The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Performance Preview: Sizing Up Cortex-X2
by Dr. Ian Cutress on December 14, 2021 8:00 AM ESTConclusionary Remarks: Arm v9 for Android
When we move through significant revisions of Arm’s architecture, up to v8 and now v9, it’s important to note that the new features defined in the ISA do not always fundamentally improve performance – it’s up to the microarchitecture teams to build the cores to the ISA specifications, and the implementation teams to enable the core in silicon with frequency and power efficiency. Accomplishing that requires a good process node, design technology co-optimization, and then partners that can execute by building the best devices for that processor.
Qualcomm’s target with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is very clearly the 2022 Android Flagship smartphones. New cores, new graphics, enhanced machine learning capabilities, a step function in camera processing power, an integrated X65 modem, all built on Samsung’s 4nm process node technology. The flagship Android space is an area in which Qualcomm has been comfortable for a number of years, however the increased thermals of last generation’s Snapdragon S888 gave a number of analysts in the space a bit of a squeaky bum moment.
It’s hard to tell immediately in our small test if that still remains the case. Samsung’s 4nm node has improvements beyond the previous generation 5nm design, however Qualcomm’s presentational numbers were above and beyond those that Samsung provided, perhaps indicating that additional improvements both in architecture and implementation have led to those performance numbers.
Our testing shows +19% floating point performance on the X2 core, which is almost the +20% that Qualcomm quotes, but only +8% in integer, which is often the most quoted. We’re seeing power efficiency improvements for sure on the X2 core, with an overall efficiency improvement of 17%, but peak power has also increased, in part because some of our tests make use of the additional cache in the system. Our machine learning tests are +75% over the previous generation, although not the 4x numbers that Qualcomm states – we need to do more work here on power efficiency testing however. On the gaming side, our 'first run' numbers showcase some explosive gains in GPU throughput.
Although we’ve only done a few tests here, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the elephant in the room: MediaTek. In the last month MediaTek announced a return to the high-end with a flagship processor of its own, using the same 1+3+4 configuration with slightly higher frequencies, more cache, and built on TSMC’s N4 process. Implementation here will be the key metric I feel, so how MediaTek has been able to optimize for TSMC N4 vs Qualcomm on Samsung 4nm is going to be analyzed. I should point out here that a processor is more than just the CPU cores, as we’ll see Adreno vs Mali on graphics, the different machine learning approaches, but also how the two companies approach 5G and connectivity, which has been one of Qualcomm’s most prominent strengths to date.
We look forward to testing the Qualcomm S8g1 in more detail in the New Year, as well as how many of the main smartphone OEMs choose Qualcomm for their flagship devices.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
169 Comments
View All Comments
Kangal - Sunday, December 19, 2021 - link
The best method used to be to:- buy Used
- buy ex-Flagship
- buy with good Custom Rom support
Now?
Flagship phones followed Apple's pricing, so used market is also less scarce and priced higher. Custom Rom community has also whimpered from its glory days (also lots of permanently locked bootloaders). And you can't replicate this tactic as often as previous (eg yearly or 18 months, is now 2+ years).
So getting an Android device either through Big Sales (eg Black Friday), and going for a lower ranked option (eg OnePlus 7t instead of 7t Pro) has become the go-to tactic. Just grab something that gives you as much value UPFRONT and hope you will get monthly security updates. Obtaining root or Custom ROMs is now considered bonus, mainly that most phones' firmware are Stock-ish and good enough. And keep that device as long as possible, until the upgrade to the next one is worthwhile (ie Display, Processor, Battery, Cameras, etc etc).
Reflex - Monday, December 20, 2021 - link
The issue though is that security updates are only every 2-3 years. Very weak in this day and age.Meteor2 - Friday, December 17, 2021 - link
Tbf, my mobile phones tend not to last past 2-3 years 😬. Screen might get damaged, more often battery degrades too far for my liking. It's a tough life for a li-ion in a phone, regularly 40+ C in summertime and almost always being rapid charged.Reflex - Friday, December 17, 2021 - link
I mean if that's your situation then yeah, support lifecycle means a lot less. My comments are really only for people who are not on the upgrade/replace bandwagon every 2 years. For those who need a new one (either cause they like the latest and greatest or because their phone is in rough situations routinely) this point I'm making does not apply.Nicon0s - Saturday, December 18, 2021 - link
"But that Android phone you mention comes with between 2-3 years of support before you are on your own"You are trying to make it sound that after new Android versions stop coming the phones becomes obsolete. That is very far from the truth.
Security risks are mitigated in a variety of ways on Android phones so he will still get security oriented updates through Project Mainline and Google Services long after the phones stops receiving OS updates.
"Meanwhile the iPhone 6S, released six years ago, just got iOS 15"
Which is runs quite poorly. iOS 14 run better on the 6s.
"A six year old phone will have a more functional lifespan than your brand new Xiaomi."
No it won't from a practical stand point.
"Apple is dirt cheap comparatively with 3-5x the support lifecycle for only 1.25x more money (using your comparison)."
And it's full of important hardware compromises.
Reflex - Monday, December 20, 2021 - link
Unclear what you mean here, I mean yes newer OS's tend to run a bit more sluggishly on old hardware, but that's where the superior Apple ARM implementation comes in: The same age android phone is not only out of support on any level but also runs terribly compared to the Apple device. Also, say you decided to stay back on iOS14 for a small perf gain, that *also* has another 3 years of support, meaning all you did was lose 1 total year to stay on your preferred OS.Meanwhile that Android device stopped getting major OS versions and security updates half a decade ago.
Nicon0s - Saturday, December 25, 2021 - link
"Unclear what you mean here, I mean yes newer OS's tend to run a bit more sluggishly on old hardware, but that's where the superior Apple ARM implementation comes in:"No it doesn't come in. I have a 2016 SE, iOS 15 performs worse than iOS 14 which performed worse than iOS 13. Not to mention the visual and feature differences are small.
"The same age android phone is not only out of support on any level but also runs terribly compared to the Apple device."
Such a discussion is irrelevant. People are not buying old phones in the present, people buy present phones in the present and Android phones have evolved enormously hardware wise in the last few years.
"Also, say you decided to stay back on iOS14 for a small perf gain, that *also* has another 3 years of support, meaning all you did was lose 1 total year to stay on your preferred OS."
On a phone like the 6s "a small perf gain" is the difference between the phone feeling fine and feeling sluggish and the phone feels sluggish with iOS 15 which I don't think anybody would be happy about.
"Meanwhile that Android device stopped getting major OS versions and security updates half a decade ago."
Again not relevant. I recently bough a 52s. How do you reckon my situation software wise is? Did I make the wrong decision?
Surfacround - Tuesday, December 21, 2021 - link
your spec is is wrong. it is a 48mp camera… https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_mi_11x-10775.phpwhat else is wrong in your spec list?
tuxRoller - Tuesday, December 14, 2021 - link
Iphones have support for a long time, but the experience isn't a particularly great one, and it's not as if old iphones receive all the same software feature updates as the newer phones.That aside, Apple is obviously doing the best in this area.
Reflex - Wednesday, December 15, 2021 - link
Yes, and that's my point. I am not a huge fan of the UI although it's been improving. I'd like a simpler dev unlock procedure. I would like to have a few more things where I can set a preference.But I also have no interest in replacing my phone every 2-3 years anymore. And I cannot in good conscience give an Android device to a non-tech savvy user or senior given that they simply won't understand support lifecycle and will end up with a device that is easily compromised. Much better picking up a used iPhone off Swappa for such users.
I really hate that MS dropped out of this market, they met all the same criteria (security, support, ease of use) but had a better UI and more customization.