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InnoReviews

MediaTek Helio G81 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 820

WINNER
MediaTek Helio G81
26Inno Score
VS
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
22.6Inno Score
20CPU20.8
21.5Benchmarks20
44.2Efficiencyspec-based29.7
7 spec wins — MediaTek Helio G812 spec wins — Qualcomm Snapdragon 820

InnoReviews verdict

MediaTek Helio G81 wins this mobile chipset face-off, 26 to 22.6, pulling ahead mainly in benchmarks (+2). 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 MediaTek Helio G81

  • 100% higher cores: 8 vs 4
  • 55% lower TDP (typical): 5 W vs 11 W
  • 52% higher Geekbench 6 (multi): 1,340 vs 880
  • 24% higher Geekbench 6 (single): 420 vs 340
  • 15% higher AnTuTu: 265,000 vs 230,000

Reasons to pick the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820

  • 108% higher Max bandwidth: 29.9 GB/s vs 14.4 GB/s

General

General comparison: MediaTek Helio G81 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecMediaTek Helio G81Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
Announced20242016
Process12 nm+14%14 nm
TDP (typical)5 W+55%11 W
ArchitectureArmv8.2Armv8

CPU

CPU comparison: MediaTek Helio G81 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecMediaTek Helio G81Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
Cores8+100%4
Core configuration2x2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 + 6x1.8 GHz Cortex-A552x2.15 GHz Kryo + 2x1.6 GHz Kryo
Max clock2 GHz2.15 GHz+7%

GPU

GPU comparison: MediaTek Helio G81 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecMediaTek Helio G81Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
GPUArm Mali-G52 MC2Qualcomm Adreno 530

AI

AI comparison: MediaTek Helio G81 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecMediaTek Helio G81Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
NPU—Qualcomm Hexagon 680

Memory

Memory comparison: MediaTek Helio G81 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecMediaTek Helio G81Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
Memory typeLPDDR4X-1800LPDDR4-1866
Max bandwidth14.4 GB/s29.9 GB/s+108%

Connectivity

Connectivity comparison: MediaTek Helio G81 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecMediaTek Helio G81Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
ModemIntegrated LTE Cat-7Snapdragon X12 LTE
Wi-FiWi-Fi 5Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth5.04.2

Media

Media comparison: MediaTek Helio G81 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecMediaTek Helio G81Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
Max displayFHD+ @ 90Hz4K @ 60Hz
Video capture2K@30fps4K@30fps

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: MediaTek Helio G81 versus Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
SpecMediaTek Helio G81Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
AnTuTu265,000+15%230,000
Geekbench 6 (single)420+24%Bottom 14%340Bottom 11%
Geekbench 6 (multi)1,340+52%Bottom 13%880Bottom 6%

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