Snapdragon 865 vs MediaTek Dimensity 1000 (+) 5G: Which One is Better?

In December last year, Qualcomm introduced three new 5G chipsets which include Snapdragon 865, 765 and 765G. MediaTek also launched two premium chipsets named Dimensity 1000 and 1000+ to compete with Qualcomm’s flagship SoC. Now, as we are seeing smartphones with Snapdragon 865 and Dimensity 1000+ chipset, so questions are arising as to how the top tier Snapdragon 865 fare against the Dimensity 1000 and 1000+ processor. It should be noted that Dimensity 1000+ is just an improved version of Dimensity 1000 with some additional features such as 144Hz display support.

Snapdragon 865 Vs MediaTek Dimensity 1000 (+) Comparison

On paper, it looks both SoCs are absolute flagship. Now the flagship processor for 2020 is out from both Qualcomm and MediaTek. Let’s take a look at them to find out how they fare against each other on paper

CPU & Process

Both these processors are octa-core processors. On the Snapdragon 865, we get one Cortex-A77 (Kryo 585) high-performance core clocked at 2.84 GHz, three Cortex-A77 (Kryo 585) mid-performance cores clocked at 2.4 GHz and four more Cortex-A55 (Kryo 385) power-efficient cores clocked at 1.8 GHz. While on the MediaTek Dimensity 1000 (+), we get four Arm Cortex-A77 cores clocked at 2.6 GHz and four more power-efficient Arm Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz.

Both of them are built on a 7nm process. But Dimensity 1000 uses TSMC’s first-generation 7nm “N7” process whereas Snapdragon 865 is manufactured using TSMC 2nd generation 7nm “N7P” process. That means Snapdragon 865 is more power-efficient than Dimensity 1000.

GPU:

The Snapdragon 865 packs an all-new Adreno 650 for graphics-intensive tasks. This is a huge improvement over last year’s 640 in Snapdragon 855 SoC. The company claims 20% faster graphics rendering and 35% more power efficiency of the Adreno 650 over the 640. On the other hand,  on the Dimensity 1000 (+), we see the new Arm Mali-G77 MC9, which is something we have seen before and we know performs equivalent to its competitors. To boost the mobile gaming experience MediaTek has HyperEngine 2.0 and Qualcomm has Elite Gaming technology

Memory and Storage:

The Snapdragon 865 has support for LPDDR5 type of RAM, and here the Dimensity 1000 (+) falls short with support for just LPDDR4X RAM. LPDDR5 is approximately 1.3 times faster than predecessor LPDDR4X. Again the 865 in terms of storage too. The SD 865 has support for eMMC 5.1, UFS 2.1 and UFS 3.0, while the Dimensity 1000 (+) pulls the short straw here with just support for eMMC 5.1 and UFS 2.0. There is no support for the latest UFS 3.0 or the even older UFS 2.1.

Optics:

The Spectra 480 ISP on Snapdragon 865 provides support for a dual 25MP+25MP lens support or a single shooter of 200MP & 64MP(zero shutter lag). On the other hand, the 5 core ISP on Dimensity 1000 Plus provides support for a dual 32MP+16MP setup or a single 80MP setup. Again in terms of video recording, the 865 can shoot  8K @30fps, 4K @150fps, 1080p @60fps, 720p @480fps slow-motion. The Dimensity 1000 Plus on the other is limited to just 4K @60fps, 1080p @120fps and 720p @240fps.

Display:

In the display department too, the Snapdragon 865 dominates. It provides support for 4K resolution display at 60Hz or a QHD+ display @ 144Hz. This is big compared to Dimensity 1000’s support for Full HD+ displays up to 120Hz and 2K+ up to 90Hz. We also get HDR 10+ display support with the 865, which is definitely missing on the Dimensity 1000 5G chipset. However, Dimensity 1000’s improved version i.e. Dimensity 1000+ supports the highest 144Hz refresh rate. So, it’s a tie if we compare SD865 with Dimensity 1000+.

AI Performance:

In terms of AI on the 865, we have 5th generation AI Engine from Qualcomm that provides twice the performance of its predecessor. With the Hexagon Tensor Accelerator in 5th AI Engine, it pushes 15 trillion operations per second with maximum efficiency. While on the Dimensity 1000 (+) we see a different built altogether with the APU 3.0 Hexa-Core. It has a unique architecture with two big cores, three small and one tiny core. APU 3.0 offers a 4.5 TOPS which is 2.5X performance uplift over the predecessor APU 2.0.

5G Modem:

To enable 5G connectivity on a smartphone, both processors comes with 5G modem. Snapdragon 865 has external X55 5G modem that supports mmWave, sub-6 GHz, Dual Mode SA/NSA, TDD and FDD, 4G LTE, 3G, and 2G as well. It delivers upto 7.5 Gbps download speed over 5G network. On the other hand, MediaTek Dimensity 1000 has an integrated 5G modem that supports Sub-6 GHz, Standalone and Non-Standalone, LTE, 3G and 2G. It delivers upto 4.7 Gbps download speed over 5G network.

Both of them provides dual 5G SIM technology. This allows users to enable 5G network on both SIMs.

As Dimensity 1000 (+) comes with built-in 5G modem into a single chip so it has an advantage than Snapdragon 865. It consumes less power than Snapgraon’s two-chip solutions. It also reduces the overall platform size to embed bigger batteries & a larger camera. This gives advantages to smartphone manufacturers too.

Specifications That Matter

Here’s the specifications comparison table to find out differences and similarities between Snapdragon 865 and Dimensity 1000.

Which one is the better chipset for 2020’s flagship phone?

Both processors are capable of power 2020’s flagship phones. On paper, looking into the specifications, Snapdragon 865 is the best in all segments including CPU, GPU, Camera, AI performance etc. However, Dimensity 1000 (+) has also many advantages such as it has an integrated 5G modem.

Recently, Antutu has released benchmark scores of both SoCs. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC has been ranked in the first position with an overall Antutu score of 401108 points. On the other hand, the MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ has managed to achieve 341714 points and comes in second place. So, Qualcomm’s 865 chipset is the clear winner.

Based on Antutu Scores, we have created graphs to compare their performance increase/decease in both CPU and GPU department. With Snapdragon 865, we get 21.13% faster CPU performance and 14.42% faster graphics compared to the Dimensity 1000+.