Overview
Mobile processors have seen immense innovation over the past decade. Early smartphone chips were often underpowered for the seemingly complex tasks we demanded from our devices. Fast forward to 2023, and chips powering flagship phones are more powerful than ever – some even rivaling laptop or desktop processors in benchmarks.
But what defines the performance of a mobile phone or tablet chip? Key factors include:
- Processor architecture and core configuration
- Manufacturing process node
- CPU, GPU and AI acceleration capabilities
- Energy efficiency
- Real-world workload handling
This article looks at the 5 most powerful and advanced mobile chips released to date based on the above considerations. These processors are driving new frontiers in areas like mobile photography, cinematic videography, console-quality gaming, on-device machine learning and more.
Let‘s analyze them in detail.
1. Apple A15 Bionic
The Apple A15 Bionic powers the latest iPhone 14 Pro series. It builds on the excellent foundation laid out by previous A-series chips powering iPhones and iPads.
Manufactured on TSMC‘s cutting-edge 5nm process, the A15 Bionic packs over 15 billion transistors delivering blazing performance and great power efficiency.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| CPU | 6-core, 2 performance Avalanche + 4 efficiency Blizzard cores |
| GPU | 5-core GPU |
| NPU | 16-core Neural Engine |
| Manufacturing Process | 5nm TSMC |
| Transistors | 15 billion+ |
On the CPU front, the A15 employs a 6-core design with two high-performance Avalanche cores (based on Arm‘s Cortex-X cores) paired with four high-efficiency Blizzard cores (Cortex-A55 based).
The integrated 5-core GPU delivers up to 50% faster graphics compared to prior Apple chips as per the company. Graphics intensive use cases like gaming, AR/VR experiences are handled smoothly.
For machine learning workloads, the beefy 16-core Neural Engine processes advanced AI capabilities like Deep Fusion photography. Apples tight hardware-software integration gives it an edge in areas like computational photography.
Now let‘s look at where the A15 Bionic stands in terms of benchmarks.
| Benchmark | Score |
|---|---|
| Geekbench 5 (Single-Core) | 1,752 |
| Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core) | 4,823 |
The A15 achieves one of the highest scores in both single and multi-core tests outperforming the best Snapdragon and MediaTek chips. Only the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 comes somewhat close.
Thanks to its prodigious performance and industry-leading power efficiency, the A15 Bionic elevates photography, gaming and app experiences on iPhones to new heights.
2. Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is the latest premium system-on-chip (SoC) from Qualcomm targetting Android flagships. Built on TSMC‘s 4nm process, it tops charts as the highest performing Android mobile chip presently.
Let‘s analyze its architecture and specifications:
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| CPU | 1x Cortex X2 + 3x Cortex A710 + 4x Cortex A510 cores |
| GPU | Adreno 730 GPU @ 1.18 GHz |
| AI Engine | Hexagon processor with hybrid AI engine |
| Manufacturing Process | 4nm TSMC |
TSMC‘s advanced 4nm node with higher transistor density brings both performance and efficiency enhancements. The octa-core Kryo CPU employs a single Cortex X2 prime core that can hit peak speeds beyond 3 GHz.
For graphics and gaming, the integrated Adreno 730 GPU delivers up to 10% faster rendering while being more power efficient. The Hexagon AI processor with Qualcomm‘s hybrid AI engine architecture also provides up to 4.35X machine learning performance as per the company.
Now checking some benchmark numbers:
| Benchmark | Score |
|---|---|
| Geekbench 5 (Single-Core) | 1,317 |
| Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core) | 4,179 |
The multi-core score of over 4,000 points surpasses every Android smartphone chip before it. As a result, Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 powers all major flagship Android devices including Samsung S22 series (USA and select regions), Xiaomi 12S Ultra, OnePlus 10T delivering blazing fast performance.
Let‘s move onto the next silicon powerhouse.
3. MediaTek Dimensity 9000+
With its Dimensity series, MediaTek has been steadily closing the gap to Qualcomm in the premium Android chip space. The latest Dimensity 9000+ integrates leading-edge technologies for smartphones and promises to redefine gaming and multimedia experiences.
Here is an overview of its vital specifications:
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| CPU | 1x Cortex X2 + 3x Cortex A710 + 4x Cortex A510 cores |
| GPU | Mali-G710 10-core GPU |
| AI Processor | APU 3.0 with 6.5 TOPS throughput |
| Manufacturing Process | TSMC 4nm |
Fabricated on TSMC advanced 4nm process, the 9000+ packs an octa-core CPU with four different core types for an optimal balance of high-performance and extreme battery life.
The integrated Mali-G710 GPU with 10 processing cores delivers up to 30% faster graphics and 45% greater power efficiency over the prior Mali-G510 GPU as per MediaTek.
For AI acceleration, the chip integrates an independent AI Processing Unit (APU) 3.0 with over 6.5 trillion operations per seconds (TOPS) throughput. This supercharges workloads like live image effects, nighttime photography and so on.
Checking benchmark data:
| Benchmark | Score |
|---|---|
| Geekbench 5 (Single-Core) | 1,401 |
| Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core) | 4,355 |
The Dimensity 9000+‘s scores surpass those of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 across single and multi-core tests signaling strength across all types of workloads. No wonder it already powers several top-of-the-line smartphones such as Vivo X90 and Xiaomi 12S Ultra.
With vigorous competition from Dimensity, Qualcomm will need to aggressively push its R&D to match MediaTek‘s rapid cadence of innovation.
Moving onto the next silicon powerhouse.
4. Samsung Exynos 2200
Historically Samsung has used Exynos chips fabricated internally powering Galaxy phones sold globally. More recently, Snapdragon SOCs have also been employed in limited regions.
The Exynos 2200 promises a giant leap in graphics muscle with the new AMD-powered Xclipse GPU. Let‘s analyze its composition.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| CPU | 1x Cortex X2 + 3x Cortex A710 + 4x Cortex A510 cores |
| GPU | Xclipse GPU powered by AMD RDNA 2 architecture |
| NPU | Machine learning accelerator |
| Manufacturing Process | 4nm Samsung EUV |
For the octa-core CPU, Samsung continues to adopt Arm‘s time-tested tri-cluster architecture leading to better workload distribution between high-power and efficiency cores.
The blockbuster feature is the high-performance Xclipse GPU leveraging AMD‘s advanced RDNA 2 graphics architecture. Deep collaboration here promises ray-tracing support and 50% faster graphics.
The 4nm manufacturing ensures high density of up to 17 billion transistors integrated per chip. Further, dedicated machine learning silicon provides over 10 TOPS AI performance as per Samsung.
For benchmarks:
| Benchmark | Score |
|---|---|
| Geekbench 5 (Single-Core) | 1,233 |
| Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core) | 3,539 |
The figures are very respectable and come close to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Real world gaming is where the Exynos 2200 is expected to stand out with extra fluid graphics unmatched in the mobile space earlier.
5. Google Tensor
Tensor is Google‘s first ever system-on-chip powering Pixel phones earlier running Qualcomm SOCs. Its focus lies in accelerating Google‘s services like computational photography through tight hardware plus software integration.
Let‘s highlight its composition:
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| CPU | 2x Cortex X1 + 2x Cortex A76 + 4x Cortex A55 cores |
| GPU | Mali G-78 GPU |
| TPU | Google Tensor Processing Unit |
| Manufacturing Process | 5nm Samsung |
Central to its capabilities is the dedicated Google Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) tailored for AI-driven experiences by the company. The chip also integrates Samsung‘s proven 5nm process promising better power savings.
For benchmarks:
| Benchmark | Score |
|---|---|
| Geekbench 5 (Single-Core) | 1,053 |
| Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core) | 2,847 |
While the compute benchmarks are lower than rivals, Google stresses that theoretical peak performance alone shouldn‘t be the yardstick. The tight coupling of hardware plus software is designed for long-term user experience benefits rather than winning short-term benchmark wars.
Nonetheless, the chip indicates Google harnesses its software prowess competently on the hardware side too. Exciting times lie ahead with potentially more radical customization debuted in subsequent Tensor generations.
And there you have it friend – the 5 mightiest mobile chips leading smartphone innovation in recent times! Let me know if you need any clarification on the concepts. I‘d be glad to discuss them in more detail.
