SKK Chronos Byte vs Chronos Cross – Which is Better For You?

Two of SKK’s newly introduced Chronos phones are up in this  ultimate comparison, as the SKK Chronos Byte (priced at Php 2,599) takes on the other guy, SKK Chronos Cross (priced at Php 3,299). Who among these two SKK phones will pair in better in specs, software performances, and camera?

More posts and review can be found here

• SKK Chronos Bye hands-on, full specs
• SKK Chronos Cross hands-on, full specs
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 VS Lenovo Vibe K4 Note review comparison

Design and build

Both smartphones seemed to be designed with inspiration from various handsets such as the Huawei Mate 8. The Chronos Byte for example, really has a Huawei-feel on display, especially in its back design. There’s also a fingerprint scanner-looking circle just below the rear shooter, though the device itself doesn’t carry the security feature.

Both are handily made from polycarbonate, with the bigger SKK Chronos Cross enabling a more premium-like look, thanks to its size advantage. The SKK Chronos Cross and Byte are good-looking indeed, but they don’t seem to bring anything new to the table.

Display and viewing experience

The Chronos Byte packs a 5.5-inch HD display while the Chronos Cross sports a 6-inch qHD display. From first glance, there’s very little difference to be noticed, especially when you’re comparing these two by looking at still images. However, upon comparing them via video. The Chronos Byte’s HD display and the smaller screen seem to bring out a more in-depth viewing experience than of the Chronos Cross.

Camera shooting

The Chronos Cross packs the bigger arsenal in camera shooting amongst the two, with its 8MP/5MP camera pairing, in comparison to the 5MP/2MP camera pairing of the Chronos Byte.

In daylight shooting, both camera shooters delivered bright and punchy colors in their outputs, however upon closer inspection, the Chronos Cross showcased a more accurate and clear output than the Chronos Byte.

For night shooting, it seems that both barely delivered a satisfactory performance, though we didn’t expect much from them, to be honest. Night outputs were barely detailed with various noise on both of their outputs. However, we found that the Chronos Cross was more favorable, thanks to its brighter and more detailed output between the two.

For selfies, we found a few problems in the Chronos Byte’s side, namely the front lens being a bit too small , thus blurring out long distance background as seen in the photo (take a look at the hippo background and trees). However, on the Cross’ side, we were satisfied with its more crisp and accurate selfie output.

Performance and benchmarks

The Chronos Byte packs a MediaTek MT6580 while the Chronos Cross packs a Spreadtrum SC7731. In paper, the Byte should deliver a more satisfying performance overall and the benchmark ratings pretty much show it. However, we’ve experienced a few problems with both phones, mostly on the Chronos Byte. Various lagging issues upon using an app or simply browsing around were felt. This was a bit troubling at first, but nevertheless, overall performance from both of them are pretty average.

Antutu ratings

• Chronos Byte – 23596
• Chronos Cross – 20078

Battery

The Byte and Cross don’t exactly carry the biggest battery capacity, since they only have to the 2300mAh battery of the Chronos Byte and 2800mAh battery of the Chronos Cross, however, they should deliver a sensible battery performance, for as long as you only do light tasks with them. The Byte carried a 2-hour on-screen time, with 7 to 10 hours lasting time upon moderate use, while the Chronos Cross had a 2 to 3-hour on screen time with an 8 to 12 hours lasting time upon moderate use.

SKK Chronos Byte

• 2 hours on-screen time
• 7 to 10 hours lasting time (upon moderate use, web browsing, social media)
• 1 hour and 35 minutes charging time

SKK Chronos Byte

• 2-3 hours on screen time
• 8 to 12 hours lasting time (upon moderate use)
• 1 hour 45 minutes charging time

Speaker and audio

Both the Chronos Byte and Cross carry a single rear bottom speaker. Quality-wise, the Cross delivered a clearer and refined audio output, while the Byte delivered a louder and wider audio range. The softer audio from the Cross kinda fell flat while the louder and more audible audio of the Chronos Byte surely was something more appealing.

Price and verdict

The Chronos Byte seemed to be better in the display department, thanks to its smaller yet more diverse HD display, also it seems to best the Cross in the performance category. However, if you’re into a bigger display with a manageable camera performance, then the Chronos Cross might be the better pick.

Now, which would you prefer? A bigger display or a better performer?