Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 is one of the most popular smartphones in the budget segment, which is still actively used by millions of users. When choosing or analyzing the performance of this device, many people wonder: how many cores in the processor and how they affect the speed of work? In this article, we will analyze in detail the architecture of the MediaTek Helio G85 chipset, compare it with its counterparts, and give practical tips for optimizing multitasking.
The number of cores is not the only criterion for performance, but more important is their architecture, clock speed, process technology and interaction with other components (for example, RAM). However, for most users, it is the cores that become a key guideline in assessing the “power” of a smartphone. Next, you will learn why the Redmi Note 9 has 8 cores, how they are distributed across clusters and what tasks each of them performs.
How many cores in the processor Xiaomi Redmi Note 9: official data
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 is equipped with 8-core processor MediaTek Helio G85 (model MT6769Z), which is built on a 12-nm process technology. This means that the chip contains two clusters of cores with different architecture and clock speed:
- 🔹 2 high-performance cores Cortex-A75 up to 2.0 GHz – Responsible for resource-intensive tasks (games, video rendering, multitasking).
- 🔹 6 Energy Efficient Cores Cortex-A55 Up to 1.8 GHz – optimized for everyday operations (social networks, instant messengers, video viewing).
This configuration is called big.LITTLE, and it balances performance and power consumption, for example, when you just surf the Internet, only the Cortex-A55 cores are used, and when you start a game, Cortex-A75 is connected, and switching between clusters is automatic and invisible to the user.
It is important to understand that all 8 cores are never running at full power at the same time, which will lead to overheating and rapid battery discharge. Instead, the system dynamically distributes the load, activating only the necessary cores. For example, when watching YouTube, 1-2 Cortex-A55 cores can be used, and when editing photos in Lightroom Mobile, all 8 cores with different intensity can be used.
The architecture of kernels: why not all kernels are the same
Separating cores into big and small (LITTLE) is a standard approach in today’s mobile processors, and in the case of the Helio G85, this is done as follows:
| Type of kernels | Architecture | Clock frequency | Appointment |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-performance | Cortex-A75 | 2.0 GHz | Games, video processing, heavy applications |
| Energy efficient | Cortex-A55 | 1.8 GHz | Background tasks, messengers, web surfing |
This architecture allows:
- 🔋 Save the battery charge - cores Cortex-A55 They consume 3-4 times less energy than Cortex-A75.
- ⚡ Increase productivity – “big” cores cope with tasks that would take a homogeneous architecture 2 times more time.
- 🔄 Optimize multitasking – the system can handle background processes (e.g., file downloads) and basic tasks (e.g., a game) in parallel).
In comparison, older smartphones (such as the Redmi Note 5 with the Snapdragon 625) used 8 identical Cortex-A53 cores, which limited performance in games and heavy applications. In the Helio G85, the combination of the A75 + A55 gives an increase of up to 40% in synthetic tests (according to AnTuTu).
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To find out which cores are currently in use, use the CPU Monitor app (available on Google Play), which shows the load on each core in real time.
Comparison with competitors: how many cores have analogues
In 2020, the year of the Redmi Note 9, most budget smartphones had 8-core processors, but their architecture was very different.
| Model | Processor | Number of kernels | Architecture | Clock frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy M21 | Exynos 9611 | 8 | 4×Cortex-A73 + 4×Cortex-A53 | 2.3 GHz / 1.7 GHz |
| Realme 6i | Helio G80 | 8 | 2×Cortex-A75 + 6×Cortex-A55 | 2.0 GHz / 1.8 GHz |
| Redmi Note 9 Pro | Snapdragon 720G | 8 | 2×Cortex-A76 + 6×Cortex-A55 | 2.3 GHz / 1.8 GHz |
As you can see from the table, the Redmi Note 9 is inferior to the Note 9 Pro in core architecture (Cortex-A76 vs. A75), but overtakes the Galaxy M21 due to more modern energy-efficient cores (A55 instead of A53).
- 📊 Geekbench 5 (single-threaded): Helio G85 — ~350 points, Snapdragon 720G — ~550 points.
- 🎮 3DMark (graphics): G85 — ~1,200 points, Exynos 9611 — ~900 points.
But in practice, the difference is not always felt: for example, in everyday tasks (social networks, YouTube), all three smartphones show approximately the same smoothness, but in games (PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty), the Redmi Note 9 can sink in FPS by 10-15% compared to the Note 9 Pro due to less powerful graphics cores (Mali-G52 MC2 vs Adreno 618).
Why is Redmi Note 9 overtaking its competitor with Snapdragon 720G in some tests?
How the number of cores affects the real work of the smartphone
Theoretically, the more cores, the better, but in practice, it depends on software optimization and the type of tasks, and let's look at how the 8 cores of the Redmi Note 9 perform in different scenarios:
- 🎮 Games: Launching 2 nucleus Cortex-A75 + 2–4 nucleus Cortex-A55 for background processes. PUBG Mobile in the settings "Balanced" FPS level 30–40, But with long sessions, it is possible to slow down due to overheating.
- 📸 Photo/video: When filming in 4K@30fps engage 8 cores, but video can "lie" during processing due to a weak graphics accelerator.
- 🔄 Multitasking: Simultaneous operation of 5-7 applications (e.g. Telegram) + Chrome + Spotify is not causing problems, but at 10+ processes begin to delay.
- 🔋 Energy consumption: When using all cores actively, the battery sits down 15-20% faster than when working only on the core. Cortex-A55.
The main problem with the Helio G85 is thermotrottling, which is that if the cores are running at their maximum frequency for a long time, the processor starts suffocating their power to avoid damage, as you can see in:
- 🔥 Long-term play sessions (more than 30 minutes).
- 📹 High-resolution video recordings in the heat.
- 🔄 Simultaneous download of files + video-watch.
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To work consistently, avoid running heavy games and background tasks at the same time (such as downloading torrents), which will reduce the load on the cores and prevent overheating.
How to optimize the cores in Redmi Note 9
Even with 8 cores, a smartphone can slow down if the system is not optimized. Here are a few ways to improve performance:
Disable Auto-Run Unnecessary Applications in Settings → Apps → Auto-Run
Set background process limitation in Settings → Special features → Process limitation
Use "Performance Mode" in Settings → Battery → Modes
Clean the cache once a week through Settings → Storage → Clean the cache
Update the firmware to the latest version MIUI-->
Additional advice:
- 🔧 Turn off animation: Go to Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Click 5 times to enable Developer Mode, then in Settings → Additionally. → For developers, install Windows animation = 0.5x.
- ❄️ Control the temperature: At temperatures above 45°C processor starts trottling. Use cooled cases or avoid direct sunlight.
- 🔄 Reboot the smartphone once every 2-3 days – it resets the suspended background processes that can load the cores.
⚠️ Note: Do not use applications to overclock the processor (for example, CPU They can increase the clock speed of cores, but this will lead to overheating and shorten the life of the chipset. - MediaTek Helio G85 Does not support official overclocking.
If the smartphone began to slow down noticeably, check:
- Processor load in Settings → Battery → Battery use.
- Temperature via AIDA64 app.
- Free RAM (should be at least 1.5 GB free).
Frequent myths about the number of cores in smartphones
There are a lot of misconceptions about mobile processors, and we're going to look at some of the most common ones.
- 🚫 "The more cores, the better": In practice, 8 weak cores lose 4 powerful ones. A13 Bionic (6 cores) overtakes Helio G85 in productivity 2-3 times.
- 🚫 "All cores work simultaneously": As we wrote above, the system uses only the necessary cores. All 8 can work simultaneously only in synthetic tests.
- 🚫 "Cores can be turned off to save battery": Redmi Note 9 doesn't have such a feature at the firmware level.Switching off cores requires root rights and can lead to unstable operation.
- 🚫 "MediaTek processors are worse than Snapdragon": in the budget segment (up to the current level) $200) Helio G85 Often surpasses Snapdragon 6xx In games thanks to the best graphics accelerator.
Another popular question is, "Can I add cores to the processor?" No, that's impossible. The number of cores is determined at the chipset's manufacturing stage and can't be changed software or hardware, and the only way to "boost" is to buy a smartphone with a more powerful processor.
⚠️ Note: Some “optimizers” from Google Play (e.g., Google Play, CPU Master) promise to "unlock hidden cores" is a scam — they just clear the cache and clean up the background processes without affecting the hardware.