Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 as its next flagship processor for Android smartphones, but is it good enough to compete with Apple's A16 Bionic? The first smartphones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will be available this year. However, if buyers are looking to invest in the best smartphone in terms of performance, they might have to think twice before getting one with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
Over the years, Apple's A-series chipsets have consistently outperformed the best Snapdragon processors. While users might be unable to notice the difference between the processors in daily usage, the differences become apparent during intensive tasks such as gaming or video editing. In 2021, Apple's A15 Bionic came out on top in comparison with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in terms of maximum power and efficiency.
Related: Galaxy S23 Series To Feature Snapdragon Chips In All Markets
Both the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and Apple A16 Bionic use TSMC's 4nm fabrication technology. However, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 comes with an octa-core CPU, the A16 Bionic on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max has a hexa-core CPU. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has one prime core (3.2GHz), four performance cores (2.8GHz), and three efficiency cores (2.0GHz). On the other hand, the A16 Bionic has two high-performance cores clocked at 4.36GHz and four high-efficiency cores clocked at 2.02 GHz. To accompany the CPU, the latest chipset from Qualcomm comes with an Adreno 740 GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which offers about 25 percent faster graphics rendering than its predecessor, per Qualcomm. On the other hand, the A16 Bionic comes with Apple's five-core GPU.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Disappoints On Geekbench
However, even though the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 offers 35 percent faster performance than its predecessor, early benchmarks suggest that it doesn't catch up with Apple's A16 Bionic. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 was spotted on benchmarking platform Geekbench via an unreleased Vivo smartphone. The new Snapdragon processor scores 1,483 points in the single-core and 4,709 points in the multi-core performance test. These numbers fall short of the A16 Bionic's single-core score of 1,874 points and a multi-core score of 5,372 points. Even the A15 Bionic, released in 2021, scores 1,709 in the single-core Geekbench performance test, which is more than Qualcomm's latest chip.
Although benchmark scores do not reflect the real-life performance of smartphones, they are an indicator of a smartphone's peak performance. Therefore, even though the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is better than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, smartphones powered by the chip won't be as powerful as the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. On the bright side, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is currently the most powerful processor for Android smartphones, and will be the chipset of choice for many new flagships. Most notably, Samsung will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for its Galaxy S23 series in 2023.
Next: Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon XR2+ Chip For VR/AR Headsets
Source: Qualcomm, Apple, Geekbench
FAQs
If we take a look at the specific scores, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2's CPU performance scored 270,867, which is slightly higher than what A16 Bionic's CPU achieved in the AnTuTu test. As for the GPU, the 8 Gen 2 peaked at 567,801 and is way ahead of the A16 Bionic's 5-core GPU, which scored 410,588.
Which is better, A16 Bionic or Snapdragon 8 Gen 2? ›
If it's pure processing power than it would be A16 Bionic. If it's Graphics Performance then the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is more powerful graphically.
Are Apple chips better than Snapdragon? ›
Based on our testing, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is 32% faster than Apple's 2023 flagship SoC in 3DMark's Wildlife Extreme benchmark. It's also 37% ahead in the Solar Bay ray-tracing test. However, the gap closes when stressing the GPUs to the max for longer gaming sessions.
Which is better, A17 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 2? ›
The A17 Pro's sustained performance is worse when we look at 3DMark's Solar Bay ray tracing test. Although the new six-core GPU with ray-tracing hardware leapfrogs the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and Dimensity 9200, peak performance lasts all of one run (one minute) before throttling back by a staggering 27%.
What is the Snapdragon equivalent of A16? ›
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
Is Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 the best? ›
The Snapdragon® 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform is intelligently engineered with groundbreaking AI across the board to enable truly extraordinary experiences. This AI marvel delivers accelerated performance, unparalleled connectivity, champion-level gameplay, ingenious capture, and more.
Is A16 Bionic chip the best? ›
The A16 Chip is the fastest processor in any smartphone, whether iPhone or Android. Below, we will look at key factors such as its cores, RAM speed, and power efficiency.
Which is best, Bionic or Snapdragon? ›
Graphic Performance: Snapdragon Vs Apple Bionic Processor
Generally, the Snapdragon processor features Adreno GPU, which is popular for its robust performance when it comes to handling graphics-related apps. The Adreno GPU offers vibrant colours and smooth visuals.
Is Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 overheating? ›
Do the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and Gen 3 have heating issues? Neither chip suffers from widespread overheating issues. That said, some smartphone designs are better at dissipating heat than others, meaning some handsets perform at higher levels for longer.
Which version of Snapdragon is best? ›
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the latest mobile processor released by Qualcomm® at the end of 2022. It is the fastest and most advanced mobile platform yet with accelerated performance, exceptional mobile connectivity and the industry's very first Cognitive ISP for incredible photo and video optimisation.
The A16 is more focused on battery life
The A16 CPU is made up of 2 high-performance cores and 4 high-efficiency cores. For contrast, the M2's CPU consists of 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores. The balance of these two types of CPU cores shows where Apple's priority lie for each chip.
Will Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 beat Apple? ›
I don't want to be harsh, but SD 8 Gen 2 has ray tracing and more teraflops on the GPU. Apple barely surpasses 2, and Snapdragon is comparable to PS4 Pro – thus, it can smoothly run any games currently on the market and also those in development.
Which phone has an A16 Bionic chip? ›
The Apple A16 Bionic is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., part of the Apple silicon series, and manufactured by TSMC. It is used in iPhones 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, and 15 and 15 Plus.
What is the difference between tensor G2 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 vs A16 Bionic? ›
Tensor G2 vs Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 vs A16 Bionic: CPU
The only difference with Tensor G2 is that the ARM Cortex-X1 core is clocked slightly higher at 2.85GHz instead of 2.80GHz and the Cortex-A78 core is clocked at 2.35GHz.
What is the equivalent of A16 Bionic? ›
The Adreno 740 GPU on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 might match A16 Bionic's GPU performance both in terms of performance and efficiency. Golden Reviewer on Twitter tested A16 Bionic's GPU performance in comparison to the last-gen Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
