Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 vs HiSilicon Kirin 659. Specifications, performance, tests

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

• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Family
  Qualcomm Snapdragon HiSilicon Kirin
• Generation
  4 4
• CPU group
  Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 HiSilicon Kirin 650

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
  1.40 GHz 1.70 GHz
• CPU Cores
  6 8
• Turbo (1 Core)
  1.80 GHz 2.36 GHz
• CPU Threads
  6 8
• Hyperthreading
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No
• Core architecture
  hybrid (big.LITTLE) hybrid (big.LITTLE)
• A core
  2x Cortex-A72 4x Cortex-A53
• B core
  4x Cortex-A53 4x Cortex-A53

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
  Qualcomm Adreno 510 ARM Mali-T830 MP2
• GPU frequency
  0.60 GHz 0.90 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  0.60 GHz 0.90 GHz
• Execution units
  0 2
• Shader
  128 32
• Max. displays
  0 2
• Generation
  5 Midgard 4
• DirectX Version
  11 11
• Technology
  14 nm 28nm
• Release date
  Q4/2015 Q4/2015

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

Overview of the types and quantities of RAM supported by HiSilicon Kirin 659 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 650. The supported memory frequencies may vary depending on the motherboard configuration.

• Memory type
  LPDDR3-933 LPDDR3-933
• ECC
  No No
• Memory channels
  2 2

• AES-NI
  No No

Analyze the TDP (Thermal Design Power) requirements of Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 and HiSilicon Kirin 659 to make an informed decision on the appropriate cooling system. Remember that TDP refers to thermal watts, not electrical watts.

Information on architecture, interfaces, and additional instructions supported by Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 and HiSilicon Kirin 659, including virtual machine technologies and fabrication processes.

• Instruction set (ISA)
  ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
• Virtualization
  None None
• Architecture
  Cortex-A72 / Cortex-A53 Cortex-A53 / Cortex-A53
• Technology
  28 nm 16 nm
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• Release date
  Q1/2016 Q2/2016
• Part Number
  MSM8956 --