Apple M2 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple M2 or Apple M2 – which processor offers superior performance? In this comparison, we examine disparities and assess which of these two CPUs outperforms the other. We delve into technical specifications and benchmark outcomes.
The Apple M2 features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q2/2022 and belongs to the 2 generation of the Apple M series series.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q4/2022 and belongs to the 2 generation of the Qualcomm Snapdragon series.
Apple M2 Group Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
2 Generation 2
Apple M2 Name Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple M series Family Qualcomm Snapdragon
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M2 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.5 GHz.
The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.
Processors with hybrid (big.LITTLE) architecture strike a balance between performance and power efficiency, making them ideal for mobile devices.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.2 GHz.
2.8 GHz B-Core Frequency 2.8 GHz
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (Prime / big.LITTLE)
4x Avalanche Cores A 1x Cortex-X3
8 CPU Cores 8
No Overclocking No
None None 3x Cortex-A510
None None 2.0 GHz
No Hyperthreading No
3.5 GHz A-Core Frequency 3.2 GHz
4x Blizzard Cores B 4x Cortex-A715/A710
8 Threads 8
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple M2 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple M2 uses the Apple M2 (10 Core), which has 1280 texture shaders
and 160 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
-- GPU (Turbo) --
5 nm Technology 4 nm
-- Direct X 12.1
24.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 12.0 GB
160 Execution units --
Q2/2022 Release date Q4/2022
Apple M2 (10 Core) GPU name Qualcomm Adreno 740
1280 Shaders --
1.4 GHz GPU frequency 0.68 GHz
2 Generation 8
-- Max. displays --
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

16 Neural cores @ 15.8 TOPS AI specifications --
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware --
 
 

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode VP9 Decode / Encode
Decode VP8 Decode / Encode
Decode VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode JPEG Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode AVC Decode
No AV1 No
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 24.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
LPDDR5-6400 Memory type LPDDR5X-4200
102.4 GB/s Bandwidth --
Yes AES-NI No
No ECC No
pci PCIe pci
24.0 GB Max. Memory 16.0 GB
2 Memory channels 4
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 22 W watts.
TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
10 W TDP down None
22 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) None
100 °C Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The Apple M2 is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is manufactured using a 4 nm process.
Apple Virtualization Framework Virtualization None
5 nm Technology 4 nm
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) ARMv9-A64 (64 bit)
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation ISA extensions
-- Part Number SM8550-AB
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
Q2/2022 Release date Q4/2022
-- Release price --
20.0 MB L2-Cache 0 bytes
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
0 bytes L3-Cache 0 bytes
Socket
macOS, iPadOS Operating systems Android, Windows 10/11 (ARM)
M2 Architecture Cortex-X3 / -A715 / -A510
 
 

Apple M2 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in leaderboards