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InnoReviews

Huawei Kirin 980 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 835

WINNER
H
30.3Inno Score
VS
Q
26.7Inno Score
24.8CPU22.6
33.7Benchmarks27
37Efficiency34.5
8 spec wins — Huawei Kirin 9800 spec wins — Qualcomm Snapdragon 835

InnoReviews verdict

Huawei Kirin 980 wins this mobile chipset face-off, 30.3 to 26.7, pulling ahead mainly in benchmarks (+7) and efficiency (+3). Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 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 benchmarks score: 34 vs 27
  • 31% higher Geekbench 6 (single): 550 vs 420
  • 30% lower process: 7 nm vs 10 nm
  • 30% higher AnTuTu 10: 430,000 vs 330,000
  • 25% higher Geekbench 6 (multi): 2,000 vs 1,600

Reasons to pick the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835

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

General

General comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Announced20182017
Process7 nm+30%10 nm
TDP (typical)8 W+11%9 W
ArchitectureArmv8.2Armv8

CPU

CPU comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Cores88
Core configuration2x2.6 GHz Cortex-A76 + 2x1.92 GHz Cortex-A76 + 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A554x2.45 GHz Kryo 280 (Cortex-A73) + 4x1.9 GHz Kryo 280
Max clock2.6 GHz+6%2.45 GHz

GPU

GPU comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
GPUArm Mali-G76 MP10Qualcomm Adreno 540

AI

AI comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
NPUDual NPU (Da Vinci predecessor)Qualcomm Hexagon 682

Memory

Memory comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Memory typeLPDDR4X-2133LPDDR4X-1866
Max bandwidth34.1 GB/s+14%29.9 GB/s

Connectivity

Connectivity comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
ModemIntegrated LTE Cat-21Snapdragon X16 LTE
Wi-FiWi-Fi 5Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth5.05.0

Media

Media comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Max displayFHD+ @ 60Hz4K @ 60Hz
Video capture4K@30fps4K@30fps

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: Huawei Kirin 980 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
SpecHuawei Kirin 980Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
AnTuTu 10430,000+30%Top 68%330,000Top 80%
Geekbench 6 (single)550+31%Top 78%420Top 84%
Geekbench 6 (multi)2,000+25%Top 68%1,600Top 80%

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