Snapdragon 870 comes as an update to the previous year’s flagship, the Snapdragon 865. Much of the processor has remained the same as the previous generation. There have only been updates regarding clock speed, with the Prime Kryo core clocked at 3.2 GHz. But the Snapdragon 870 is not the flagship processor from Qualcomm. As a top-tier flagship performer from Qualcomm, we now have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. How does the Snapdragon 870 fair against the Snapdragon 888? Let’s find out in this article.
Snapdragon 870 vs Snapdragon 888
The Snapdragon 870 is just a small update over the previous generation Snapdragon 865. At the same time, the Snapdragon 888 is the flagship processor from Qualcomm, made to power the best of the best smartphones.
CPU and GPU
Snapdragon 870 is an octa-core processor with one prime Kryo 585 core(Cortex-A77) core clocked at 3.2 GHz, and three performance Kryo 585 cores(Cortex-A77) clocked at 2.4GHz, and four power-efficient Kryo 385 cores(Cortex-A55) clocked at 1.8 GHz. And coming to the Snapdragon 888, we see another octa-core setup with one prime Cortex-X1 core clocked at 2.84GHz, three performance Cortex-A78 cores clocked at 2.4GHz, and four power-efficient Cortex-A55 cores running at 1.8GHz.
The Snapdragon 888 is built on a 5nm manufacturing process, while the Snapdragon 870 is built on a 7nm manufacturing process, making the Snapdragon 888 slightly better in terms of power efficiency.
Regarding GPU, we have the Adreno 650 running on the Snapdragon 870, while the Snapdragon 888 has the Adreno 660 taking care of the graphics. Qualcomm claims that the Adreno 660 is capable of 35% faster graphics rendering compared to the Adreno 650.
AI and ISP
The Snapdragon 870 houses the 5th generation Hexagon 698 processor, which offers 15 TOPS performance, while the 6th generation Hexagon 780 on the Snapdragon 888 offers 26 TOPS performance. That is quite the jump in terms of AI performance.
As for the image processor, we have Spectra 480 ISP inside the Snapdragon 870 that supports 8K UHD recording at up to 30fps and 4K recording at up to 120fps. The Spectra 580 ISP inside the Snapdragon 888 also offers the same, but there are improvements in terms of 10-bit HEIF image capture support. There are also improvements in the single, double, and triple-shot images for the Spectra 580.
Connectivity
Additionally, the Snapdragon 870 only supports up to Quick Charge 4+, while the Snapdragon 888 goes a step further with support for Quick Charge 5. Even in terms of connectivity, the Snapdragon 870 supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1. However, the Snapdragon 888 goes a step further by providing support for Wi-Fi 6E and even Bluetooth 5.2. Furthermore, we get a Snapdragon X55 external 5G modem on the Snapdragon 870, and the Snapdragon 888 houses a Snapdragon X60 integrated 5G modem.
Specifications comparison table to find out differences and similarities
| SoC | Snapdragon 870 | Snapdragon 888 |
|---|---|---|
| Process | 7nm FinFET | 5nm Samsung LPE |
| CPU | 1x 3.2GHz (Cortex A77) 3x 2.4GHz (Cortex A77) 4x 1.8GHz (Cortex A55) | 1x 2.84GHz (Cortex X1) 3x 2.4GHz (Cortex A78) 4x 1.8GHz (Cortex A55) |
| GPU | Adreno 650 | Adreno 660 |
| AI | 5th generation AI Engine Hexagon 698 15 TOPs | 6th generation AI Engine Hexagon 780 26 TOPs |
| ISP | Spectra 480 | Spectra 580 |
| Modem | Snapdragon X55 5G | Snapdragon X60 5G |
| Memory | LPDDR5 up to 2750MHz Up to 16GB RAM | LPDDR5 up to 3200MHz Up to 16GB RAM |
| Display | QHD+ @144Hz 4K @60Hz | QHD+ @144Hz 4K @60Hz |
The rest of the specifications for both processors don’t differ much at all. All the notable differences are listed. So if you are wondering whether to go for a Snapdragon 888 smartphone or a Snapdragon 870, then don’t much into the processors. Look at the rest of the phone. Both of these are capable processors, and the Snapdragon 888 is indeed the better one on paper. But for a smartphone to make the most of this processor, it needs to pack in an impressive package of hardware and software complimenting the Snapdragon 888’s raw potential.
