11'

Xiaomi Redmi 3 to have ‘Exynos 7422 killer’ Helio X12?

Yash GargDecember 2, 2015

MediaTek’s Helio X10 is already quite a popular franchise, but MediaTek don’t seem to be in a mood to let any room for competition to crop up… especially from the Qualcomm camps.

Which is why the company is reportedly working on a slightly upgraded version of the MediaTek Helio X10, aka the Helio X12.

Besides Snapdragon SoCs, this upcoming MediaTek chip could very well give the likes of an Exynos 7422 a run for its money. Among the Qualcomm made SoCs, MediaTek is eyeing the Snapdragon 618 and the 620 specifically, reports suggest.

Moving on, the first phone to feature this SoC could be none other than the upcoming Redmi 3. While the Redmi Note (and the Mi Note) series from Xiaomi look after large-screen phone lovers, the Redmi (minus the Note suffix) series is usually made for users that want to use their phone in one hand.

Gizchina News of the week

Join GizChina on Telegram

MediaTek Helio X12 AnTuTu

According to the source, the MediaTek Helio X12 — with a model name MT6795X — manages a respectable 55,000 points on AnTuTu. This is besides the 1100 and 5400 points it scores on Geekbench’s single- and multi-core tests.

As MediaTek has done in the past (the MediaTek MT6575 and the MT6577 come to mind), the Helio X12 could be pin-to-pin compatible with the Helio X10. What does this mean? This means that phone makers won’t have to redesign their motherboards and can easily accommodate the newer SoC without hassle.

Now that the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 and the Redmi Note 3 are out of the way, the focus now shifts on the Redmi 3 (which should be out in Q1 next year) and of course, the long overdue Mi 5.

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

About the author
Yash Garg
Yash is a blogger by profession, builder of things by passion and foodie by birth. You'll usually find him talking about technology, music, travel and the game of cricket on the streets of Pune when not busy writing or speeding his way through the country! Read more on retro handheld gaming on RETRO91

You can learn more about Yash, add him to your Google+ circles or follow him on Twitter to stay connected!

MattD
December 2, 2015
Sub 5-inch phone with decent specs?! It would really be a total killer: now everyone searching for something like that gives 500$ to sony for they z compact line… I wouldn’t buy something like that anyway, but it’d be an overkill move in the lower segment… After shaking phablet’s market, it’s likely from xiaomi to do the same in the “nearby-smartwatch-screen” market, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if this rumor is true!
- crappkid
  December 2, 2015
  Lets just hope the price is somewhat competitive compared to say Letv’s phones, which imo atm gives an enormous value for the money.
  - balcobomber25
    December 2, 2015
    Xiaomi is consistent with pricing, expect it to be around 799 yuan at launch, which is about $125 US.

Muhammad Yasir
December 2, 2015
wait a second … isnt Redmi supposed to be an entry level phone ?!
are they out of their minds (in a good way) , inserting that high-end chip in a BUDGET PHONE ?!
- MattD
  December 2, 2015
  There’s room for everything: entry level phone with low price, and mid-ranger with better specs at a slightly higher price… Thus would explain the “pro” in a future “redmi 3 pro” model, since the actual 1gb of extra ram is not exactly what everybody did expected from the redmi 2 pro…
  Don’t expect something like that to be a sub-100$ smartphone like past redmi models, yet it should have a fair spec/price ratio like redmi note 2!
  - Guaire
    December 2, 2015
    - balcobomber25
      December 2, 2015
      - Muhammad Yasir
        December 2, 2015
        i just hope everything is cheap for the best 😀 !
      - Guaire
        December 2, 2015
        As I remember I told that they couldn’t sell it with those specs at the Redmi and Redmi 1s’ price tag. Anyway Redmi was never a sub $100 phone.
        
        balcobomber25
        December 2, 2015
        Not at launch but usually a few months after launch you can find them for right around $100.
  - Muhammad Yasir
    December 2, 2015
    lets hope its a great deal … even tho the small screen size is a turn-off for me
- balcobomber25
  December 2, 2015
  It’s not really a high end chip, Mediateks high end chip for 2016 is X20 and maybe X30 at end of year. This will still be sold for under $150.
  - Muhammad Yasir
    December 2, 2015
    but 6795 still is a very potent chip … pretty sure its ‘pro’ version wont be a slacker either.
    all in all , i’ll be delighted to see this in a redmi , even tho im not a fan of their diminutive screen sizes

Guaire
December 2, 2015
When a Redmi had better chip than its Redmi Note counterpart? If there will be a Redmi 3 it gonna be lower specced than Redmi Note 2/3. At best case it might be equipped with the P10 I guess.
Furthermore I’m not sure there is a room for the Redmi 3 especially in short term. Yeah, Redmi 2 launched almost a whole year ago. So expecting a Redmi 3 in a couple of months is quite understandable.
But right now starting price of the Redmi Note 2 placed to the original Redmi and Redmi 1s’ price range.
Also remember Leadcore’s new octacore chip will be ready before end of the year. Xiaomi can build even a cheaper Redmi Note 2 with it.
- balcobomber25
  December 2, 2015
  There’s room for the Redmi 3, not everyone wants a large screen phone or has enough to buy a Mi4c/Mi5.
  - Guaire
    December 2, 2015
    Not enough reason to make a Redmi 3 IMO.
    Redmi Note was never just a larger Redmi. It was besides being larger a more advanced, more expensive Redmi.
    To make it cheaper Xiaomi was cutting from every possible corner. Xiaomi could make it same spec by spec with the Note except display at similar cost, but they didn’t.
    Budget conscious consumers care less about the size I think.
    - MattD
      December 2, 2015
      The first redmi note had snapdragon 400, same soc of the first redmi: they were indeed ment to be one the larger version of the other, the game changed this year with the second generation of redmi note because the market really is into phablet mood, so they decided to break in with a powerful phablet, but still both redmi and redmi note are xiaomi’s cheap offer!
      - Guaire
        December 2, 2015
        Nope, first Redmi had MT6592. Starting with LTE era in China, Xiaomi released a 4G model of the Redmi Note with Snapdragon 400, because at the time Mediatek didn’t have a SoC with integrated LTE modem.
        Also first Redmi had MT6589 not the SD400 . Redmi 1s had Snapdragon 400. Not to mention camera resolutions and RAM differences with the Redmi Note.
        So what are you saying is not true. The Redmi Note was not just a larger Redmi.
    - balcobomber25
      December 2, 2015
      Plenty of reason to make a Redmi 3. The Redmi has always been the top selling phone for Xiaomi, it would be crazy not to have a new model with updated hardware. Xiaomi really didn’t have to cut corners with the Redmi they just used budget parts but they still performed very well for the price point and still had the same Xiaomi build quality and support. There is a difference between cutting corners and building a great budget phone. Doogee cuts corners, Xiaomi makes good phones.
      Budget conscious consumers have just as much concerns as those of us who buy flagships. Just because they can’t afford a flagship doesn’t mean they have no likes or dislikes when it comes to screen size or camera type or anything else. Why make it same as the Note when there is new hardware coming out that is most likely the same price point as they paid for the Note?
      - Guaire
        December 2, 2015
        Their top selling phone was their flagship. Xiaomi sold more than 6 million units of Redmi Note 2 in just a 100 days.
        Lets look at the Redmi 1s. At the time Redmi Note was on the market with MT6592, 13MP main cam, 5MP front cam and 2GB RAM.
        They could make Redmi 1s with that exact same specs in a smaller size, but price would have more than 799 yuan for sure.
        Surely they cut some corners comparing to the Redmi Note.
        
        balcobomber25
        December 2, 2015
        That’s like saying the Mi4 cut some corners compared to the Mi Note. They are different models for different buyers at different price points. There was also a “budget” version of the Hongmi Note that had 1GB of RAM and an underclocked 6592M (1.4 Ghz) that sold for 799 yuan.
        They could have offered a Redmi Pro model with 2GB RAM then but there was no demand for it, the Redmi and Redmi 1s were selling like crazy at that 799 price point. They still continue to sell well in some markets.
        
        Guaire
        December 2, 2015
        Are we not discussing here whether or not Redmi is just a smaller model of Redmi Note?
        Their target clearly was making Redmi 1s cheaper than the Redmi Note. Remember Redmi 1s released just 2 months after the Redmi Note. To make it cheaper they have to build it at lower cost.
        I’m sure there was demand for a more advanced Redmi 1s model similar to the Redmi Note. As you stated budget conscious consumers have also their own preferences, but Xiaomi choose to cover it with a lower cost device because they couldn’t afford to releasing so many different device. So consumers forced to picking between smaller, weaker and cheaper with larger, more powerful and more expensive.
        balcobomber25
        December 2, 2015
        I am not discussing that. I am arguing that there is room for both models, which you said there is no room for the Redmi 3.
        If the demand for a more powerful Redmi 1s was larger enough Xiaomi would have released one, but it wasn’t. Xiaomi responds to the demands of its customers just look at the Mi4c. The demand for the Redmi was best specs for lowest possible price. That is what Xiaomi gave them. Personally I chose the Redmi over the Note, not because of the screen size but because of the SoC. The 6592 was more powerful but it was terrible for GPS and battery life wasn’t that great with it.
  - Muhammad Yasir
    December 2, 2015
December 2, 2015
Hey Gizchina Team,
do you have contact to Xiaomi or know someone really important in the company?
If so, please tell them, to include Band20 in future in the upcoming phones.
Thx
- balcobomber25
  December 2, 2015
  They won’t include it until they actually sell in a country that uses it, same with US LTE bands.
  - MaxPower
    December 2, 2015
    c’mon Balco, don’t be a jerk.
    call Hugo or Lei and tell them to include Band 12/17/20.
    Also tell them to include SD card slot, NFC, metal chassis, fingerprint reader and IR blaster.
    ohhh, i almost forgot…
    Please be cheap!!!!
    - balcobomber25
      December 2, 2015
      They also need to offer the phone for 99 yuan and include a free pair of Piston headphones, Mi Band and Mi Pad 2.