Qualcomm and MediaTek’s latest-generation flagship mobile processors, the Snapdragon 8 Elite and Dimensity 9300 Plus, were directly compared based on their specifications and test results. Both chips were developed for use in high-end smartphones. However, detailed tests and analysis revealed that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip clearly outperformed them in several areas.
Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. Dimensity 9300 Plus
The Snapdragon 8 Elite was introduced in October 2024. This chip, which brought Qualcomm’s Oryon cores to a mobile platform for the first time, was manufactured on TSMC’s 3nm process. Around the same time, MediaTek also announced the Dimensity 9300 Plus chip, which also uses TSMC’s 4nm process.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite consists of eight Oryon cores, two clocked at 4.32 GHz and six clocked at 3.53 GHz. The Dimensity 9300 Plus, on the other hand, features one 3.4 GHz processor, three 2.85 GHz Cortex-X4 performance cores, and four 2.0 GHz Cortex-A720 efficiency cores. Qualcomm’s architectural choice provides higher frequencies and efficiency.
On the graphics front, the Snapdragon 8 Elite comes with the Adreno 830 GPU. This new GPU is designed with a next-generation architecture that Qualcomm calls a “sliced architecture.” Equipped with ray tracing support and advanced gaming technologies, the chip excels in high-performance mobile games. The Dimensity 9300 Plus, on the other hand, uses a Mali-G720 Immortalis MP12 GPU. Despite boasting higher frequencies and more pipelines, it fell behind the Adreno 830 in benchmarks.
In AnTuTu, the Snapdragon 8 Elite scored 2,802,747 points. In the same test, the Dimensity 9300 Plus scored 1,984,562. This shows that Qualcomm’s chip offers a performance advantage of over 41% overall.
In the CPU performance comparison, the Snapdragon scored 631,482 points, while the Dimensity trailed behind with 469,277. The gap widened even further in the GPU scores: the Snapdragon scored 1,208,815, while the Dimensity scored 810,295. Similar differences were also seen in the memory and user experience scores.
Geekbench tests also support this picture. The Snapdragon 8 Elite scored 3,056 in the single-core and 9,702 in the multi-core. The Dimensity 9300 Plus scored 2,089 in the single-core and 7,056 in the multi-core. These differences directly affect app launch speeds, interface fluidity, and multitasking performance.
On the memory side, the Snapdragon 8 Elite offers speeds of up to 5.3GHz with LPDDR5x support. The Dimensity 9300 Plus can reach speeds of up to 4.8GHz with the LPDDR5T standard. Both chips offer UFS 4.0 storage. They also share similar camera hardware specifications: 18-bit ISP, 320MP resolution, and 8K video recording support.
However, the Snapdragon 8 Elite features more software optimizations for its camera features. Features such as real-time semantic segmentation, video object removal, and skin and sky adjustment offer a broader range of uses.
In terms of AI performance, the Snapdragon 8 Elite’s Hexagon NPU is 45% faster than the previous generation and delivers the same efficiency. It also features on-device generative AI capabilities that support large language models (LLM).
The Dimensity 9300 Plus’s MediaTek NPU 790 offers AI-powered functions in areas such as text, image, and music generation. However, performance data suggests that Qualcomm’s solution is more advanced.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite also stands out in terms of connectivity. It can reach 5G download speeds of up to 10 Gbps and supports upload speeds of 3.5 Gbps. It connects up to 5.8 Gbps over Wi-Fi 7. It also supports Bluetooth 6.0 and Ultra Wideband (UWB).
The Dimensity 9300 Plus offers 7 Gbps 5G speeds and 6.5 Gbps over Wi-Fi 7. However, upload speed data was not released. Additionally, Qualcomm announced that it has integrated a system that combines Wi-Fi positioning, Bluetooth, and UWB for more accurate positioning. This feature provides higher accuracy in location detection and connections between devices.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite appears to be ahead in all tests. This difference isn’t limited to synthetic benchmarks; it’s also evident in daily use, with a smoother experience, higher gaming performance, and more advanced camera capabilities.
The Dimensity 9300 Plus stands out as a high-performance processor, particularly offering an advantage in Wi-Fi speeds. However, overall, the Snapdragon 8 Elite’s technical superiority and architectural advantages give it a leg up in the mobile processor competition.
