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SOC SHOWDOWN!
Let’s get nerdy with some silicon announcements! Qualcomm vs MediaTek vs Google! We have a better idea of what chips will be in our phones for the first half of 2023. What makes them different? How will we grade them for performance? Will it matter to consumers what chip is in their phones?
Let’s dig into the specs and take a look! Continue reading “Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs Dimensity 9200 vs Tensor 2! What we know so far…”
The semiconductor industry is a crazy place.
There’s an ebb and flow in computing. A new chip is rarely a perfect one-to-one upgrade over an older chip. Different features, different initiatives, changing consumer needs, numerous factors influence a chip design.
Google’s Tensor is an interesting beast.
Tensor is an attempt at focusing phone hardware to better run Google software. It’s an attempt at creating more hardware and software synergy for Google services. It’s a surprisingly successful solution for a first generation System on Chip (SOC), but it is first gen and we should expect improvements from succeeding generations.
What does Tensor 2 need to be successful? Not a lot…
Continue reading “Google Tensor 2: I don’t need a lot from this chip to fix the Pixel 7”
We’re more than halfway through 2022, and it’s time to take a look at premium phone performance!
The Snapdragon 8 Gen1 has been a controversial chip for expensive Android phones. Qualcomm used ARM reference designs to build a powerful System on Chip. Samsung was responsible for producing the chip on Qualcomm’s designs. Then, manufacturers build phones around those power and thermal specifications.
That thermal conversation has been a challenge to track this year. The Snapdragon 8 Gen1 is a powerful chip, but it’s a finnicky performer if thermals and battery life aren’t handled appropriately.
This SOC arrived at the same time as some significant changes to Android. The way Android 12 handles storage reduces performance for numerous apps and services. Years of my benchmarking results on older phones are no longer directly comparable to current phones with Android 12 and newer.
Phones released in the first half of 2022 are a unique group of devices.
More powerful (but hotter) CPU and GPU, balanced against performance sapping software.
The refreshed Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 is starting to ship in new phones for the second half of the year. ARM is improving the power efficiency, Qualcomm is refining the design, and TSMC is replacing Samsung for the chip fabrication.
We’ll see where these companies are improving later in the year. We’ll get to see if the 8+ Gen1 runs cooler. We’ll get to see if app developers are taking better advantage of this SOC performance.
Let’s look at some benchmark scores! Continue reading “Summer 2022 Snapdragon 8 Gen1 Performance Round Up!”
I’m always going to be excited by better competition.
In 2019, the mobile landscape was dominated by Qualcomm and Apple SOCs at the premium tier of phones and tablets. HiSilicon’s Kirin was facing issues due to political pressures placed on Huawei. MediaTek maintained a respectable reputation as a mid-range and entry-level chip provider.
We didn’t have much choice in what powered more expensive gadgets.
Flash forward two years, we’re starting to get some insight on what will power devices in 2022, and this market is a LOT more exciting.
MediaTek took the wraps off a premium tier competitor. We’re about to hear more from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon team. Apple’s A15 is solidly refined over the A14. Google launched their first custom chip with the Pixel 6.
A stale landscape has exploded, and more companies are rumored to be designing their own solutions over the next several years.
When it comes to pocketable portable performance, we just have one small issue…
Power. Continue reading “Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Dimensity 9000, and the Problems with POWER”