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This year, the competition between Android phones and iPhones is different. Qualcomm has launched its powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset with custom Oryon cores to take on Apple's A18 Pro chipset. Both are flagship SoCs, so we ran several tests, including Geekbench, 3DMark, and AnTuTu, to compare them comprehensively. On that note, let's check the benchmark scores.
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs A18 Pro: Specs comparison
| Snapdragon 8 Elite | Apple A18 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Process node | TSMC's 3nm process (N3E) | TSMC's 3nm process (N3E) |
| Processor | Octa-core (2+6) 2nd generation Oryon processor |
Hexa-core (2+4) Apple custom processor |
| CPU cores | 2x 2nd generation Oryon (4.32 GHz) 6x 2nd generation Oryon (3.53 GHz) |
2x performance cores (4.05 GHz) 4x efficiency cores (2.42 GHz) |
| GPU | Adreno 830 GPU | 6-core Apple GPU |
| Memory support | LPDDR5X, up to 5.3 GHz Up to 10.7 Gbps |
LPDDR5X, up to 7,500 MT/s |
| Machine learning and AI | New Hexagon AI engine Support for multimodal AI on device |
16-core neural engine; 35 TOPS |
| Modem | Snapdragon X80 5G Modem Up to 10 Gbps peak download Up to 3.5 Gbps peak download |
Snapdragon X75 5G Modem Up to 10 Gbps peak download Up to 3.5 Gbps peak download |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0 and UWB | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 and UWB |
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. A18 Pro: Geekbench 6 processor
To test the processor, we ran Geekbench 6 on Snapdragon 8 Elite and A18 Pro. In single-core tasks, the Snapdragon 8 Elite's Oryon processor scored 3,033 while the A18 Pro did 10% better, reaching 3,358 points. In multi-core tasks, the eight-core Snapdragon 8 Elite performed better, scoring 9,271 points and the six-core A18 Pro scored 8,184 points. In multithreaded tasks, the Snapdragon 8 Elite leads by 13%, largely thanks to the two additional cores.
Note that Snapdragon 8 Elite is based on the older Armv8 architecture and does not have SME units while the A18 Pro is developed on the Armv9 architecture and takes advantage of SME. As a result, its results are slightly better on Geekbench 6.3.
That said, the A18 Pro consumes up to 6.5W, while the Snapdragon 8 Elite pushes the power envelope up to 7.5W to further increase clock speeds. In our testing, surprisingly, the Snapdragon 8 Elite was cooler than the A18 Pro, thanks to the Realme GT7 Pro's large VC chamber. The Snapdragon 8 Elite touched 32.8 degrees C after testing and the A18 Pro rose to 35.1 degrees C.
In my opinion, Apple is still the leader in performance per watt when it comes to the processor. However, Qualcomm is poised to dethrone Apple in the CPU department with its second-generation Oryon cores.
| Geekbench 6 processor | Snapdragon 8 Elite | A18 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Single-core | 3,033 | 3,358 |
| Multi-core | 9,271 | 8,184 |
| Temperature | 32.8 degrees Celsius | 35.1 degrees C |
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs A18 Pro: AnTuTu benchmark
In the AnTuTu benchmark, the Snapdragon 8 Elite delivered impressive performance. It scored 2,759,190 points while the A18 Pro scored 1,816,016 points, a lead of over 50%. In this test, the clear difference in performance is visible in the GPU department. The Snapdragon 8 Elite's Adreno 830 GPU scored 1,132,574 points and the A18 Pro's six-core GPU scored 728,942 points, which is a wide gap of 55%.
It also becomes clear that the Snapdragon 8 Elite benefits from access to much faster memory than the A18 Pro. Not to mention, the temperature of the Snapdragon 8 Elite remained around 36.7 degrees C, while that of the A18 Pro peaked at 38.3 degrees C.
| AnTuTu Reference | Snapdragon 8 Elite | A18 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu Score | 2,759,190 | 1,816,016 |
| Processor | 583,775 | 451,848 |
| GPU | 1,132,574 | 728,942 |
| Memory | 643 562 | 268,756 |
| UX | 399 279 | 366 470 |
| Temperature | 36.7 degrees Celsius | 38.3 degrees Celsius |
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. A18 Pro: 3DMark
In the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress test, the Snapdragon 8 Elite's Adreno 830 GPU delivers remarkable performance. It gets the highest loop score of 6,311 points and the lowest loop score of 5,258 points. Notably, the stability stands at around 83.3%, which is impressive.
The A18 Pro's six-core GPU, on the other hand, achieves the best loop score of 4,574 points and the lowest loop score of 3,096 points, with a poor stability of 67.7%. As you can see, the Snapdragon 8 Elite's lowest score is even higher than the A18 Pro's highest score. This means that the Adreno 830 GPU is much superior in terms of graphics performance. Additionally, the temperature remains roughly the same on both devices.
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | Snapdragon 8 Elite | A18 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Best loop score | 6,311 | 4,574 |
| Lowest loop score | 5,258 | 3,096 |
| Stability | 83.3% | 67.7% |
| Temperature | 42.6 degrees Celsius | 42.3 degrees Celsius |
In the 3DMark Solar Bay test which evaluates ray tracing capability, Qualcomm once again leads Apple. Snapdragon 8 Elite achieves an overall score of 10,614 points with an average of 40.36 FPS. The A18 Pro, on the other hand, hits 7,985 points with an average of 30.4 FPS. Again, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is two degrees cooler than the A18 Pro.
| 3DMark solar array | Snapdragon 8 Elite | A18 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 10,614 | 7,985 |
| Average FPS | 40.36 FPS | 30.4 FPS |
| Temperature | 43.4 degrees Celsius | 45.7 degrees Celsius |
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. A18 Pro: Geekbench AI
In our testing, the Snapdragon 8 Elite's Hexagon NPU performed poorly on the Geekbench AI test due to the lack of the QNN framework. We therefore did not include the scores in our comparison. However, we ran the test on the deprecated NNAPI framework using CPU and that didn't work well either. Still, you can check out the chart below to see how the two processors handle AI workloads.
| Geekbench AI | Snapdragon 8 Elite processor | A18 Pro processor |
|---|---|---|
| Single accuracy score | 1,970 | 4,504 |
| Half-precision score | 2,037 | 7,746 |
| Quantized partition | 2,416 | 6,191 |
The verdict
To summarize, the second generation Oryon processor on Snapdragon 8 Elite is very promising, both in terms of performance and efficiency. It has access to a large cache pool, and although it's based on an older architecture, it comes very close to beating the A18 Pro's CPU.
Although the A18 Pro's CPU core looks better on paper, thanks to the advanced cooling system of Android phones, the Snapdragon 8 Elite can maintain its peak performance for a longer period of time and stay cooler. It's basically how the whole system works together, not just the chipset.
As for the GPU, Qualcomm knocked it out of the park with the new Adreno 830 GPU slice architecture. Apple needs to seriously beef up its mobile GPU for future A-series chips. Overall, it's an exciting time for Android users who want a flagship experience, comparable to the latest and greatest iPhones.
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