HiSilicon Kirin 950 vs HiSilicon Kirin 955. 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
  4 4
• CPU group
  HiSilicon Kirin 950 HiSilicon Kirin 950

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
  1.80 GHz 1.80 GHz
• CPU Cores
  8 8
• Turbo (1 Core)
  2.30 GHz 2.50 GHz
• CPU Threads
  8 8
• Turbo (8 Cores)
  2.30 GHz 2.50 GHz
• Hyperthreading
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No
• Core architecture
  hybrid (big.LITTLE) hybrid (big.LITTLE)
• A core
  4x Cortex-A72 4x Cortex-A72
• 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
  ARM Mali-T880 MP4 ARM Mali-T880 MP4
• GPU frequency
  0.90 GHz 0.90 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  0.90 GHz 0.90 GHz
• Execution units
  4 4
• Shader
  64 64
• Max. displays
  2 2
• Generation
  Midgard 4 Midgard 4
• DirectX Version
  11 11
• Technology
  16 nm 16 nm
• Release date
  Q2/2016 Q2/2016

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 Decode
• h264
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VP9
  No No
• VP8
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• AV1
  No No
• AVC
  No No
• VC-1
  No No
• JPEG
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode

Overview of the types and quantities of RAM supported by HiSilicon Kirin 955 and HiSilicon Kirin 950. The supported memory frequencies may vary depending on the motherboard configuration.

• Memory type
  LPDDR4 LPDDR3LPDDR4
• ECC
  No No
• Memory channels
  2 2

• AES-NI
  No No

Analyze the TDP (Thermal Design Power) requirements of HiSilicon Kirin 950 and HiSilicon Kirin 955 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 HiSilicon Kirin 950 and HiSilicon Kirin 955, 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-A72 / Cortex-A53
• Technology
  16 nm 16 nm
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• Release date
  Q4/2015 Q2/2016