Qualcomm released the Snapdragon 888 in late 2020, while the Dimensity 7300 is a newer chip announced in May 2024. Despite being a 3-year-old chip, it’s still popular among mid-range phones. But how well does it compare with MediaTek’s Dimensity 7300? Let’s find out.
The Dimensity chip is manufactured using TSMC’s 4nm process node, while the Snapdragon 888 chip uses a 5nm process from Samsung. Both chips have different core architectures and configurations.
Let’s quickly review the spec sheet, and then we’ll discuss different aspects of a chip comparison that will help you make an informed decision.
| Dimensity 7300 | Snapdragon 888 | |
|---|---|---|
| Process Node | TSMC 4nm | Samsung 5nm |
| CPU Cores | 8 | 8 |
| CPU Architecture | 4 x Cortex-A78 @ 2.5 GHz 4 x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz | 1 x Cortex-X1 @ 2.8 GHz 3 x Cortex-A78 @ 2.4 GHz 4 x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz |
| GPU | Arm Mali-G615 MC2 | Adreno 660 |
| NPU | MediaTek APU 655 | Hexagon 780 |
| Memory | LPDDR5 RAM UFS 3.1 storage | LPDDR5 RAM UFS 3.1 storage |
| Camera | Imagiq 950 12-bit ISP Up to 200MP camera sensor support Up to 4K videos @ 30 FPS | Spectra 580 14-bit ISP Up to 200MP camera sensor support Up to 8K videos @ 30 FPS |
| Display | WFHD+ @ 120Hz, Full HD+ @ 144Hz | 4K Ultra HD @ 60Hz, QHD+ @ 144Hz |
| Connectivity | MediaTek 5G R16 modem Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.4 | Snapdragon X60 5G modem Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.2 |
Dimensity 7300 vs Snapdragon 888: Performance
The Dimensity 7300 is equipped with four Cortex-A78 performance cores clocked at up to 2.5 GHz, and the remaining four are Cortex-A55 power-efficient cores running at 2.0 GHz.
The Snapdragon 888 has a Cortex-X1 prime core clocked at up to 2.8 GHz, three Cortex-A78 performance cores at 2.4 GHz, and the remaining four Cortex-A55 are power efficient cores clocked at 1.8 GHz.
The Cortex-X1 prime core in Snapdragon 888 provides the chip an edge over the Dimensity 7300 in terms of performance. The Qualcomm chip will likely perform better in demanding tasks like gaming and intensive multitasking. However, the Dimensity 7300 offers better battery life due to a more power-efficient core configuration.
Both chips have different GPUs (Arm Mali-G615 MC2 in Dimensity 7300 and Adreno 660 in Snapdragon 888). The Adreno 660 is a more powerful GPU but consumes more power, while the Mali-G615 MC2 is a power-efficient chip, leading to a longer battery life, but don’t expect the same performance as Adreno 660 in high-end gaming and graphics-intensive tasks.
The Snapdragon chip has a full suite of Snapdragon Elite Gaming features, including variable rate shading for better graphics performance and Qualcomm Game Quick Touch for increased display responsiveness. The MediaTek chip employs MediTek HyperEngine optimizations, promising to accelerate gaming experiences and energy efficiency by up to 20%.
The Snapdragon 888 delivers great CPU and GPU performance, but many devices powered by this chip were overheating during gaming and other process-intensive tasks.
Smartphones are getting smarter with AI features, and therefore, selecting the right NPU has become crucial. The Dimensity 7300 uses MediaTek NPU 655, which offers 2x performance compared to its previous generation. The chip supports AI camera enhancements, such as AI-NR, AI-HDR, and AI-PQ, and integrates with MediaTek HyperEngine to enhance gaming performance and reduce GPU load.
The Hexagon 780 in Snapdragon 888 is a powerful NPU optimized for low power consumption and high performance. It is designed to accelerate AI processing tasks, such as machine learning and other AI-related applications. It is capable of 26 trillion operations per second (TOPS).
Dimensity 7300 vs Snapdragon 888: Multimedia
Both chips have excellent imaging capabilities, supporting up to a 200MP single camera sensor. However, the video recording is a limiting factor in the Dimensity chip. It can take up to 4K videos at 30FPS, while the Snapdragon 888 can take up to 8K videos at the same frame rate.
The Dimensity 7300 featuring Imagiq 950 12-bit ISP provides precise noise reduction (MCNR), face detection (HWFD), and video HDR. The chip has up to 1.3x faster live focus photo performance and up to 1.5x faster photo remastering than its previous counterparts.
The Snapdragon 888 has a Spectra 580 14-bit ISP with camera features such as real-time object classification, HDR, multi-frame noise reduction (MFNR) low-light photography architecture, and high-efficiency image file format (HEID).
Dimensity 7300 vs Snapdragon 888: Connectivity
Both Dimensity 7300 and Snapdragon 888 chips boast excellent connectivity features, including Wi-Fi 6E, 5G, and necessary satellite systems (GPS, BeiDou, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS, NavIC).
The Dimensity 7300 chip has a peak downlink speed of 3.27 Gbps, slightly shorter than that of 3.6 Gbps in the Snapdragon 888. Both chips also have their own optimization solutions for network enhancements.
Dimensity 7300 vs Snapdragon 888: Which Is Better?
The Snapdragon 888 has performance advantages over the Dimensity 7300 but lags behind the Dimensity chip when it comes to lesser battery consumption. Notably, the Snapdragon 888-powered device overheats while playing high-end games and doing other tasks that require a lot of processing.
Both chips have powerful imaging capabilities, but the Snapdragon chip can take videos at 8K 30FPS resolution (vs. 4K 30FPS in Dimensity 7300). Another big difference is that the Dimensity chip supports WFHD+ resolution, whereas the Snapdragon 888 supports a higher 4K Ultra HD display resolution. The Snapdragon chip also edges out the Dimensity chip in terms of Bluetooth version and peak download speed.
So, the Snapdragon 888 is clearly ahead of the Dimensity 7300 in terms of performance, connectivity, and display resolution. The higher video resolution is another reason to prefer Snapdragon 888 over the Dimensity 7300. However, the core architecture of Dimensity 7300 suggests a better power efficiency than the Snapdragon 888 chip.
If you can’t compromise on performance, the Snapdragon 888 chip is a suitable choice over the Dimensity 7300. However, for an optimal balance of battery and performance, the Dimensity chip would be a better option.
More Chip Comparisons:
1. Dimensity 9300+ vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
2. Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 3
3. Snapdragon 782G vs Dimensity 7200
Comments