Qualcomm has officially launched the Snapdragon 8 Elite, featuring the powerful second-gen Oryon CPU, and it certainly looks impressive. Just last month, MediaTek introduced its flagship Dimensity 9400 chipset, setting the stage for a detailed comparison between these two high-end processors. From CPU and GPU capabilities to NPU and ISP advancements, both chipsets offer substantial upgrades. Here’s our in-depth comparison of the Snapdragon 8 Elite and Dimensity 9400 to see how they stack up.
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Dimensity 9400: Specifications
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Dimensity 9400: CPU
Starting with the CPUs in the latest processors, the Snapdragon 8 Elite now utilizes TSMC’s advanced 3nm (N3E) process node. Likewise, the Dimensity 9400 has made the jump to this cutting-edge node. For comparison, Apple’s A18 Pro is also built on the same fabrication process.
Both the Snapdragon 8 Elite and the Dimensity 9400 are octa-core chipsets, but they feature some distinct differences in core classification. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is equipped with eight 2nd-Gen Oryon cores, including two Prime cores that can reach speeds of up to 4.32GHz. The six performance cores, on the other hand, are limited to 3.53GHz. Both the Prime and Performance cores have dedicated access to 12MB of L2 cache, resulting in a combined total of 24MB of L2 cache.
In contrast, the Dimensity 9400 is built on the newer Armv9.2 architecture and features eight CPU cores. The prime core, the Arm Cortex-X925, can reach speeds of up to 3.63GHz and has access to a 2MB L2 cache. Additionally, it includes three Cortex-X4 cores that can achieve a maximum frequency of 3.3GHz, each with 1MB of L2 cache. Finally, there are four Cortex-A720 cores that peak at 2.4GHz with 512KB of L2 cache. The chipset also includes 12MB of L3 cache.
The difference between the two chipsets is minimal when examining their Geekbench 6.3 scores. The Snapdragon 8 Elite outperforms the Dimensity 9400 by approximately 10% in both single-core and multi-core tests.
Recently, the AnTuTu score for the Snapdragon 8 Elite, tested on the Realme GT 7 Pro, was leaked, achieving a remarkable 3,025,991 points. In comparison, the Vivo X200 Pro equipped with the Dimensity 9400 closely matched this performance, scoring 3,007,853 points. It’s clear that both processors outperform the A18 Pro in multi-core tests, although Apple still maintains an edge in single-core performance.
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Dimensity 9400: GPU
The Snapdragon 8 Elite features the Adreno 830 GPU, which Qualcomm asserts is 40% more powerful than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 while consuming 40% less power. Moreover, the Snapdragon 8 Elite enhances ray tracing performance by 37%. It also adds support for Unreal Engine, Chaos Engine, and Nanite.
Conversely, the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 is equipped with the Mali-G925 Immortalis MP12 GPU, which also claims to deliver 40% better graphics performance while being 44% more power-efficient. Additionally, the Dimensity 9400 is supported by MediaTek’s HyperEngine, featuring Adaptive Gaming Technology 3.0, Super Resolution, and Frame Rate Converter.
Notably, Geekerwan’s test results (check out) show the Dimensity 9400 taking a slight lead in the graphics-intensive 3DMark Steel Nomad Light test. Overall, the Arm Immortalis-G925 GPU on the Dimensity 9400 holds a small advantage over the Adreno 830 GPU on the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Dimensity 9400: NPU
Alongside improved chipsets, chipset makers are also advancing NPU performance to meet growing AI demands. The Snapdragon 8 Elite, for instance, comes equipped with a more powerful Hexagon NPU, boasting a 45% increase in speed over its predecessor’s AI engine. Specifically, it includes a 6-core vector accelerator and an 8-core scalar accelerator, optimized to handle on-device multimodal AI models and generative AI applications.
Meanwhile, the Dimensity 9400 features MediaTek’s proprietary 8th-gen 890 NPU. MediaTek claims this upgraded NPU supports high-quality on-device AI video generation and can further train LoRA (Learned Rank Augmentation) models for image generation. Additionally, it offers support for MoE (Mixture of Experts) large language models and is compatible with Google’s Gemini Nano multimodal model.
At this point, it’s difficult to determine which chipset’s NPU has the edge. However, once we get our hands on devices powered by these processors, we’ll conduct a series of AI benchmarks, including Geekbench AI, and share the results with you here.
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Dimensity 9400: ISP & Connectivity
Moving forward, both the Snapdragon 8 Elite and Dimensity 9400 come equipped with upgraded ISPs this year. Qualcomm claims that its latest ISP is approximately 33% faster than the previous generation.
On the other hand, MediaTek’s Imagiq 1090 ISP is designed to stand out. According to MediaTek, “it’s the only flagship ISP capable of enabling HDR video capture across the entire zoom range, mimicking the smooth quality of a professional camera lens without any loss in detail.” Both processors support image capture up to 320MP and can record 8K videos at 60 FPS.
When it comes to connectivity, the Snapdragon 8 Elite provides a more future-ready solution with Bluetooth 6.0 support, while the Dimensity 9400 offers Bluetooth 5.4. Both chipsets, however, support Wi-Fi 7.
For 5G connectivity, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is equipped with the Snapdragon X80 5G modem, which also includes Snapdragon Satellite support. According to Qualcomm, this setup can achieve peak download speeds of up to 10 Gbps.
Meanwhile, the Dimensity 9400 is powered by MediaTek’s 5G modem, built on 3GPP Release 17 standards, and delivers peak download speeds of up to 7 Gbps. Only real-world 5G tests will reveal the true capabilities of these modems, and we’ll update this section with findings as soon as we have the latest devices in hand.
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Dimensity 9400: Final Thoughts
It seems we’ve reached a stage in mobile performance where the differences between top-tier chipsets are minimal. While the Snapdragon 8 Elite excels in CPU performance, the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 holds its own and even offers a slight edge in GPU performance. At least, that’s what the early test results and on-paper specs indicate.
One thing is certain: Apple needs to step up and deliver something remarkable with its GPU next year. Additionally, Samsung’s Exynos 2500 is on the horizon, and we’re eager to see how it stacks up against these chipsets. We will conduct comprehensive benchmarks on all of these processors, just as we did for the Apple A18 Pro, so stay tuned for those updates!
In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below on which chipset you find more impressive in our Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Dimensity 9400 comparison.
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