When comparing central processors for smartphones from MediaTek and Qualcomm, we will consider the main parameters by which the buyer can make a choice in favor of one of the CPUs. Which one is better and why, on many forums, users prefer Qualcomm products, is this really the case on the market?
We can say that the two firms Qualcomm and MediaTek are the main suppliers of CPUs for smartphones today. Choosing a phone according to its characteristics, each buyer will be faced with the products of these companies in the form of a central processor. So the device on which processor to buy? Which company? Consider the main differences point by point.
Graphics
Better graphics from Qualcomm. MTK has the best processor for gaming today - Helio X10, it has a PowerVR G6200 video core. This is an average video processor for today (if not worse). But the best solution with video for today from Helio X20 and X25 is the Mali T-880 core.
Yes, the Mali T-880 is a good video processor, even Samsung uses it in its flagship models. But each video processor differs in the number of cores, which is not surprising for today's chips. And in the Mali-T880, Samsung uses 12 cores (MP12) in its top processor, while MediaTek uses only 4 (MP4) in its Helio X25 and X20. A maximum of 16 cores can be used in the T880.
What gives more cores? And it gives more GFlops (FLoating-point Operations Per Second). Gigaflops is a non-systemic unit used to measure the performance of computers, showing how many floating point operations a given computing system performs per second. It is important for us that this value is used to measure the performance of a video card and by it we can to some extent compare video processors. There is also optimization, structure, executable instructions, etc. But for now, let's take GFLOPS into account.
- Mali-T880 MP12 - 265 GFLOPS,
- Mali-T880 MP4 - 115 GFLOPS.
But this is what we compared different versions of the Mali-T880 from ARM Limited. As of December 2016, Mali's newest video processor is the G71.
But the video processor in the flagship Snapdragon 821 chips from Qualcomm is called the Adreno 530, and it produces 519 GFLOPS. For comparison:
- Snapdragon 650 with Adreno 510 - 180 GFLOPS,
- Snapdragon 430, 435 with Adreno 505 - 48.6 GFLOPS.
Conclusion: if we compare the top models of processors and then in pairs from the same price category, then Qualcomm has better graphics.
Graphics are not important for everyone in everyday work, the advantage in graphics performance will be noticeable in heavy games, in other cases you will have no complaints about MediaTek chips.
Communication modules (modems)
Communication 3G, 4G is carried out through modems in the phone, each modem operates at a certain frequency (transmission rate). So also in different countries only certain categories of communication can work. That is, the supported communication standards (simultaneously for different countries), the maximum transmission and reception frequency determine the best modem. And for today, Qualcomm has the best modems. But MediaTek has created modems over the past couple of years that can cover the needs of most consumers.
But Snapdragon has the best modems of any manufacturer. There is even a modem that supports all communication standards for any country, but its price is still very high. And already in December 2016, the Snapdragon X50 5G modem was presented for 5G networks, which are still being planned.
If you do not travel and do not visit exotic countries, then you will not have problems with modems of any company.
Optimizing programs
MTK has less optimization for programs. But this is more a software problem than a hardware problem. But Qualcomm is more popular, so the developers optimize programs for these processors more.
Third party firmware
There are fewer custom firmwares for MediaTek. Custom firmware is a kind of modified or modified firmware. In general, all firmwares that are not made by the manufacturer are custom ones. These firmwares have more improved functionality and can significantly improve performance.
Is this really such a minus? For someone else, for many consumers, this is probably not a problem at all. But who needs different firmware, it is better to pay attention to Qualcomm products.
Power consumption, operating frequencies
Two characteristics: power consumption and maximum operating frequency, are tied to such a parameter as the technical process. For us, ordinary consumers, this characteristic is not important. But there is still a difference in CPU heating (energy efficiency) with a different process technology. The technological process is measured in nanometers (nm) and today the newest technological process is 10 nm, and the outdated 28 nm. The smaller the technical process, the lower the operating currents, respectively, less power in watts and less heat generation. If the currents and operating voltage are lower, the operating frequencies can be increased.
In reality, it is impossible to notice the difference between the 14 nm and 20 nm process technology. Of course, experts will notice and measure everything, but for ordinary users this does not play a big role. But you need to remember that if the processor will work at maximum load, for example, games, then the heat dissipation will be maximum. This is where a smaller process technology will play a role. With a smaller technological process, the chip will heat up less.
Today, Qualcomm's flagship processors have a 14nm process technology, while top-end chips from MediaTek are developed at 20nm. And it is only planned to make Helio X30 on a 10 nm process technology.
But if you take the Qualcomm Snapdragon 650, 652, 430 processors, they are made at 28 nm. Today these are considered to be one of the best processors for the mid-price category and they show themselves perfectly in operation, do not overheat, and have normal frequencies. So this once again confirms that ordinary customers do not need to pay special attention to the parameter of the technological process.
And power consumption also depends on the optimization of the software to the hardware, the characteristics of the screen, etc. So you can find examples of severe overheating in the operation of smartphones on processors from both firms. You can argue here for a long time, which of them is more energy efficient.
Qualcomm processors are believed to be more efficient, run cooler, and perform better. But it should be borne in mind that other hardware and software modules also contribute to all this. If you remember the Snapdragon 810, then everyone will immediately think about a very hot processor, it overheated the most. But Sony released its smartphone on this processor, and it did not get warm. It's just that Sony has made a normal heat sink. MTK did not have such problems. But you need to understand that the bulk of MediaTek processors are for mid-budget and low-budget smartphones. And manufacturers in this segment are not always engaged in software optimization or hardware improvement of the device. Therefore, the problems of the device are not always related to the CPU. This applies to both heating and lags in work.
As for overheating of the central processor, it is noticeable when performing heavy tasks such as games, complex programs. But if the smartphone performs its standard tasks, then you will not notice a serious overheating of the device, if there is any processor there.
Price
This is where MediaTek gets its advantage, which allows it to stay on the market and compete successfully with other companies. Phones on Qualcomm processors no longer stand out in price, as before, for example, a mid-range device could be bought for $ 150. But smartphones at a lower price are usually built on a processor from MediaTek.
conclusions
Other processor manufacturers such as Samsung, Apple, Huawei make them only for their devices. Therefore, in the mobile chip market, competition is between Qualcomm and MediaTek. Yes, processors from Qualcomm outperform MediaTek and their processors are used in flagship and mid-budget smartphones. And MediaTek over the years of development and competition has made its chips worthy of attention and corresponding to their price, their products have completely closed the budget segment and are used in some models of top smartphones. One can even assume that without MediaTek products there would be no smartphones under $ 100, but with acceptable characteristics.
