After Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, we did a thorough specifications comparison between Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and A16 Bionic. And now that benchmark numbers have been revealed, we have compiled all the test data, so you can find out which chipset is more powerful and efficient overall. In this article, we bring you a benchmark comparison between the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs Apple A16 Bionic to compare the CPU and GPU performance of the two chipsets.
In this benchmark comparison between Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and A16 Bionic, we have included scores from Geekbench, AnTuTu, 3DMark, and GFXBench. Both the CPU and GPU have been rigorously tested on both processors, and we have shared our findings. On that note, we dive into this guide.
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs A16 Bionic: Specs ComparisonSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs A16 Bionic: Geekbench ScoreSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs A16 Bionic: AnTuTu ScoreSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs Apple A16 Bionic: 3DMark TestSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs Apple A16 Bionic: GFXBench TestSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs Apple A16 Bionic: AI Benchmark
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs A16 Bionic: Specs Comparison
Before the benchmark comparison, let’s take a look at the specs sheet of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and Apple A16 Bionic. This will help you understand the on-paper difference between the two processors.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs A16 Bionic: Geekbench Score
First, let’s compare the Geekbench score of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and A16 Bionic. According to Qualcomm, its reference design that was powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 scored 1490 in the single-core test and 5131 in the multi-core test. Whereas in our testing, Apple’s A16 Bionic chipset scored 1879 in the single-core test and 5307 in the multi-core test.
As you can observe, Qualcomm has managed to close the gap against Apple in multi-threaded tasks, but it still lags behind by at least 25% in the single-core test. Remember the benchmark score has been obtained from the prototype device by Qualcomm and not an OEM phone, so we can expect slightly higher numbers in the coming weeks. Some manufacturers may draw more performance out of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with more optimization.
On the prototype device, the prime Cortex-X3 core is clocked at 3.19GHz, which is what the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 offers. However, if we go by UniverseIce‘s recent tweet, it’s said that Samsung users in Europe will get a higher-clocked CPU from Qualcomm for the Galaxy S23 series. It says that the Cortex-X3 core will be clocked at 3.36GHz, which means the single-core performance will get even closer to A16 Bionic’s figure. For your information, A16 Bionic’s powerful Everest core can operate at 3.5GHz.
At the Snapdragon Summit 2022, we performed an AnTuTu test on the prototype device powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It scored a whopping 1,276,749 points. That’s way higher than A16 Bionic’s 890,344 points in the AnTuTu benchmark test. Note that AnTuTu gives an aggregated score combining the evaluation from CPU, GPU, memory, and user experience tests.
If we take a look at the specific scores, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s CPU performance scored 270,867, which is slightly higher than what A16 Bionic’s CPU achieved in the AnTuTu test. As for the GPU, the 8 Gen 2 peaked at 567,801 and is way ahead of the A16 Bionic’s 5-core GPU, which scored 410,588.
And since Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 supports the latest storage and LPDDR5X memory standards, it stands out with a score of 239,879 as compared to Apple’s silicon. Here, the A16 Bionic significantly lags behind in this department as it utilizes LPDDR5 memory, which is 33% slower than LPDDR5X. Finally, in the user experience test, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 scored 198,202 points, whereas the A16 Bionic scored 146,231 points. Basically, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 pulls ahead of the A16 Bionic in the AnTuTu benchmark by a huge margin.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs Apple A16 Bionic: 3DMark Test
Moving to the first GPU benchmarking test between the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and A16 Bionic, the results surprised us. For the first time, Qualcomm has defeated Apple in GPU performance. The Adreno 740 GPU on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 scored 81.3 FPS in the 3DMark WildLife test and 22.5 FPS in the 3DMark WildLife Extreme test.
Even if we consider the overall 3DMark benchmark scores, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 scored 13,575 and 3,764 in the normal and extreme tests, respectively. Whereas the A16 Bionic maxed out in the normal test and scored 3,200 in the extreme test. Note that 3DMark shows “Maxed out” when the device hits the vertical sync limit of the test, which means the test is too lightweight for the device.
Basically, the GPU gain on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is huge. And if we consider the efficiency numbers provided by Qualcomm, well, its GPU is undoubtedly as efficient as the A16 Bionic’s GPU.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 vs Apple A16 Bionic: GFXBench Test
GFXBench is another intensive graphics benchmark test, and the trend is similar to what we observed in the 3DMark tests. Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 trumps A16 Bionic in peak FPS on this benchmark test.
It’s clear that the Adreno 740 GPU on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 packs a punch and has finally dethroned Apple in the GPU game, which is good news for mobile gamers. Moreover, according to leaks, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S23 series will have a higher-clocked Adreno 740 GPU (up from 680MHz to 719MHz), which will again crush A16 Bionic in GPU performance.
We don’t have any tools to test A16 Bionic’s 16-core Neural Engine, but it can perform 17 trillion operations per second (TOPS), according to Apple. Qualcomm has not made the TOPS figure public this year, but the previous-gen Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 already had a significant lead with 27 TOPS.
Qualcomm says that the new AI engine on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is at least 4.35 times faster than the one on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. In all probability, the Hexagon-powered AI engine on the 8Gen2 will be better than Apple’s 16-core Neural Engine. But in the end, it comes down to the OEMs if they wish to utilize the features on offer or not. We have mentioned the AITuTu score (3,628,796) of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 here, but you can check all other Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 benchmark scores via the linked article.
