Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996
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The Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 is a high-end ARM-based SoC largely found on Android tablets and smartphones. Announced in December 2015, the S820 is the successor to the Snapdragon 810 and should start shipping in the first half of 2016. In addition to 4 CPU cores [two slower clocked and two faster clocked Kryo cores], the SoC integrates an Adreno 530 GPU with a LPDDR4 memory controller and supports Wi-Fi [802.11ad + MIMO], Bluetooth 4.1, and LTE.
CPU
The Snapdragon 820 is based on a similar concept as ARM's big.LITTLE, which combines a low power CPU cluster [2x Kyro clocked at up to 1.6 GHz] and a performance CPU cluster [2x Kyro clocked at up to 2.15 GHz]. The clock speed of each cluster can be individually adjusted [but not per core] and the lowest clock speed is 310 MHz. The performance cluster features 1.5 MB L2 cache and the power saving one 512 KB. Both should be using the same architecture and fully support the ARMv8-ISA instruction set.
Although only four cores are used, the performance of the 820 is located in the high end of mobile CPUs for smartphones and tablets.
GPU
The Adreno 530 outperforms the previous Adreno 430 especially in high demanding benchmarks. Therefore it is well suited of modern 3D games on Android devices and should rank slightly below the Tegra X1 GPU.
Features
The Snapdragon 820 offers numerous wireless technologies such as Bluetooth 4.1, WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad [60 GHz] + MIMO as well as a dual-SIM cellular modem supporting LTE cat. 12/13 .
The SoC can encode and decode 4K videos using dedicated hardware [H.264 and H.265].
Power Consumption
Thanks to the new 14 nm process, the energy efficiency has been improved noticeably compared to its 20 nm predecessors.
A 32-bit operating system can only support up to 4GB of RAM. 64-bit allows more than 4GB, giving increased performance. It also allows you to run 64-bit apps.
With integrated graphics you don’t need to buy a separate graphics card.
Small semiconductors provide better performance and reduced power consumption. Chipsets with a higher number of transistors, semiconductor components of electronic devices, offer more computational power. A small form factor allows more transistors to fit on a chip, therefore increasing its performance.
The clock speed of the graphics processing unit [GPU].
has 5G support
✖Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996
✖Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro
The fifth-generation wireless technology delivers higher speeds and lower latency than the previous, fourth-generation tech.
GPU turbo
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996]
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro]
When the GPU is running below its limitations, it can boost to a higher clock speed in order to give increased performance.
DirectX is used in video games, with newer versions supporting better graphics and features. The latest version is DirectX 12 Ultimate, which includes support for ray tracing, mesh shaders, and variable rate shading [VRS].
OpenGL ES is used for games on mobile devices such as smartphones. Newer versions support better graphics.
Some apps use OpenCL to apply the power of the graphics processing unit [GPU] for non-graphical computing. Newer versions introduce more functionality and better performance.
Performance
CPU speed
2 x 2.15 GHz & 2 x 1.6 GHz
2 x 2.4 GHz & 2 x 1.6 GHz
The CPU speed indicates how many processing cycles per second can be executed by a CPU, considering all of its cores [processing units]. It is calculated by adding the clock rates of each core or, in the case of multi-core processors employing different microarchitectures, of each group of cores.
More threads result in faster performance and better multitasking.
Using big.LITTLE technology, a chip can switch between two sets of processor cores to maximize performance and battery life. For example, when playing a game the more powerful cores will be used to increase performance, whereas checking email will use the less powerful cores to maximize battery life.
Uses HMP
✖Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996
✖Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro
Heterogeneous Multi-Processing [HMP] is a more advanced version of big.LITTLE technology. In this setup, a processor can utilize all cores at the same time, or just a single core for low-intensity tasks. This can provide powerful performance or increased battery life respectively.
turbo clock speed
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996]
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro]
When the CPU is running below its limitations, it can boost to a higher clock speed in order to give increased performance.
L2 cache
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996]
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro]
A larger L2 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.
L1 cache
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996]
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro]
A larger L1 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.
clock multiplier
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996]
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro]
The clock multiplier controls the speed of the CPU.
L3 cache
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996]
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro]
A larger L3 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.
Memory
It can support faster memory, which will give quicker system performance.
DDR memory version
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro]
DDR [Double Data Rate] memory is the most common type of RAM. Newer versions of DDR memory support higher maximum speeds and are more energy-efficient.
The maximum amount of memory [RAM] supported.
This is the maximum rate that data can be read from or stored into memory.
More memory channels increases the speed of data transfer between the memory and the CPU.
A higher version of eMMC allows faster memory interfaces, having a positive effect on the performance of a device. For example, when transferring files from your computer to the internal storage over USB.
Error-correcting code memory can detect and correct data corruption. It is used when is it essential to avoid corruption, such as scientific computing or when running a server.
Features
The system on a chip [SoC] has an integrated LTE cellular chip. LTE is capable of downloading at faster speeds than older, 3G technology.
This is the maximum download speed supported. In reality, the download speed will usually be lower, as it will be affected by other factors [such as your home/mobile network speeds].
This is the maximum upload speed supported. In reality, the upload speed will usually be lower, as it will be affected by other factors [for example your home/mobile network speeds].
A technology integrated into the processor to secure the device for use with features such as mobile payments and streaming video using digital rights management [DRM].
Multithreading technology [such as Intel's Hyperthreading or AMD's Simultaneous Multithreading] provides increased performance by splitting each of the processor's physical cores into virtual cores, also known as threads. This way, each core can run two instruction streams at once.
NX bit helps protect the computer from malicious attacks.
NEON provides acceleration for media processing, such as listening to MP3s.
Vector Floating-Point [VFP] is used by the processor to deliver increased performance in areas such as digital imaging.
The CPU can decode more instructions per clock [IPC], meaning that the CPU performs better
Benchmarks
Geekbench 5 result [single]
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996]
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro]
Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor's single-core performance. [Source: Primate Labs, 2024]
Geekbench 5 result [multi]
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996]
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro]
Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor's multi-core performance. [Source: Primate Labs, 2024]
PassMark result
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996]
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro]
This benchmark measures the performance of the CPU using multiple threads.
PassMark result [single]
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996]
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro]
This benchmark measures the performance of the CPU using a single thread.
PassMark result [overclocked]
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996]
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. [Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro]
This benchmark measures the performance of the CPU when it is overclocked.
Miscellaneous
DirectX is used in games, with newer versions supporting better graphics.
Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data transfers between devices placed in close proximity, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves. Newer versions provide faster data transfers.