MediaTek Helio X23 (MT6797D) vs HiSilicon Kirin 960

Comparisons   11-03-2021
   So, which processor or chip is better? Full data of benchmarks and speed tests MediaTek Helio X23 (MT6797D) vs HiSilicon Kirin 960, comparison of GPUs Mali-T880 MP4 and Mali-G71 MP8.
   This performance comparison includes two processors: Helio X23 (MT6797D) is deca-core (ARM Cortex-A72) and Kirin 960 is octa-core (ARM Cortex-A72). Both processors went through battery life test and power consumption test. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics of the chips, so that it can be easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint benchmarking in special testing software like Quadrant, GFXBench, PassMark, GeekBench 6, 5, PCMark, Mozilla Kraken, Neocore, WebXPRT 3, Octane V2, 3DMark, AnTuTu, Vellamo, and how good the SoCs are in games Call of Duty: Mobile, Mortal Kombat, Fortnite, Real Racing 3, PUBG, Garena Free Fire - The Cobra, Minecraft Bedrock, Sniper 3D etc.
   After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processors is better to buy Helio X23 (MT6797D) or Kirin 960 and which chip is better for gaming: Need for Speed No Limits, Asphalt 9, CSR Racing 2, Madout2.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
CPU Benchmark
Based on Antutu and Geekbench score

Helio X23 (MT6797D)

Kirin 960

Battery life test
Power Consumption efficiency (how quickly the processor reduces the battery charge)

Helio X23 (MT6797D)

42%

Kirin 960

50%

Gaming performance
Which CPU is better for gaming

Helio X23 (MT6797D)

Kirin 960

Antutu v10, 9

Antutu benchmark separately tests the performance of the CPU, GPU, and memory speed

	Helio X23 (MT6797D)	Kirin 960
Total score	92331	95769
CPU	25856	26819
GPU	35085	36393
MEM	14776	15324
UX	16609	17247

GeekBench 6, 5.2

This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Helio X23 (MT6797D)	Kirin 960
Single-Core	238	247
Multi-Core	1075	1115

Comparison of specifications

CPU and Memory

	Helio X23 (MT6797D)	Kirin 960
Frequency	2300 MHz	2400 MHz
Cores	10	8
Bit	64	64
Lithography	20 nm	16 nm
Transistors count
Core configuration	2x2.3 GHz ARM Cortex-A72 4x1.85 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 4x1.4 GHz ARM Cortex-A53	4x2.4 GHz ARM Cortex-A72 4x1.8 GHz ARM Cortex-A53
Power consumption (TDP)	5 W	5 W
Memory type	LPDDR3 (Dual Channel)	LPDDR4x
Max. Memory	4 Gb	4 Gb
Memory Frequency	800	1600
Memory bandwidth	14	28.8
Neural Processor (NPU)	No	No
L1 cache	32 KB	64 KB
L2 cache	1 MB	4 MB
L3 cache	1 MB
Instruction set architecture (ISA)	ARMv8-A	ARMv8-A

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Kirin 960 is 4% better than Helio X23 (MT6797D) in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Helio X23 (MT6797D) has -2 more core than Kirin 960. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption.

GPU and Media

GPU	Mali-T880 MP4	Mali-G71 MP8
GPU Frequency	780 MHz	1037 MHz
GFloPS	106	282
# of Cores	4	8
# of Shader Units
Display	2560 x 1600 pixels	2560 x 1600 pixels

The frequency of the GPU does not always directly indicate its performance. To fully evaluate all the capabilities of a graphics chip, you should take into account the number of Shader Units and Cores, as well as how many GFlops it has.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite Mobile
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG Mobile)	19.4	21.1
Garena Free Fire - The Cobra	33.3	36.9
Call of Duty: Mobile	21.6	23.8
Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5 Mobile)	16.8	18.5
Minecraft: Pocket Edition	20.9	22.5
Real Racing 3	41.6	46.1
Sniper 3D	63.3	81.2
Need for Speed No Limits	53.3	51.7
Mortal Kombat X	53.3	59
CSR Racing 2	46.6	40.6

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the gadget and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Antutu v10, 9 and GeekBench 6, 5.2 becnmarks.

Cameras

Camera resolution	32 MP	20 MP
Image Signal Processor (ISP)
Video Encoding FPS	30	30
Video Encoding resolution	4K, 2K, FullHD	FullHD
Codec support	H.264, H.265	H.264

Networks and Navigation

Modem
Download speed	150 MBit/s.	600 MBit/s.
Upload speed	50 MBit/s.	150 MBit/s.
Navigation	GPS, Galileo, Glonass, Beidou	GPS, Galileo, Glonass, Beidou
NFC support	No	No
5G support	Yes	No

Result:
The number of parameters for which MediaTek Helio X23 (MT6797D) is better: 6
The number of parameters for which HiSilicon Kirin 960 is better: 27
You need to understand that you should not blindly trust the automatic comparison on the table. It is better to just watch the full benchmark video of joint comparison and listen to what people say who really appreciated the capabilities of both chipsets Helio X23 (MT6797D) and Kirin 960, and also read the test results on the links under the article.

Helio X23 (MT6797D) SoC - all data

• Devices lists
• Benchmarks
• PUBG mobile
• Fortnite Mobile
• GeekBench 6, 5 mobile
• Antutu v10
• 3DMark

• Helio X23 (MT6797D) specs and review.

Kirin 960 SoC - all data

• Devices lists
• Benchmarks
• PUBG mobile
• Fortnite Mobile
• GeekBench 6, 5 mobile
• Antutu v10
• 3DMark

• Kirin 960 specs and review.