The Xiaomi Redmi 6A is one of the most popular budget smartphones of 2018, and is still in widespread use in many countries, with its main advantage being price-to-feature ratio, but a key part of it is the processor. If you're wondering what chipset is in this model and what it's capable of, you've come to the right place.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the Helio A22 processor that underpins the Redmi 6A: its architecture, specifications, real performance in games and everyday tasks, and compare it to competitors (like the Snapdragon 425) and give practical tips on how to make the most of this budget chip. If you are planning to buy a used device or already own it, here you will find answers to all the questions about the heart of a smartphone.
Specifications of the Helio A22 processor in the Redmi 6A
The MediaTek Helio A22 processor (codenamed MT6761) was announced in 2018 as a budget-friendly entry-level smartphone solution built on a 12nm process, which was a progressive step for its time – previous chips of the same class (such as the Helio A20) used 28nm.
The main parameters of the chipset:
- 🔹 Architecture: 4 cores ARM Cortex-A53 clockwise.
- 🔹 Graphics: PowerVR GE8320 650 MHz.
- 🔹 Memory support: LPDDR3 or LPDDR4X (redmi 6A used LPDDR3).
- 🔹 modem: Cat.4 (up to 150 Mbit / s on download, 50 Mbit / s on return).
- 🔹 Display support: resolution up to 1600×720 (HD+).
It is important to note that the Helio A22 belongs to the MediaTek series “A”, which is positioned as more energy efficient and optimized for basic tasks than the Helio P lineup. This means that the chipset is not designed for high loads, but copes with everyday scenarios: calls, instant messengers, watching video at 720p.
⚠️ Note: In some regions of Redmi 6A It came with a Helio processor. A22 It's 1.8 GHz instead of 2.0 GHz, depending on the firmware version and the market. CPU-Z.
Architecture and performance: what is hiding the Helio A22
The Helio A22 chipset is based on the ARM Cortex-A53 cores, a classic architecture for budget devices that debuted back in 2014, and is still relevant today because of its low power consumption and sufficient performance for simple tasks.
Key features of architecture:
- 🔧 4 cores without division into "large" and "small" (unlike big.LITTLE in more expensive chips).
- 🔧 Support for instructions: ARMv8-A (64-bit architecture).
Imagination Technologies’ PowerVR GE8320 graphics accelerator is a simplified version of the GE8300 that is used in more powerful chips (like the Helio P22), which supports OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.0 and H.264/H.265 video decoding hardware at up to 1080p resolution.
In synthetic tests (such as the AnTuTu 7), the Helio A22 scores about 60,000-70,000, which is comparable to the Snapdragon 425 or the Helio A20. However, in real-world scenarios, the difference is noticeable: thanks to a more modern process technology, the chip from MediaTek heats less and holds the battery longer.
Comparison with competitors: Helio A22 vs Snapdragon 425 vs Helio A20
To see how good (or bad) Helio is A22, Compare it to the main competitors in the budget segment of 2018-2019, all three chipsets were used in smartphones worth up to 10,000 ₽.
| Characteristics | Helio A22(Redmi 6A) | Snapdragon 425(Redmi 5A) | Helio A20(Nokia 2.1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technique | 12 nm | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| CPU cores | 4 × Cortex-A53 @ 2.0 GHz | 4 × Cortex-A53 @ 1.4 GHz | 4 × Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz |
| Graphics | PowerVR GE8320 @ 650 MHz | Adreno 308 @ 500 MHz | Mali-400 MP2 @ 500 MHz |
| AnTuTu 7 | ~65 000 | ~40 000 | ~35 000 |
| Support for cameras | Up to 21 MP (single) or 13+8 MP (double) | Up to 16 MP | Up to 13 MP |
The Helio A22 beats competitors in energy efficiency and support for modern standards (like Vulkan), but loses in multitasking due to the lack of core separation. For example, the Snapdragon 425 is better optimized for Android Go, and the Helio A20 is cheaper to produce, but is much inferior in performance.
Compared to newer chips (for example, the Helio G25 2020), the gap becomes obvious: the G25 has 8 cores and graphics PowerVR GE8320 at 650 MHz, but built on the architecture of Cortex-A53/A75, which gives an increase of 1.5-2 times in games.
Game performance: what will pull the Helio A22
Gamers often ask: "Is it possible to play Redmi?" 6A?" The answer is yes, but with reservations. A22 It is capable of running most casual and light games, but modern 3D-projects (e.g. projects, PUBG Mobile or Call of Duty: Mobile will only work on the minimum settings.
Testing popular games on Redmi 6A (2 GB of RAM, MIUI 12):
- 🎮 Clash Royale: 60 FPS medium settings, no lags.
- 🎮 Brawl Stars: 30–40 FPS low settings, rare slowdowns.
- 🎮 PUBG Mobile: 15–20 FPS on the "Smoothed" settings" + "Low".
- 🎮 Free Fire: 25–30 FPS In low settings, friezes are possible.
- 🎮 Among Us: 60 FPS stable, no problem.
The main problem when playing the Helio A22 is overheating. After 20 to 30 minutes of intense load, the temperature of the processor can reach 60 to 65 ° C, which leads to trottling.
☑️ How to reduce heat during games
⚠️ Attention: If at Redmi 6A 2GB of RAM is installed, games like Genshin Impact or Honor of Kings won’t even start due to memory shortages. These projects require a minimum of 3GB of RAM and a Helio-level chipset. G35.
Optimizing the processor: how to speed up the Redmi 6A
Even a low-end processor can be overclocked software, and here are some proven ways to improve the performance of the Helio A22:
Turning off background processes:
- 📱 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Autostart and disable autoboot for unnecessary programs.
- 📱 B Settings → Battery → Select “Balanced” instead of “High Performance".
2. Use of light firmware:
The official MIUI for Redmi 6A is often overloaded with unnecessary services.
- 🔄 LineageOS 16 (Android 9) - minimalist firmware without bloatware.
- 🔄 Pixel Experience – ported Android Go with optimizations for weak devices.
How do you sew custom firmware?
3. Cache and Dalvik cleanup:
Over time, the system gets clogged with temporary files to clear them.
- Turn off the phone.
- Press Volume Up + Power to enter Recovery.
- Select Wipe → Wipe Cache Partition and Wipe Dalvik Cache.
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If your smartphone is slowing down, try rolling back the firmware to an earlier version of MIUI. For example, MIUI 10 runs on the Helio A22 faster than the MIUI 12, despite having less functionality.
Frequent Processor Problems and Solutions
Owners of the Redmi 6A sometimes face problems with the Helio A22, and let’s look at the most common ones and how to fix them.
Heavy unloaded heating:
If the phone is warmed even in standby mode, possible reasons:
- 🔥 Thermointerface between the processor and the housing is damaged (solution: disassembly and replacement of the thermal paste).
- 🔥 Background activity of viruses or mining scripts (check in Settings) → Battery → Use of the).
- 🔥 Battery malfunction (bloated battery puts pressure on motherboard).
Hang and restart:
This is most often related to:
- 🔄 Memory overload (solution: install Lite versions of apps, such as Facebook Lite).
- 🔄 File system damage (solution: reset to factory settings via Settings) → Additionally. → Recovery and discharge).
- 🔄 Incompatible firmware (solution: rollback to official firmware) MIUI).
3. Low performance in games:
If the game is even played at the minimum settings:
- 🎮 Install Game Turbo from the Mi App Store (optimize resource allocation).
- 🎮 Turn off animation in Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (press 7 times on "Version" MIUI", Then in the developer settings set the animation on 0.5x).
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If after all the manipulations the smartphone continues to slow down, the problem may be in the hardware (for example, a detached memory chip), in this case, only repairs in the service center will help.