 and 925 are powered by dual-core Snapdragon chips. Yes, the 1020 crunches 41 megapixel raw data using a dual-core processor, while the octa-core Note 3 struggles to keep up with a 13 megapixel snapper. Ever wondered why? Well, that’s because good hardware alone isn’t enough to provide great performance. For that, you need optimised software to complement it.

Now, Android is great when it comes to flexibility. When Symbian failed to keep up Apple’s iOS, Android came across as a much-needed alternative. It enabled manufacturers, to offer –iPhone like features at a much lower price. However, like any open-source software, Google’s mobile platform is not optimised. Since a lot of developers have contributed to this OS, it seems flooded with junk code. For all these years, Google kept on adding new features rather than ironing out the bugs. Since the software is free to use for everyone, there’s not much Google can do to get rid of this problem. So it’s very difficult for Android to match the finesse and performance of the iOS and Windows Phone.

Since the problem isn’t solved at the software level, manufacturers are left with no option but to throw-in powerful processors. This is not an ideal solution since faster processors, draw more power, which then leads disappointing battery life. Now to tackle this problem, manufacturers cram in bigger (high-capacity) batteries. High-end Android phones these days packs in over 3000 mAH battery just to deliver a day’s battery life. Considering the volatile nature of batteries, that’s quite dangerous. To put things in perspective, iPhone still hasn’t crossed the 2000 mAh mark, and still it offers similar (if not better) battery performance.

So yes, powerful hardware can improve the user experience. However, just because a phone has an absurdly powerful processor, doesn't mean that the phone will work great. So next time you’re split between two handsets, go to a store and try out the sample units rather than comparing the specification sheets on your computer.


Tags : Mobile Phones, processors, Android, iOS, Windows Phone

 
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