Recent data proposes that the highest grossing android smartphones are within the $200-300 mark. In that regard, most of these devices are powered by mid-range chipsets such as Snapdragon 600 series and Huawei’s Kirin 659 CPU.
Qualcomm made the announcement in February 2018 that Snapdragon 700 series will succeed the 600 series. Following the announcement, Chinese manufacturer Huawei, in July 2018, introduced the Kirin 700 series.
Although similar in many ways, the two chipsets are distinctively different in several aspects. Both chipsets have been billed to saturate the 2019 smartphone market. That said, we will be pitching both chipsets against each other.
This article will look into their uniqueness and how they differ in distinct areas.
You should note, however, that the Snapdragon and Kirin chipsets are compared based on their specs. This does not in any way depict their real-life performance or application.
HiSilicon Kirin 710 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 710: Key Specifications
Chipset | Kirin 710 | Snapdragon 710 |
Manufacturing Process | 12nm | 10nm |
Architecture | 64-bit | 64-bit |
CPU | 4x ARM Cortex-A73 @ 2.2GHz and 4x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.7GHz | 8x Kryo 360 CPU up to 2.2 GHz |
GPU | ARM Mali G51 MP4 | Adreno 616 GPU with Vulkan API |
Memory/Storage | LPDDR4X, UFS 2.1 | LPDDR4X, UFS 2.1 |
Camera | N/A | Single Sensor up to 32MP and dual camera up to 20MP |
Video | 1080p@60fps | 4K@30fps |
Charging | SuperCharge 2.0 | Quick Charge 4.0 |
HiSilicon Kirin 710 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 710: CPU Performance
The Kirin 710 is a 64-bit octa core chipset that contains four ARM Cortex A73 cores, branded with high performance and clocking 2.2 GHz of speed. It also consists of another four ARM Cortex A53 cores with high efficiency at 1.7 GHz.
The high-performance cores come valuable when editing videos or using big apps that require huge amounts of power. The other high efficiency cores are important during web browsing and messaging sessions.
The Qualcomm chipsets come with eight Kryo 360 cores based on ARM Cortex A75 CPUs. Qualcomm promises improved task sharing capacities among its cores.
The major difference here is the manufacturing process of both chipsets. The Snapdragon 710 is built of a 10nm process, while the Kirin 710 is built on a 12nm fabrication process. This makes the Qualcomm Snapdragon more power efficient than the Huawei Kirin.
HiSilicon Kirin 710 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 710: GPU Performance
There is no argument here at all. The Snapdragon chipset is the one we would pick for gaming and hard-core duties.
The reason for this is quite simple and straight. The Kirin 710 utilizes an ancient ARM Mali G51 MP4 GPU which is not as powerful as the Snapdragon 710’s Adreno 616 GPU architecture.
Related: HiSilicon Kirin 710 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 660: Which Performs Better?
Nonetheless, Huawei introduced a GPU Turbo Tech for gamers to have a seamless experience.
HiSilicon Kirin 710 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 710: RAM and Storage Support
The Kirin and Snapdragon chipsets have been well integrated, particularly when talking about RAM and storage. These developments include LPDDR4X RAM support and UFS 2.1 ROM support. These are better storage formats than the eMMC 5.1.
Notable Benchmarks
Chipset | Kirin 710 | Snapdragon 710 |
Antutu CPU Score | 65581 | 65945 |
Antutu GPU Score | 22547 | 38012 |
Geekbench (Single-core) | 1590 | 1813 |
Geekbench (Multi-core) | 5596 | 5939 |
3DMark (Sling Shot Extreme – OpenGL) | 949 | 1815 |
3DMark (Sling Shot Extreme – Vulkan) |
HiSilicon Kirin 710 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 710: Display Support
Snapdragon 710 comes with display resolution support up to Quad HD. It can even be integrated into flagship mobile devices.
While Huawei hasn’t made much mention regarding the display support, the Kirin powered the Nova 3i, and we expect to support Full HD at the very least.
HiSilicon Kirin 710 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 710: Camera and AI
Qualcomm made efforts to enhance both camera and AI functions of the Snapdragon 710. The new feature Spectra 250 ISP enhances low light images, supports 32-megapixel sensors and dual 20-megapixel sensors. It can also record 4k videos.
Huawei has remained tight-lipped about the mega pixel capacity of its Kirin 710. However, the chipset can record Full HD videos at 60fps. The Kirin doesn’t come with dedicated neural processing unit. Nonetheless, it utilizes the CPU and GPU for AI functions including face unlock, scene recognition, and lots more.
Charging Technology
The Snapdragon 710 uses Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0 to deliver incredible battery usage and charge.
Kirin 710 supports SuperCharge 2.0 made possible by Huawei. It is able to charge up a battery from zero to 50% in 30 minutes.
HiSilicon Kirin 710 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 710: Conclusion
Having looked at the differences, the Snapdragon 710 and the Kirin 710 have lots of differences. In the end, the spec sheet doesn’t tell all a chipset can do. You should also take a look at the phone capability.
