Snapdragon from the United States-based Qualcomm Incorporated and MediaTek from Taiwan-based MediaTek Inc. are two of the most common brands of systems-on-a-chip found in a range of Android devices. These two have dominated the Android market following the withdrawal of other third-party chip providers like Texas Instruments and Intel Corporation. Exynos from Samsung is also a notable competitor but this brand of SoCs is limited to Samsung devices. Nevertheless, because of their market position and established brand reputation, Snapdragon and MediaTek are often compared side-by-side by smartphone and tablet consumers and tech reviewers.
Similarities Between Snapdragon and MediaTek
It is important to first underscore and understand the key similarities between Snapdragon and MediaTek before delving into their differences. Both are designed and marketed by fabless semiconductor companies. This means neither Qualcomm nor MediaTek owns or operates silicon wafer fabrication facilities. They are focused on product development and outsource the fabrication of their chips to semiconductor foundries. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has been manufacturing chips for these two companies.
Other notable similarities between the two are the fact that both are systems-on-a-chip based on the ARM architecture. A system-on-a-chip or SoC is an integrated semiconductor circuit that includes different components like a central processing unit or CPU, an integrated graphic processing unit or iGPU, artificial intelligence accelerators, image signal processor, system memory, and different radio technologies for wireless communications like cellular network radios, Wi-Fi modem, Bluetooth radio, and Near Field Communication or NFC module.
Furthermore, because their CPUs are based on the ARM architecture, Snapdragon and MediaTek processors are also generally based on a reduced instruction set computer or RISC architecture that follows a standardized and specified set of rules that dictate how the hardware works when a particular instruction is executed. The same ARM architecture utilized the ARM big.LITTLE heterogeneous computing architecture for multi-core implementation in which the CPU cores are grouped into power-hungry performance cores and power-efficient cores.
The ARM architecture is at the heart of most modern mobile devices. It allows mobile CPUs to operate at a higher speed by performing a smaller number of types of instructions numbering to millions per second. The foundational RISC architecture trips out unnecessary instructions and optimizes pathways. Hence, compared to complex instruction set computer or CISC, RISC has better performance at lower power consumption. Even Apple has been using ARM architecture for the iPhone and since the Apple M1 to power Mac and iPad devices.
Differences Between Snapdragon and MediaTek
It is indeed true that there are similarities between Snapdragon and MediaTek chips. However, in consideration of specifications, capabilities and performance, applications, and price points, the two have more specific differences. Snapdragon is often used by more popular manufacturers and can be found in mid-range and flagship Android devices. MediaTek is popular in both the budget or entry-level and mid-range segments. This brand also has premium chips designed for flagship devices. Take note of the following differences between the two:
1. ARM Architecture Implementation
One notable difference between Snapdragon and MediaTek is their different implementation of the ARM architecture and the corresponding CPU and GPU designs. Qualcomm designs and uses custom ARM CPU cores under the Kyro branding. These are still based on the ARM Cortex microarchitecture but are modified to meet the intended specifications and differentiations of Snapdragon chips. MediaTek often uses stock ARM Cortex CPU microarchitectures without modifications. This is true for its range of entry-level and mid-range chips.
Snapdragon chips also feature Adreno integrated GPUs. These are designed in-house and are focused on providing strong graphics processing performance for multimedia applications and mobile gaming. MediaTek chips feature either Mali or Immortalis integrated GPUs. These are licensed from Arm and are often found. The graphics processing performance varies. Most cannot match Adreno GPUs by default but newer and more advanced ones found in higher-end MediaTek Dimensity chips can deliver equal graphics processing capabilities.
2. Branding and Product Variations
The entire Snapdragon brand is central to the platform strategy of Qualcomm. It includes various sub-brands and specific models not only for smartphones and tablets but also for laptop and desktop computers, augmented reality and virtual reality devices, wearable products, and other smart devices. Nevertheless, for smartphones and tablets, Qualcomm provides varied models for mid-range and flagship devices. The Snapdragon 7 series, for instance, is marketed for mid-range devices while the Snapdragon 8 series, is marketed for flagship devices.
MediaTek has two sub-brands for smartphone and tablet devices. These are the MediaTek Helio and MediaTek Dimensity brands of chips. The chips under the Helio brand are targeted at budget and mid-range devices. They offer a balance between performance and price. MediaTek used to focus on the budget and mid-range segments not until it launched the Dimensity brand in 2019 to compete with Snapdragon 8 series. The chips under this brand are intended for mid-range and flagship devices with better performance as their main selling points.
3. Artificial Intelligence Acceleration
The integration of AI capabilities in smartphones and tablets has become common due to the increasing practical applications of on-device machine learning capabilities and AI inferencing. Both Snapdragon and MediaTek have introduced native AI acceleration in the design of their chips. The main component that powers AI in Snapdragon chips is the Qualcomm AI Engine with the Hexagon DSP that works alongside the Kyro CPU, Adreno GPU, and the Sensing Hub to accelerate AI processes and empower the entire Qualcomm AI stack.
MediaTek also equips its newer Helio and Dimensity chips with dedicated AI accelerators. Helio chips have less-powerful AI accelerators designed for improving mobile photography and overall artificial intelligence acceleration. Dimensity chips are equipped with the newer and better MediaTek AI Processing Unit of MediaTek NPU that includes a multi-core scheduler, a deep learning accelerator, and a vision processing unit that work to support the entire MediaTek AI stack based on the MediaTek NeuroPilot software development kits.
4. Processing Capabilities and Performance
Snapdragon chips have always excelled in single-core and multi-core performance. The chips under the Snapdragon 8 series have powered top-rated flagship Android smartphones. MediaTek has since caught up with this. The Dimensity 9000 series can provide a comparable performance to the Snapdragon 9 series. The budget and mid-range Helio chips and mid-range Dimensity chips do well in their respective segments and price points but they often fall behind Snapdragon 7 series and older mid-range Snapdragon chips in terms of overall performance.
The Adreno GPUs of Snapdragon chips are a standout feature. They support graphics APIs like OpenGL, Vulkan, and even DirectX. This is the reason why flagship Snapdragon chips are often found in high-end gaming smartphones. Even mid-range Snapdragon chips can deliver above-average gaming performance. Mali GPUs have improved in recent years but most of them fall behind Adreno GPUs in raw graphics performance and gaming optimization. Even Mali GPUs Dimensity 9000 chips can still lag behind flagship Adreno GPUs.
5. Market Appeal and Price Differences
Another difference between Snapdragon and MediaTek chips is their price points. Devices with Snapdragon chips are often more expensive than devices with MediaTek chips. Even budget to mid-range Android smartphones like the Galaxy A series from Samsung are more expensive than counterparts from other manufacturers using Helio and Dimensity chips. Note that flagship-level devices powered by the Snapdragon 8 series are among the most expensive in the segment. Those equipped with high-end Dimensity chips tend to be more affordable.
One of the main reasons why Snapdragon chips are more expensive than MediaTek chips is that the CPUs are customized. Another reason is their in-house Adreno GPUs. Most MediaTek chips use off-the-shelf CPUs and GPUs. Snapdragon chips also use newer image signal processors and AI accelerators. These factors drive manufacturing costs up. Another reason is premium positioning. Snapdragon has a more premium and feature-packed brand positioning while MediaTek has traditionally positioned itself as a more affordable chip alternative.