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InnoReviews

Huawei Kirin 980 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 820

WINNER
H
30.3Inno Score
VS
Q
22.6Inno Score
24.8CPU20.8
33.7Benchmarks20
37Efficiency29.7
9 spec wins — Huawei Kirin 9800 spec wins — Qualcomm Snapdragon 820

InnoReviews verdict

Huawei Kirin 980 wins this mobile chipset face-off, 30.3 to 22.6, pulling ahead mainly in benchmarks (+14) and efficiency (+7). Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.

Which would you pick?

Key differences

Reasons to pick the Huawei Kirin 980

  • Stronger CPU score: 25 vs 21
  • Stronger benchmarks score: 34 vs 20
  • Stronger efficiency score: 37 vs 30
  • 127% higher Geekbench 6 (multi): 2,000 vs 880
  • 100% higher cores: 8 vs 4

Reasons to pick the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820

No decisive spec advantages — this side competes on price and preference.

General

General comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
Announced20182016
Process7 nm+50%14 nm
TDP (typical)8 W+27%11 W
ArchitectureArmv8.2Armv8

CPU

CPU comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
Cores8+100%4
Core configuration2x2.6 GHz Cortex-A76 + 2x1.92 GHz Cortex-A76 + 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A552x2.15 GHz Kryo + 2x1.6 GHz Kryo
Max clock2.6 GHz+21%2.15 GHz

GPU

GPU comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
GPUArm Mali-G76 MP10Qualcomm Adreno 530

AI

AI comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
NPUDual NPU (Da Vinci predecessor)Qualcomm Hexagon 680

Memory

Memory comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
Memory typeLPDDR4X-2133LPDDR4-1866
Max bandwidth34.1 GB/s+14%29.9 GB/s

Connectivity

Connectivity comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
ModemIntegrated LTE Cat-21Snapdragon X12 LTE
Wi-FiWi-Fi 5Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth5.04.2

Media

Media comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
Max displayFHD+ @ 60Hz4K @ 60Hz
Video capture4K@30fps4K@30fps

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
AnTuTu 10430,000+87%Top 68%230,000Top 91%
Geekbench 6 (single)550+62%Top 78%340Top 90%
Geekbench 6 (multi)2,000+127%Top 68%880Top 95%

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