HiSilicon Kirin 980 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 865

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

HiSilicon Kirin 980 or HiSilicon Kirin 980 – 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 HiSilicon Kirin 980 features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q4/2018 and belongs to the 7 generation of the HiSilicon Kirin series.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q4/2019 and belongs to the 7 generation of the Qualcomm Snapdragon series.
HiSilicon Kirin 980 Group Qualcomm Snapdragon 865/870
7 Generation 7
HiSilicon Kirin 980 Name Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
Mobile Segment Mobile
HiSilicon Kirin Family Qualcomm Snapdragon
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The HiSilicon Kirin 980 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 2.6 GHz.
The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 2.84 GHz.
1.92 GHz B-Core Frequency 2.42 GHz
hybrid (Prime / big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (Prime / big.LITTLE)
2x Cortex-A76 Cores A 1x Kryo 585 Prime
8 CPU Cores 8
4x Cortex-A55 Cores C 4x Kryo 585 Silver
No Overclocking No
1.8 GHz C-Core Frequency 1.8 GHz
No Hyperthreading No
2.6 GHz A-Core Frequency 2.84 GHz
2x Cortex-A76 Cores B 3x Kryo 585 Gold
8 Threads 8
 
 

Internal Graphics

The HiSilicon Kirin 980 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the HiSilicon Kirin 980 uses the ARM Mali-G76 MP10, which has 160 texture shaders
and 10 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 uses the Qualcomm Adreno 650, which has 512 texture shaders
and 2 execution units.
-- GPU (Turbo) 0.59 GHz
7 nm Technology 7 nm
12 Direct X 12.0
4.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 0 bytes
10 Execution units 2
Q3/2018 Release date Q4/2019
ARM Mali-G76 MP10 GPU name Qualcomm Adreno 650
160 Shaders 512
0.72 GHz GPU frequency 0.25 GHz
Bifrost 3 Generation 6
-- Max. displays --
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

-- AI specifications --
-- AI hardware Qualcomm AI engine
 
 

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 / Encode VP8 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode JPEG Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode AVC Decode
No AV1 No
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 16.0 GB distributed across 4 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 71.3 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
LPDDR4X-2133 Memory type LPDDR4X-4266, LPDDR5-5500
-- Bandwidth 71.3 GB/s
No AES-NI No
No ECC No
pci PCIe pci
8.0 GB Max. Memory 16.0 GB
4 Memory channels 4
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 6 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.
The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 10 W watts.
6 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 10 W
-- Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The HiSilicon Kirin 980 is manufactured using a 7 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 2.0 MB cache.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 is manufactured using a 7 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 4.0 MB cache.
None Virtualization None
7 nm Technology 7 nm
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
ISA extensions
-- Part Number SM8250
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
Q4/2018 Release date Q4/2019
-- Release price --
0 bytes L2-Cache 1.8 MB
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
2.0 MB L3-Cache 4.0 MB
Socket
Android Operating systems Android
Cortex-A76 / Cortex-A55 Architecture Kryo 585
 
 

HiSilicon Kirin 980 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 in leaderboards