HiSilicon Kirin 970 vs HiSilicon Kirin 990 4G. Specifications, performance, tests

Comprehensive background on the processors being compared, detailing their series, generation, and targeted market segment.

• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Family
  HiSilicon Kirin HiSilicon Kirin
• Generation
  6 8
• CPU group
  HiSilicon Kirin 970 HiSilicon Kirin 990

Essential parameters including the number of cores, threads, base and turbo frequencies, and cache size. These metrics provide insight into the processor’s speed—higher values generally indicate better performance.

• Frequency
  1.84 GHz 1.86 GHz
• CPU Cores
  8 8
• Turbo (1 Core)
  2.40 GHz 2.09 GHz
• CPU Threads
  8 8
• Turbo (8 Cores)
  2.40 GHz 2.86 GHz
• Hyperthreading
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No
• Core architecture
  hybrid (big.LITTLE) hybrid (Prime / big.LITTLE)
• A core
  4x Cortex-A73 2x Cortex-A76
• B core
  4x Cortex-A53 2x Cortex-A76
• C core
  -- 4x Cortex-A55

The integrated graphics (iGPU) do not influence the CPU performance significantly; they serve as a substitute for a dedicated graphics card in the absence of one or are utilized in mobile devices.

• GPU name
  ARM Mali-G72 MP12 ARM Mali-G76 MP16
• GPU frequency
  0.75 GHz 0.60 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  No turbo No turbo
• Execution units
  12 16
• Shader
  192 256
• Max. GPU Memory
  2 GB 4 GB
• Max. displays
  1 2
• Generation
  Bifrost 2 Bifrost 3
• DirectX Version
  12 12
• Technology
  16 nm 7 nm
• Release date
  Q3/2017 Q3/2018

This section details the built-in codecs used for encoding and decoding media content, which significantly enhance processing speed and efficiency.

• h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• h264
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VP9
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VP8
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• AV1
  No No
• AVC
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VC-1
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• JPEG
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode

Overview of the types and quantities of RAM supported by HiSilicon Kirin 990 4G and HiSilicon Kirin 970. The supported memory frequencies may vary depending on the motherboard configuration.

• Memory type
  LPDDR4X-2133 LPDDR4X-2133
• Max. Memory
  8 GB 8 GB
• ECC
  No No
• Memory channels
  4 4

• AES-NI
  No No

Analyze the TDP (Thermal Design Power) requirements of HiSilicon Kirin 970 and HiSilicon Kirin 990 4G to make an informed decision on the appropriate cooling system. Remember that TDP refers to thermal watts, not electrical watts.

• TDP (PL1)
  9 W 6 W

Information on architecture, interfaces, and additional instructions supported by HiSilicon Kirin 970 and HiSilicon Kirin 990 4G, including virtual machine technologies and fabrication processes.

• Instruction set (ISA)
  ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
• Virtualization
  None None
• L3-Cache
  2.00 MB 2.00 MB
• Architecture
  Cortex-A73 / Cortex-A53 Cortex-A76 / Cortex-A55
• Technology
  10 nm 7 nm
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• Release date
  Q3/2017 Q3/2019