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Gaming: Snapdragon versus MediaTek processors

Leakite

Leakite

Updated: June 25, 2024

Gaming: Snapdragon versus MediaTek processors

The processor is unarguably one of the most critical components of a mobile phone. The performance of the processor determines the phone’s speed, performance, and overall user experience.

Gaming: Snapdragon versus MediaTek processors

A smartphone with a fast processor will open all your favourite apps in a blink of an eye, and tasks will be done in no time. But, a phone with a weak processor will result in bad user experience and may cause issues such as overheating and lagging. The capacity of the processor also becomes very important if you are into mobile gaming.

As of March 2020, the best mobile processor is Apple A13 Bionic which powers the iPhone 11 Lineup. Among Android devices, the Snapdragon 865 is currently the best processor followed by Exynos 990, MediaTek Dimensity 1000, Snapdragon 855+, and Kirin 990. The Apple A12 Bionic is the 5th best processor, with a slight advantage over the Snapdragon 855+.

Meanwhile, this piece is to determine which is better in a gaming experience- Snapdragon or Mediatek?

Qualcomm Snapdragon has Snapdragon 430 in the low range, snapdragon 625, 650, 652 in the mid range, which provide better performance and power efficiency compared to mediatek counterparts. In the high end, the snapdragon is challenged by new companies like Samsung and kirin.

The best processors in Android are Qualcomm Snapdragon, especially the 800 series. This is because, most of the Android apps, games run perfectly well on snapdragon. Snapdragon processors along with it’s Adreno GPU has the best compatibility.

Processors by Mediatek are prone to the problem of heating and performance issues but they are older and low end processors. Mediatek produces very powerful processors in mid-range category with good price. Their flagship processors are not as powerful as Snapdragon, Exynos or Apple A series.

MediaTek Helio G90T and Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 are two unique Gaming Chipsets, advantage Snapdragons, mostly due to user experience. The Helio G90T and Snapdragon 730G are currently the only mobile processors specially made for gamers with the best gaming experience. Both MediaTek and Snapdragon are highly popular amongst the masses and in the markets as well.

Mediatek Helio G90 chip

Mediatek

MediaTek is producer of the affordable yet powerful Helio chipsets. MediaTek processors can be found primarily in Sony smartphones and somewhat weaker devices by Chinese manufacturers.

MediaTek’s main advantage over Qualcomm is the price that can be up to two times lower. However, user experiences are not that good. The biggest criticism for MediaTek’s processors remains the extremely rapid warming and reach of high temperatures.

Among the latest models are Helio X10, P10 and X20. Benchmark testing shows that the X20 is ranked with Snapdragon 820 but still doesn’t find the way to the premium smartphone class. One of the few better devices with P10 is the Sony Xperia XA, while the X20 is found in devices not so popular such as Elephone, Zopo or Doogee.

Helio X23 and Helio X27 maintain the MiraVision EnergySmart Screen technology that claims to reduce up to 25% battery consumption. They have the same GPU as Helio X20- ARM Mali T880 MP4.

By purchasing a device with MediaTek processor, one limit self to a smartphone in a lower middle class or some start-up model.

Characteristics Of Mediatek Processors

  • Not so energy economical-Big battery consumer.
  • Greater heating rate due to a number of processor cores.
  • A small, graphic chip that is not produced by MediaTek is integrated within.

Snapdragon

qualcomm snapdragon processors

Qualcomm processors are best known for their Snapdragon series. They are currently the best in the market thanks to the Snapdragon 820. This premium model can be found in some of the best Chinese mobile phones – Xiaomi Mi 5, OnePlus 3, LG G5, Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge (Chinese and American market) and HTC 10.

Qualcomm currently holds 65 percent of the 4G LTE market, and is particularly dominant in China, where the 5 largest manufacturers use mainly their processors (Xiaomi, Huawei, ZTE, TCL, Lenovo).

The main advantages of Snapdragon 820 in comparison to previous models stand out in speed, low energy consumption, 40% improvement in graphics.

In addition to the 800 series, the Snapdragons 600 series are also of high quality that can be found in mid-range smartphones, such as the Huawei P8 Lite, OPPO R5, HTC Desire 820, Xiaomi Mi A3 and similar.

Considering the advanced technology, the arrival of increasingly demanding content like VR or 4K, a smartphone with a processor below the 600 series is not recommended.

Characteristics of Snapdragon processors

  • The most secure chipset – very little use of battery.
  • Less heat compared to MediaTek, this makes it perfect for gamers.
  • Adreno, a graphics plug produced by Qualcomm, is always part of this chipset.
  • Benchmark tests often show that the performance of the Snapdragon processor is better than the rest.

The difference between Mediatek and Snapdragon

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Origin

MediaTek is an international semiconductor company founded in 1997 with headquarters in Hsinchu‎, Taiwan. Snapdragon are processors produced by Qualcomm, which is also an international semiconductor and IT equipment producing company, with headquarters in San Diego, California, U.S. It was founded in 1985.

Battery Life

MediaTek chipsets are known to be high power consuming which results in shortened battery life. They are improving their processors to be more energy efficient but are still behind Snapdragon. The extended battery life of an average Snapdragon processor gives it a huge advantage for gaming when making a choice.

Performance

Performance wise MediaTek’s processors are solid performing. Their extra core processors enable intensive and heavy task performing and they are very good at multi-tasking. Snapdragon has even better performance in multi-tasking, handling heavy and intensive tasks and gaming.

Heating & Cost

Snapdragon processors are generally less prone to over-heating compared to MediaTek. On the other hand, MediaTek devices are mostly cheaper than similar Qualcomm Snapdragon solutions.

Summary of Mediatek vs. Snapdragon

Generally speaking, the processing power of both are high. However, the differences between them are mostly reflected in battery consumption, i.e. efficiency, as well as endurance. Snapdragon is a more powerful and reliable Processor than MediaTek, but MediaTek is therefore a much more cost-efficient variant.