Exynos or Snapdragon - which smartphone processor is better in 2021?

Our comparison traditionally begins with chips that are far from being the best on the planet. Also, they are not new. If Samsung introduced its creation in 2020, then the Qualcomm product has been on the market since June 2018. However, this does not prevent the two processors from being actively supported, and therefore new smartphones based on them receive Android 10 or even a more recent version of the operating system.

Both chips consist of eight nuclei. However, they cannot be called the same. In the case of the Exynos 850, Cortex-A55 cores are waiting for you, running at a clock frequency of 2 GHz. The Snapdragon 632 has four Cortex-A53 and four Cortex-A73 cores. The frequency of all of them does not exceed 1.8 GHz. Purely in theory, such a solution will be slightly less productive.

Equally important is the one used by companies technical process. In this regard, the Qualcomm product is far inferior to its 8-nanometer competitor. This means that a smartphone based on Exynos 850 will consume less electricity. And you can also count on less noticeable heating of the South Korean chip in games.

The processor from Samsung also wins due to graphics accelerator, which he uses as Mali-G52 MP1, operating at a frequency of 820 MHz.However, the difference in games, if it is noticeable, is only in direct comparison. Especially if both devices are equipped with the same amount of RAM. By the way, the maximum processors are able to recognize 8 GB. At the same time, the South Korean chip is ready to work with LPDDR4X memory, which has a higher data read speed.

Speaking of support cameras, then it is felt that the Exynos 850 was created exclusively for embedding in budget devices. Yes, it is ready to recognize a 48-megapixel camera. But at the same time, you will definitely be limited to shooting video in Full HD resolution. As for the chip from Qualcomm, it supports shooting 4K video, albeit at a frequency of no higher than 30 frames / s.

Concerning network capabilities, they are exactly the same for the two processors. As much as possible, you can count on Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0 and LTE of the seventh category. Usually, the buyer of a budget smartphone does not expect more.

In this comparison, Samsung's product wins. It supports faster memory, and its cores are ready to run at slightly higher clock speeds. However, the gap is very small.It is very difficult to notice it during actual operation of the device. And let's not forget that this processor works worse with cameras, which for many is the most important factor.

Both of these chips were announced at the end of 2019. This time, Qualcomm used a 7nm technical process. However, the competitor from South Korea is not too far behind - his creation was created using an 8-nanometer process technology. All this indicates that in terms of power consumption, both chips turned out to be approximately equal.

In terms of design, the processors have noticeable differences. The operating system and many applications will use six nuclei Cortex-A55 operating at 1.8 GHz. In Exynos 980, they are supplemented by a pair of Cortex-A77 cores (frequency 2.2 GHz). In Snapdragon 765, the situation is different. There, the six above-mentioned cores are supplemented by two Cortex-A76. At the same time, one of them is capable of operating at frequencies up to 2.3 GHz. Is there a difference in practice? It is hard to say.

In games, the Qualcomm product performs a little better. They activate graphics accelerator Adreno 620. However, the Mali G76 MP5 is not as bad as it seems. If the smartphone has a relatively low display resolution, then in both cases you can count on a decent frame rate at medium graphics settings.

The slight loss of the Samsung chip is also noticeable in the supported memory. A device with such a processor will offer the buyer no more than 8 GB. If we talk about Snapdragon 765, then it is ready to recognize 12 GB. The problem is that smartphone makers only choose this chip when building mid-range models, and they never get that much RAM.

Exynos 980 wins back on cells. This chip is ready to process incoming data at such a speed that 4K video shooting at 120 frames / s becomes available to the user! This, of course, is in theory, if the manufacturer equips his creation with a magnificent matrix. As for the Snapdragon 765, at best, a smartphone based on it will offer traditional 4K video shooting at 30 frames / s.

In terms of communication, the South Korean processor looks a little more interesting. However, both chips support 5G, Wi-Fi 802.11ax and Bluetooth 5.0. And the theoretical maximum speed of data transmission and reception - in any case, it can only be achieved in laboratory conditions. We can safely say that Snapdragon will squeeze out everything that is available to it - both from the cellular network and from your router.

So, Exynos vs Snapdragon, mid-budget segment. In this comparison, we will give preference to the product of the American company Qualcomm. Even if you just look at the tests of smartphones based on it, it becomes clear that the chip has a slightly more productive graphics core. Namely, in games, the difference in the behavior of processors is most noticeable. The South Korean chip is played on cameras, but devices with it are usually equipped with relatively simple modules.

These chips can be called oldies, because their announcement took place at the end of 2018. However, both models turned out to be so successful that smartphones based on them can still be found on sale. For example, Exynos 9820 is found in the flagship Samsung Galaxy S10. As for the Snapdragon 855, it is used by the fourth Pixel, Xiaomi Mi 9, Sony Xperia 1 and even the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Already only by these names it is clear that the chipset is very productive.

Processors from Qualcomm and Samsung are based on technical process 7 nm and 8 nm, respectively. Snapdragon boasts one very powerful core (2.84 GHz), three medium (2.42 GHz) and four weaker (1.8 GHz). As a result, such a chip is able to adapt to the needs of absolutely any application or game. However, the same can be said about the Exynos 9820.Two of its cores can operate at frequencies up to 2.7 GHz, two more at 2.3 GHz, and the remaining four are the weakest (the frequency rises only to 1.9 GHz). This flagship is enough.

Smartphones based on both chips score about 500 thousand points in AnTuTu Benchmark. This is a great result! It is also achieved through graphics accelerator. The Americans built the Adreno 640 into it, and the South Koreans - the Mali G76 MP12. Since smartphones with these processors have by no means prohibitively high resolution displays, most modern games are launched with ultra-graphics settings. In this case, you can count on 50-60 frames / s. Only demanding Fortnite with this level of graphics produces no more than 30 FPS.

Snapdragon 855 supports more volume random access memory - up to 16 GB. But there is no doubt that none of the manufacturers will dare to achieve this figure when using the above-mentioned processor. How will they not embed a 192-megapixel camera, which in theory should also be recognized by the chipset without any problems. But still, it should be noted that this model is ready to help in 4K video shooting at up to 120 frames / s. Or in shooting 8K video at a lower frequency. However, in this regard, Exynos 9820 looks even more interesting. But its limit will definitely not be used - now Samsung has switched to more recent processors.

Concerning connections, then both chips have support for LTE category 20. This means that in theory they are ready to receive data at speeds up to 2 Gb / s. In practice, of course, it will not be possible to achieve it. If we talk about sending data, then the maximum declared is 316 Mbps.It should also be noted support for the fifth version of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 802.11ax. And Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 also got a 5G modem!

These two chips turned out to be approximately equal. The difference between them is microscopic. At least, if you do not remember about 5G support, so far few people need it. In games, the Qualcomm solution turns out to be a little more productive, but the increase is literally 3-5 frames / s. A similar difference is observed in terms of energy efficiency.

In the case of the Snapdragon 870, we can say that Qualcomm squeezed out of the 7nm technical process almost the maximum. She endowed her creation core Cortex-A77 clocked up to 3.2GHz! Three similar cores operate at up to 2.42 GHz.And the operating system and undemanding applications will use four Cortex-A55 cores, the clock frequency of which does not exceed 1.8 GHz. Alas, the Exynos 990 is not capable of anything like this. Its two most powerful cores operate at a frequency no higher than 2.73 GHz, and the other two - at 2.5 GHz. But on the other hand, four Cortex-A55s are not so weak here - their frequency is 2 GHz. However, this can also play a negative role, negatively affecting energy efficiency.

Benchmark and game tests show that the Snapdragon 870 is a much more powerful processor. And not only because of the computing cores. The Adreno 650 allows you to enjoy higher frame rates than the Mali-G77 MP11. At least at identical display resolution, ultra settings charts and the same amount of RAM. For example, the Xiaomi Black Shark 4 gaming smartphone using a processor from Qualcomm produces a stable 60 frames / s in Call of Duty Mobile. In some World of Tanks Blitz, you can even count on 105 fps. Even in the very beautiful Genshin Impact, an adequate 50 fps is observed on average. It is not surprising that in AnTuTu Benchmark, the above-mentioned device scored over 700 thousand “parrots”, while the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra scored 50 thousand points less.

Flagship chips may not have much difference in supported volume random access memory. The declared figures confirm this: theoretically, smartphones can receive 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. There is not much difference in supported wireless standards. Both processors are ready to work in 5G networks. They also understand LTE category 24, which in theory indicates the ability to download files at speeds up to 3 Gb / s. Wi-Fi 802.11ax is not forgotten here either.Some difference is observed only in the Bluetooth module - Snapdragon 870 supports version 5.2.

Concerning cameras, then Qualcomm announced incredible numbers. Its chip is ready to recognize a 200-megapixel module, while the competitor is limited to a resolution of 108 megapixels! However, we are much more interested in video shooting. In this regard, both processors turned out to be equal - they are maximally ready to write 8K video at a frequency of 30 frames / s. And yet, the Exynos 990 is a little “smoother” - when shooting 4K video, it is not limited to 60 frames per second, offering twice the setting.

Flagships, Exynos vs Snapdragon, a longstanding confrontation. Our comparison shows well why some people are eager to order a top-end Galaxy from abroad, as long as it is based on a Qualcomm processor. Such a chip will indeed be more powerful. This is evidenced by smartphones currently on sale based on the Snapdragon 870 - for example, Xiaomi Mi 10S or Oppo Find X3. Games on them run at a noticeably higher frame rate. However, if you are not a gamer, then you still run the risk of not feeling much of a difference.

Both processors were introduced in December 2020. And any connoisseur will tell you that comparing these chips is stupid. Indeed, it immediately becomes clear that the victory will be for the creation of Qualcomm. And this despite the fact that it is not able to boast a higher operating frequency! Benchmarks will not let you lie, in them any smartphone based on this chipset scores a good 50 thousand points more.

Basically Snapdragon 888 wins due to its graphics accelerator Adreno 660. Its clock speed reaches an impressive 840 MHz. Computing power is 1720 Gflops. If we talk about a competitor, then they use the Mali-G78 MP14 with an operating frequency of 760 MHz. As a result, with identical resolution and graphics level, a device with such a processor will produce 5-10 frames / s less in games.

Curiously, the chip from Qualcomm is ready to recognize up to 24 GB random access memory. Of course, no one will ever build such a volume into a smartphone or tablet. Therefore, Exynos, which supports "only" 16 GB, does not look like a loser.

As for multimedia, both chips are ready to display the image on a 4K display. They also support a 200-megapixel module cameras. As much as possible, they are ready to process the data stream, which is enough for 8K video shooting at up to 30 frames / s. If you reduce the resolution to 4K, then you can achieve a frame rate of 120 frames / s.

In terms of connections these two chipsets also do not cause complaints. They support LTE category 24, Wi-Fi 802.11ax and Bluetooth 5.2. What more could you want? Work in 5G networks? She is also available.

The most common now processor from Qualcomm. Based on it, ASUS Zenfone 8, Realme GT 5G, ASUS ROG Phone 5, ZTE Nubia Red Magic 6 Pro and many other smartphones were created. Exynos is rarely supplied to the side, it is used only by Samsung itself. Based on the top-end chip, the flagship Galaxy S21 and its derivatives were created.

If you believe the benchmarks, then the Snapdragon 888 is the winner. But in practice, it turns out that you can only notice the difference when measuring with a stopwatch. Smartphones with both processors will definitely delight you with almost perfect performance. And you will definitely be able to run games at maximum graphics settings. A 5nm technical process made these chips as energy efficient as possible. You can only complain about a Qualcomm product for too much heating. But this problem is usually solved by smartphone manufacturers with a good cooling system consisting of copper tubes.

Many fans of powerful smartphones will say that the loser in the confrontation "Exynos vs Snapdragon" is clear in advance. Indeed, if we talk about top and mid-budget models, then Qualcomm manages to release more powerful solutions. It is a pity that such chips cost a lot of money, and therefore smartphones are very expensive.

As any attentive reader will understand, the difference between the processors is not as great as it might seem. Therefore, there is no point in looking for a conditional flagship from Samsung based on Snapdragon. Most often, Exynos turns out to be so fast that there are no complaints about it. And in the budget segment, it completely surpasses its competitor.