The Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro remains one of the most popular mid-range smartphones even years after its release, and its success is largely due to balanced performance, among which the CPU plays a key role. But what chip is in this model? Why is it important for everyday tasks and games? In this article, we will take a detailed look at the Redmi Note 8 Pro processor, its architecture, performance in benchmarks and compare it with competitors.
If you're planning to buy a used device or want to overclock your current smartphone, understanding the stuffing is critical, for example, knowing how to support certain CPU instructions can help you choose the right settings for emulators or determine whether the device will pull up modern games. Let's figure out what's underneath the hood of this gadget.
Technical characteristics of the Redmi Note 8 Pro processor
The heart of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor (codenamed SM6125), which was announced in April 2019 and is built on Samsung’s 11nm process technology (LPP FinFET).
The main parameters of the chip:
- 🔹 Architecture: 8 Kryo 260 cores (modified cores) Cortex-A73 and Cortex-A53)
- 🔹 Clock frequency: 4 cores Cortex-A73 @ 2.0 GHz (production) 4 cores Cortex-A53 @ 1.8 GHz (energy efficient)
- 🔹 Graphics accelerator: Adreno 610 with a frequency of up to 600 MHz
- 🔹 Memory support: LPDDR4X (up to 8 GB, eMMC 5.1 / UFS 2.1
- 🔹 Modem: Snapdragon X12 LTE (Cat. 12/13, before 600 Mbps download)
An important nuance: in some regions (for example, India) released a version of the Redmi Note 8 Pro with a processor MediaTek Helio G90T. However, officially for the global market (including Russia) used Snapdragon 665. Clarify the chip model in the settings of the device along the Settings → About phone → MIUI → Full specification.
Architecture and features of the Snapdragon 665
The Snapdragon 665 is part of Qualcomm’s mid-range chip family, designed to deliver smooth performance in everyday tasks and moderate games, and is based on a combination of the ARM Cortex-A73 cores (for heavy loads) and the Cortex-A53 cores (for background processes), which optimize battery consumption without losing performance.
Key features of architecture:
- 🔧 Big.LITTLE: Dynamic load-sharing between the "large" and "small" cores, for example, when watching videos, only the main loads are used. Cortex-A53, When the game is started, it is connected. Cortex-A73.
- 🔧 Hexagon 686 DSP: Responsible for processing artificial intelligence tasks (such as voice recognition or photo optimization).
- 🔧 Spectra 165 ISP: Support (dual camera) with resolution up to 25 MP and video recording 4K@30fps.
- 🔧 Quick Charge 3.0: Fast charging (up to 18 watts), but Redmi Note 8 Pro is implemented at 18 watts.
One of the main advantages of the Snapdragon 665 is support for Vulkan 1.1 and OpenGL ES 3.2, which is important for modern games. However, due to the limitations of the Adreno 610 graphics accelerator, some projects (such as Genshin Impact) can only work at minimal settings.
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To check for Vulkan support on your device, install the Info GPU app from Google Play. The "API Support" section will list the available GUIs.
Performance in benchmarks and real-world tasks
To objectively evaluate the Snapdragon 665 processor in the Redmi Note 8 Pro, we turn to the results of popular benchmarks and tests in real-world scenarios. It is important to understand that synthetic tests give only an approximate idea - real performance depends on the optimization of MIUI and the background of running applications.
| benchmark | The result (Snapdragon 665) | Comparison with the Helio G90T |
|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu 9 | ~180,000 points | Loses by ~20% (G90T gains ~220 000) |
| Geekbench 5 (Single-Core) | ~310 points | Losing by ~10% |
| Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core) | ~1,350 points | Losing by ~15% |
| 3DMark (Sling Shot Extreme) | ~1,200 points | Losing by ~25% (G90T has Mali-G76 MP4) |
In real-world applications, the Snapdragon 665 shows the following results:
- 🎮 Games: PUBG Mobile — 30-40 FPS Settings "Balanced" Call of Duty: Mobile — 40-50 FPS On "Mediocre" Genshin Impact — 20-25 FPS on the "Low"
- 📸 Camera: Processing HDR-photo ~1.5-2 sec, record 4K-Video is possible, but with heating of the body.
- 🔋 Energy consumption: When used actively (games, navigation) the battery consumption is ~10-12% hourly.
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The Snapdragon 665 is suitable for everyday tasks and undemanding games, but inferior to the Helio G90T in graphical loads.
Comparison with competitors: Snapdragon 665 vs Helio G90T vs Snapdragon 710
To better understand the positioning of the Snapdragon 665, compare it to two key competitors: the MediaTek Helio G90T (an alternative chip for the Redmi Note 8 Pro) and the Snapdragon 710 (a more advanced chip from Qualcomm), which will help determine whether to choose this model or pay attention to other devices.
| Parameter | Snapdragon 665 | Helio G90T | Snapdragon 710 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technique | 11nm | 12 nm | 10 nm |
| CPU (core/frequency) | 4x A73 @2.0 + 4x A53 @1.8 | 2x A76 @2.05 + 6x A55 @2.0 | 2x A75 @2.2 + 6x A55 @1.7 |
| GPU | Adreno 610 | Mali-G76 MP4 | Adreno 616 |
| Support for 4K video support | Yes, 30 FPS. | Yes, 30 FPS. | Yes, 60 FPS. |
| modem | X12 LTE (600 Mbps) | Helio M70 (600 Mbps) | X15 LTE (800 Mbps) |
The table shows that the Snapdragon 665 loses the Helio G90T in graphics (due to a weaker GPU) and the Snapdragon 710 in energy efficiency and support for modern standards. However, it beats the G90T in power consumption due to the thinner process technology (11 nm vs 12 nm).
⚠️ WARNING: If you choose between the Redmi Note 8 Pro versions with the Snapdragon 665 and Helio G90T, Note that the MediaTek model may have compatibility issues with some apps (e.g. Google Camera or banking services).
How to check the processor on your Redmi Note 8 Pro
If you’re not sure what processor is installed in your device, it can be easily identified in a number of ways, which is especially useful when buying a used phone to avoid model swapping.
Methods of verification:
- Through MIUI settings: Open Settings → About Phone. Tap a few times on the MIUI version until the full specification menu appears. The CPU section will indicate the name of the chip.
- Diagnostic applications: 📱 CPU-Z (It shows a model of the processor, the core, GPU). 📱 AIDA64 (detailed information about the chipset, memory, sensors). 📱 DevCheck (convenient interface with visualization of loading of cores).
- The ADB command: adb shell cat /proc/cpuinfo In the output, look for the Hardware string - it will indicate qcom (Qualcomm) or mt (MediaTek).
☑️ Check the processor on the Redmi Note 8 Pro
If the settings indicate MediaTek Helio G90T and the seller claimed it was a Snapdragon 665, that is a reason to doubt the honesty of the seller.
Optimizing performance: tips for the Snapdragon 665
Even with the limitations of the Snapdragon 665, you can improve the performance of the Redmi Note 8 Pro with software and hardware settings.
- ⚡ Disabling background processes: Go to Settings → Annexes → Autostart and disable autoboot for unnecessary programs. c Settings → Battery → Select Performance Mode "Balanced".
- ⚡ Cache Cleanup: Clean the cache regularly through Settings → Warehouse → Clear the cache. Use it. SD Maid for deep cleaning of system files.
- ⚡ Settings for games: Enable Game Mode in the notification curtain. Set GFX Tool for forced reduction of resolution in games.
- ⚡ Firmware and kernel: Update MIUI For advanced users: custom core firmware (e.g., FrancoKernel) can give an increase in the value of the 10-15%.
⚠️ Note: Installing custom firmware or cores will void the warranty and may result in a brick (inoperability) of the device. TWRP Or Mi Flash Tool.
What is a brick and how to avoid it?
Frequent Processor Problems and Solutions
Redmi Note 8 Pro users with Snapdragon 665 sometimes face specific issues with the processor, and let’s look at the most common ones and how to fix them.
- 🔥 Overheating: Cause: Clogged radiator or thermal paste (relevant for devices older than 2 years).Solution: Disassemble the phone and clean the radiator of dust. Replace the thermopaste if necessary (e.g., on Arctic MX-4).
- 🐢 Lags in games: Cause: Trottling (reduced frequency) due to overheating or limitations MIUI. Solution: Install Xiaomi’s Game Booster or disable the restriction FPS through ADB: adb shell settings put global force_high_performance true
- 🔋 Fast battery discharge: Cause: Background activity of cores Cortex-A73 Solution: Use Greenify to hibernate apps or roll back to an earlier version MIUI (12.0.3 instead of 12.5).
- 📶 Bad Network Signal: Reason: Weak modem X12 LTE Solution: Enable the option in the engineering menu (#4636##) LTE only.
If problems persist after all manipulations, this may indicate a hardware defect (for example, detachment of the chip from the motherboard), in which case it is recommended to contact the service center.