Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 vs MediaTek Helio X23 (MT6797D)

Comparisons   11-03-2021
   So, which chip or processor is better? Comprehensive data of speed tests and benchmarks Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 vs MediaTek Helio X23 (MT6797D), compare of GPUs Mali-T880 MP4 and Adreno 510.
   This performance comparison involves two processors: Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 is gexa-core (ARM Cortex-A72) and Helio X23 (MT6797D) is deca-core (ARM Cortex-A72). Both processors went through battery life test and power consumption test. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel benchmarking in special testing software like Vellamo, AnTuTu 8, Octane V2, GFXBench, Neocore, Mozilla Kraken, Quadrant, 3DMark, Geekbench, PassMark, WebXPRT 3, PCMark, and how good the chips are in games Garena Free Fire - The Cobra, Real Racing 3, Fortnite, Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG, Sniper 3D, Minecraft Bedrock, Mortal Kombat etc.
   After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which SoCs is better to buy Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 or Helio X23 (MT6797D) and which chip is better for gaming: Need for Speed No Limits, Madout2, CSR Racing 2, 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

Snapdragon 650 MSM8956

Helio X23 (MT6797D)

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

Snapdragon 650 MSM8956

25%

Helio X23 (MT6797D)

42%

Gaming performance
Which CPU is better for gaming

Snapdragon 650 MSM8956

Helio X23 (MT6797D)

Antutu v10, 9

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

	Snapdragon 650 MSM8956	Helio X23 (MT6797D)
Total score	86746	92331
CPU	24279	25856
GPU	32957	35085
MEM	13874	14776
UX	15623	16609

GeekBench 6, 5.2

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

	Snapdragon 650 MSM8956	Helio X23 (MT6797D)
Single-Core	224	238
Multi-Core	1010	1075

Comparison of specifications

CPU and Memory

	Snapdragon 650 MSM8956	Helio X23 (MT6797D)
Frequency	1800 MHz	2300 MHz
Cores	6	10
Bit	64	64
Lithography	28 nm	20 nm
Transistors count
Core configuration	2x1.8 GHz ARM Cortex-A72 4x1.4 GHz ARM Cortex-A53	2x2.3 GHz ARM Cortex-A72 4x1.85 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 4x1.4 GHz ARM Cortex-A53
Power consumption (TDP)	6 W	5 W
Memory type	LPDDR4x (Dual Channel)	LPDDR3 (Dual Channel)
Max. Memory	8 Gb	4 Gb
Memory Frequency	1866	800
Memory bandwidth	14	14
Neural Processor (NPU)	No	No
L1 cache	256 KB	32 KB
L2 cache	1 MB	1 MB
L3 cache	1 MB	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 21% better than Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 has 4 more core than Helio X23 (MT6797D). Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption.

GPU and Media

GPU	Adreno 510	Mali-T880 MP4
GPU Frequency	600 MHz	780 MHz
GFloPS	176	106
# of Cores		4
# of Shader Units	128
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)	17.8	19.4
Garena Free Fire - The Cobra	31.1	33.3
Call of Duty: Mobile	19.9	21.6
Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5 Mobile)	15.4	16.8
Minecraft: Pocket Edition	18.2	20.9
Real Racing 3	54.4	41.6
Sniper 3D	59.1	63.3
Need for Speed No Limits	56	53.3
Mortal Kombat X	45.1	53.3
CSR Racing 2	43.5	46.6

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	21 MP	32 MP
Image Signal Processor (ISP)
Video Encoding FPS	30	30
Video Encoding resolution	4K (Ultra HD), 2K, FullHD	4K, 2K, FullHD
Codec support	H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC	H.264, H.265

Networks and Navigation

Modem	Qualcomm Snapdragon X8 LTE modem
Download speed	300 MBit/s.	150 MBit/s.
Upload speed	100 MBit/s.	50 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 Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 is better: 10
The number of parameters for which MediaTek Helio X23 (MT6797D) is better: 23
You need to understand that you should not sightlessly trust the software comparison on the table. It is better to just watch the full benchmark video of parallel comparison and hear what those who really appreciated the capabilities of both CPUs think, as well as read the test results at the links below.

Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 SoC - all data

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

• Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 specs and review.

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.