I want to quickly discuss the ongoing stagnation of the budget smartphone market. This is particularly the continued use of the MediaTek Helio G80 series. Previously I talked about the stagnation of the lower mid-range market with most OEMs insisting on reusing the Helio G100 on all their phones.
We’re going to have the same conversation on the stagnation of the budget smartphone market here. We’ll look at how the use of Helio G80 series SoCs and more recently the Unisoc T7000 series (formerly T600 series) has become common place.
Recently, I had a heated exchange on Facebook with someone who seemed oblivious to the very little progress that the budget segment has made. This debate started after I reposted a review of the Redmi A5 across multiple groups on social media. This attracted a mix of insightful, misinformed, and outright ridiculous opinions.
What became clear is that many people don’t realize we’ve been stuck at the same 250k AnTuTu performance level since 2020, and things haven’t improved. It’s bad enough that Unisoc’s SoCs are now catching up to MediaTek in raw performance.
You may also be interested in:
- MediaTek Helio G100 and the Stagnation of the Lower Mid-Range Market
- MediaTek Helio G85 vs Unisoc T606: Which SoC is better for mid-range smartphones?
- Helio G92 vs Helio G90T: Why naming schemes can be deceiving
Understanding the Budget Smartphone Segment
The budget segment sits just above entry-level devices but below lower mid-range smartphones. These devices are powered by SoCs that are better than entry-level processors (like the Unisoc T603 or Helio G50) but weaker than lower mid-range options like the Helio G100, Dimensity 6080, or Snapdragon 4S Gen 2.
Over the years, different processors have occupied this budget space. These usually being older mid-range chips demoted due to increasing Android requirements. Here’s a brief timeline:
- 2016: MT6573 and MT6580 were considered budget SoCs.
- 2017: MT6737 and Helio A22 entered the budget category.
- 2018: Helio P22 and Snapdragon 625 were budget options.
- 2019: MediaTek changed the game with the Helio G70, designed to compete directly with Qualcomm’s budget and lower mid-range SoCs.
The Rise and Stagnation of the Helio G80 Series
In 2019, MediaTek in their war on Qualcomm Snapdragon decided to play by a new set of rules and produced a new SoC from scratch. This aim of this was to take on Qualcomm and steal the budget/lower mid-range.
They had to because the Helio P22 and P35 were already way past their prime. The result was the MediaTek Helio G70. The Helio G70 took on all the budget and lower mid-range SoCs of its time like the Exynos 7904, Snapdragon 660, 665 and 662 and won, even if it was only by slight margins.
MediaTek followed up the success of the Helio G70 with the Helio G80 and G85 in 2020. These were essentially the same chips with slightly higher clock speeds. These SoCs set the standard for budget performance at around 250k AnTuTu points—and that’s where we’ve been stuck ever since.
From 2021 onward, MediaTek continued this pattern by releasing “new” chips that were just slight variations of the G80:
- Helio G88 (2021): it’s just the Helio G85 with support for 64MP cameras.
- Helio G91 (2024): same Helio G85 with support for 100MP cameras.
- Helio G92 and G81 (2024): Minor tweaks, same 250k AnTuTu score.
Through clever marketing, MediaTek has convinced many people that these are completely new processors. I’ve seen users move from a G85-powered phone to a G92-powered phone thinking they’re upgrading. In reality however, they’re just getting the same performance with a new name.
Unisoc is Playing the Same Game
Unisoc has taken notice of MediaTek’s strategy and has been rolling out its own variations of a single processor template with similar results. They have launched and rebranded the following processors to some success on the budget market. These include:
- Unisoc T606 (T7200)
- Unisoc T610
- Unisoc T612 (T7225)
- Unisoc T615 (T7250)
- Unisoc T616 (T7255)
- Unisoc T618
- Unisoc T620 (T7280)
These are all minor variations of the same SoC, delivering performance in the 250-270k AnTuTu range.
They are rebranded, resold, and marketed as “new,” just like their MediaTek counterparts. The result? A stagnant budget market where consumers are essentially buying the same performance year after year.
The Illusion of Choice
The most frustrating part of this situation is that people are now arguing over which of these nearly identical SoCs is better—MediaTek’s Helio G80 series or Unisoc’s T600 series.
Imagine someone who bought a Redmi 9 in 2020 now wanting to upgrade, only to end up with a Redmi 14C in 2025—which has essentially the same processor and performance level. That’s the reality we’re dealing with.
Final Thoughts
If you’re in the market for a phone between 200-300k Naira, chances are you’re getting a device powered by some variation of the Helio G80 series or a Unisoc T600 chip. These devices all hover around the same 250-270k AnTuTu performance level.
The stagnation of the budget smartphone market is real. It is no accident—it’s a deliberate strategy by smartphone brands and chipset manufacturers to max out profits while offering minimal improvements.
As always, do your research before upgrading your phone. Don’t fall for clever marketing tricks that convince you to buy the same performance dressed up as something new.
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