Both Qualcomm and MediaTek launched their flagship chipsets for Android phones this year. With the launch of Snapdragon 8 Elite And Dimensions 9400both companies are pushing the boundaries to deliver the best performance on Android phones. So, to compare these chipsets, we compared Snapdragon 8 Elite and Dimensity 9400 on Geekbench, AnTuTu, 3DMark, etc. Now, without further ado, let’s compare.

Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Dimensity 9400: Specs comparison

Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Dimensity 9400: Geekbench 6 processor

Starting with the Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark, the Oryon-powered Snapdragon 8 Elite scored 3,033 in single-core and 9,271 in multi-core. On the other hand, the Dimensity 9400 with Arm’s Cortex CPU cores achieved 2,618 in single-core and 8,291 in multi-core. Here, the Snapdragon 8 Elite leads by 15% in single-core performance and by around 11% in multithreaded tasks.

Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Dimensity 9400: AnTuTu benchmark

In the AnTuTu benchmark, Snapdragon 8 Elite and Dimensity 9400 performed in the same direction. The Snapdragon 8 Elite scored 2,759,190 points and the Dimensity 9400 scored 2,701,004 points. Surprisingly, the Dimensity 9400 performed better on the CPU benchmark and also narrowly outperformed the Snapdragon 8 Elite in GPU performance.

Snapdragon 8 Elite vs Dimensity 9400: CPU throttling test

Then, during the CPU throttling test, it becomes clear that although the Dimensity 9400’s processor is powerful, it cannot maintain peak performance for an extended period of time. This may be due to the small form factor of the Vivo In contrast, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is limited to 77%, maintaining optimal performance much longer.

Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Dimensity 9400: GPU Geekbench 6

As we noticed in the AnTuTu benchmark, the Arm Immortalis-G925 MP12 GPU on Dimensity 9400 is really powerful. It not only rivals the Snapdragon 8 Elite’s Adreno 830 GPU, but also narrowly beats it on the OpenCL and Vulkan graphics APIs in the Geekbench 6 GPU test.

The Dimensity 9400’s GPU also achieved the best loop score of 5,839 points, but it quickly throttled the GPU, bringing the lowest loop score down to 2,306 points. Stability stood at a dismal 39.5%. In my opinion, the GPU is severely limited to reduce the temperature on a small device like the vivo X200 Pro mini. We need to test the Dimensity 9400 on a larger Android phone to check GPU stability.

Then, in the 3DMark Solar Bay test, Dimensity 9400 again delivered slightly better ray tracing performance. It averaged 41.62 FPS and also maintained a lower temperature. In the intensive Steel Nomad Light test, the Dimensity 9400 scored 2,405 points while the Snapdragon 8 Elite scored 2,201 points.

Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Dimensity 9400: AI Geekbench

Now let’s come to the Geekbench AI test which evaluates the NPU. Unfortunately, the Snapdragon 8 Elite’s NPU driver stack is not ready, resulting in much lower scores. We have therefore not included them in this comparison. That said, we ran the test on the CPU and it appears that the Dimensity 9400 performed better on AI workloads. Overall, we have to wait until Qualcomm adds support for its Hexagon AI engine so we can comprehensively compare the two NPUs.

Geekbench AI	Snapdragon 8 Elite processor	Dimensity 9400 processor
Single accuracy score	1,970	2,125
Half-precision score	2,037	2,119
Quantized partition	2,416	3,026

The verdict

When it comes to CPU performance, the custom Oryon core in the Snapdragon 8 Elite is better than the Arm Cortex cores in the Dimensity 9400. The Oryon cores can scale to higher frequencies while keeping the temperature under control. It also consumes less power than the Dimensity 9400’s processor.

On the GPU side, the Dimensity 9400’s Immortalis-G925 GPU impressed us with its remarkable graphics performance. In several tests, it slightly beats the Adreno 830 GPU. That said, sustained graphics performance remains a concern, but to be sure we need to check stability on a larger device with a better cooling system.

Overall, MediaTek has indeed developed a flagship chipset. I think high-end Android phones will have unparalleled CPU and GPU performance this year, which is great news for consumers.