MediaTek Helio X23 (MT6797D) vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996

Comparisons   11-03-2021
   So, which chip or processor is better? Full data of speed tests and benchmarks MediaTek Helio X23 (MT6797D) vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996, compare of GPUs Mali-T880 MP4 and Adreno 530.
   This performance comparison involves two processors: Helio X23 (MT6797D) is deca-core (ARM Cortex-A72) and Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 is quad-core (Kryo 280). Both processors went through battery life test and power consumption test. A thorough analysis of all the specifications of the SoCs, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint benchmarking in special test applications like Mozilla Kraken, PassMark, GFXBench, Octane V2, 3DMark, Geekbench, Vellamo, WebXPRT 3, AnTuTu 8, PCMark, Quadrant, Neocore, and how good the processors are in games Fortnite, Real Racing 3, Garena Free Fire - The Cobra, Minecraft Bedrock, Sniper 3D, Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG, Mortal Kombat etc.
   After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which SoCs is better to buy Helio X23 (MT6797D) or Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 and which chip is better for gaming: CSR Racing 2, Madout2, Need for Speed No Limits, Asphalt 9.

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)

Snapdragon 820 MSM8996

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

Helio X23 (MT6797D)

42%

Snapdragon 820 MSM8996

52%

Gaming performance
Which CPU is better for gaming

Helio X23 (MT6797D)

Snapdragon 820 MSM8996

Antutu v10, 9

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

	Helio X23 (MT6797D)	Snapdragon 820 MSM8996
Total score	92331	125956
CPU	25856	35262
GPU	35085	47872
MEM	14776	20152
UX	16609	22681

GeekBench 6, 5.2

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

	Helio X23 (MT6797D)	Snapdragon 820 MSM8996
Single-Core	238	257
Multi-Core	1075	1133

Comparison of specifications

CPU and Memory

	Helio X23 (MT6797D)	Snapdragon 820 MSM8996
Frequency	2300 MHz	2200 MHz
Cores	10	4
Bit	64	64
Lithography	20 nm	14 nm
Transistors count
Core configuration	2x2.3 GHz ARM Cortex-A72 4x1.85 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 4x1.4 GHz ARM Cortex-A53	4x2.2 GHz Kryo 280
Power consumption (TDP)	5 W	11 W
Memory type	LPDDR3 (Dual Channel)	LPDDR4x (Dual Channel)
Max. Memory	4 Gb	8 Gb
Memory Frequency	800	1866
Memory bandwidth	14	29.8
Neural Processor (NPU)	No	No
L1 cache	32 KB
L2 cache	1 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 Helio X23 (MT6797D) is 4% better than Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Helio X23 (MT6797D) has -6 more core than Snapdragon 820 MSM8996. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption.

GPU and Media

GPU	Mali-T880 MP4	Adreno 530
GPU Frequency	780 MHz	624 MHz
GFloPS	106	497.98
# of Cores	4
# of Shader Units		256
Display	2560 x 1600 pixels	3840 x 2160 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		25.2
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG Mobile)	19.4	48.8
Garena Free Fire - The Cobra	33.3	52.5
Call of Duty: Mobile	21.6	27.1
Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5 Mobile)	16.8	44.3
Minecraft: Pocket Edition	20.9	63.7
Real Racing 3	41.6	105
Sniper 3D	63.3	84
Need for Speed No Limits	53.3	84
Mortal Kombat X	53.3	68.3
CSR Racing 2	46.6	57.8

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	28 MP
Image Signal Processor (ISP)		Qualcomm Spectra
Video Encoding FPS	30	30
Video Encoding resolution	4K, 2K, FullHD	4K (Ultra HD), 2K, FullHD
Codec support	H.264, H.265	H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC

Networks and Navigation

Modem		Qualcomm Snapdragon X12 LTE modem
Download speed	150 MBit/s.	600 MBit/s.
Upload speed	50 MBit/s.	150 MBit/s.
Navigation	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: 10
The number of parameters for which Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 is better: 29
You need to understand that you should not blindly trust the software 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 processors Helio X23 (MT6797D) and Snapdragon 820 MSM8996, as well as read the test results at the links below.

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.

Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 SoC - all data

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

• Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 specs and review.