HiSilicon Kirin 970 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2. Specifications, performance, tests

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

• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Family
  HiSilicon Kirin Qualcomm Snapdragon
• Generation
  6 3
• CPU group
  HiSilicon Kirin 970 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx

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 1.80 GHz
• Turbo (1 Core)
  2.40 GHz 2.84 GHz
• Turbo (8 Cores)
  2.40 GHz 2.84 GHz
• Hyperthreading
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No
• Core architecture
  hybrid (big.LITTLE) hybrid (big.LITTLE)

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 Qualcomm Adreno 690
• GPU frequency
  0.75 GHz 0.25 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  No turbo 0.59 GHz
• Execution units
  12 0
• Shader
  192 0
• Max. GPU Memory
  2 GB --
• Max. displays
  1 0
• Generation
  Bifrost 2 6
• Technology
  16 nm 7 nm
• Release date
  Q3/2017 Q4/2020

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

Overview of the types and quantities of RAM supported by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 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
• ECC
  No No
• Memory channels
  4 8

Analyze the TDP (Thermal Design Power) requirements of HiSilicon Kirin 970 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2 to make an informed decision on the appropriate cooling system. Remember that TDP refers to thermal watts, not electrical watts.

• TDP (PL1)
  9 W 7 W

Information on architecture, interfaces, and additional instructions supported by HiSilicon Kirin 970 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen. 2, 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 Kryo 495
• Technology
  10 nm 7 nm
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• Release date
  Q3/2017 Q4/2018