Snapdragon Vs MediaTek; Just as Intel and AMD are major competitors in the world of computer processors, Snapdragon and MediaTek are among the main choices for users in the field of mobile chipsets.
As the design and manufacture of chipsets becomes more and more difficult, only a handful of companies have the ability to manufacture and supply these components. In this article, we are going to discuss the most important differences between MediaTek and Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. In addition, by becoming more familiar with the specifications of the chipsets, you can have a better choice for choosing the next phone.
Mobile chipset market share
In the chart below, you can see the market share of mobile chipsets made by different companies during the second quarter of 2019 and 2020 in different regions:
As you can see, in the North American market, expensive Apple phones are very popular and occupy a small part of the European market. But on the other hand, in different parts of the world, affordable Android phones are widely available, for which Qualcomm and MediaTek chipsets play the leading role. In addition, Huawei had a lot to say about mobile chipsets before the US sanctions, but it is no longer very active in this field.
One of the reasons for the success of MediaTek and Snapdragon chipsets is that they cover all kinds of prices. But before we get into the key differences between these chips, we need to make some important explanations about how they are made and how they work.
System On-chip ( SoC )
A system on a chip, or SoC, is a complete processing system embedded in a single package. A SoC consists of several processing units, memory, modems, and other basic components housed inside a chip and mounted on a circuit board. The most important parts of a SoC are:
- Memory: RAM, ROM or EEPROM
- Processor: The central processing unit responsible for performing various processes
- GPU: GPU responsible for visual processing (gaming, video editing, etc.)
- Communications: USB, HDMI, WiFi and Bluetooth
On a computer you can change the graphics card, processor, RAM and even the motherboard. But in a smartphone, space is very limited, so you can not even change the RAM. Mobile chipsets take up very little space and their power consumption is very low, both of which are very important for smartphones.
So when we talk about the performance of smartphones, we can not completely separate the processor and the GPU, and of course the same is true for computers to a large extent. Given that hardware components are widely integrated into handsets, manufacturers must use the best available components according to their budget.
Take a look at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipsets
Many users are unaware that Qualcomm acquired a subsidiary of AMD in 2009. That’s why what we know today as the Adreno GPUs in Snapdragon chips have their roots in AMD.
So looking at Snapdragon chipsets, we’re dealing with two basic parts. The original name of these chipsets follow a certain pattern, and on the other hand, we must mention the GPUs in them, which are an important part of the company’s chips. Among the most important Snapdragon chips in recent years, we can mention the following examples:
- Snapdragon 888 (Adreno 660): OnePlus 9 Pro, Xiaomi Mix 4, Galaxy S21 Ultra (price range between $ 700 and $ 1100)
- Snapdragon 870 (Adreno 650): Motorola Edge 20 Pro, Xiaomi Poco F3, Vivo X60 Pro (price range between $ 350 and $ 800)
- Snapdragon 865 (Adreno 650): Galaxy S20, OnePlus 8, Sony Xperia Pro (price range between $ 400 and $ 800)
All of these phones have a lot to say in terms of performance, and in terms of their price, issues such as other parts of the phone and the policies of the manufacturer are also influential. The newer the model of a chipset, the better the performance and, of course, the higher the price.
The Snapdragon 600 and 700 series chipsets are commonly used for low-cost handsets, and the Snapdragon 800 series are flagship chips that offer the best possible performance.
Take a look at MediaTek chipsets
Taiwanese company MediaTek started with DVD players and TVs and then entered the world of chipsets. According to the latest reports, MediaTek is now the largest maker of mobile chipsets, sending Qualcomm into second place. In 2020 alone, the company was able to provide about 350 million mobile chipsets to various companies.
MediaTek uses the names Helio and Dimensity for its mobile chipsets, and unlike Qualcomm, the GPUs of these chipsets are not based on proprietary design, and the company uses Arm designs for this purpose. Among the most important MediaTek chipsets we can mention the following:
- Helio G95 (Mali-G76): Motorola Moto G60S, Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S
- Helio G90T (Mali-G76): Riley 6, Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro
- Helio G85 (Mali-G52): Naro 30A, Redmi Note 9
Unlike Snapdragon chipsets, MediaTek offers its products at a low price to smartphone makers, so phones with these chipsets are usually cheaper.
Snapdragon Vs MediaTek; Power against price
Although Snapdragon chipsets are always mentioned in the list of the best performance smartphones, in the list of the top 20 phones, we rarely see the names of MediaTek chipsets. Of course, we are talking about lists that also include the Huawei Kieran, Samsung Exynos and Apple A-series chips.
Currently, in the Android ecosystem, the Snapdragon 888 is the best chipset available, which only Apple’s new chips offer better performance than. On the other hand, one of MediaTek’s most popular chipsets, the Helio G95, performs worse in some respects than the Snapdragon 835 introduced four years ago. However, the low price of MediaTek chipsets is the hallmark of the company’s products. Thanks to this strategy, MediaTek’s chip market share is growing exponentially and will probably sooner or later become a strong competitor to Qualcomm.
Source: Make Use Of
