Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro

Comparisons 11-03-2021

So, which chip or processor is better? Comprehensive data of speed tests and benchmarks Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro, compare of GPUs Adreno 530 and Adreno 510.

This performance comparison involves two processors: Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 is gexa-core (ARM Cortex-A72) and Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro is quad-core (Kryo 280). Both processors went throughpower consumption test and battery life test. A careful review of all the technical characteristics of the SoCs, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.

From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint benchmarking in software tests such as Mozilla Kraken, GFXBench, PCMark, Vellamo, Quadrant, PassMark, Geekbench, Octane V2, WebXPRT 3, AnTuTu 8, Neocore, 3DMark, and how good the chipsets are in games PUBG, Real Racing 3, Fortnite, Garena Free Fire - The Cobra, Sniper 3D, Mortal Kombat, Call of Duty: Mobile, Minecraft Bedrock etc.

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which chipset is better to buy Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 or Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro and which chip is better for gaming: Need for Speed No Limits, CSR Racing 2, Madout2, 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

Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro

10%

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

Snapdragon 650 MSM8956

25%

Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro

54%

Gaming performance
Which CPU is better for gaming

Snapdragon 650 MSM8956

Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro

Antutu v10, 9

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

	Snapdragon 650 MSM8956	Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro
Total score	86746	149901
CPU	24279	41975
GPU	32957	56961
MEM	13874	23984
UX	15623	26987

GeekBench 6, 5.2

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

	Snapdragon 650 MSM8956	Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro
Single-Core	224	306
Multi-Core	1010	1349

Comparison of specifications

CPU and Memory

	Snapdragon 650 MSM8956	Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro
Frequency	1800 MHz	2400 MHz
Cores	6	4
Bit	64	64
Lithography	28 nm	14 nm
Transistors count
Core configuration	2x1.8 GHz ARM Cortex-A72 4x1.4 GHz ARM Cortex-A53	4x2.4 GHz Kryo 280
Power consumption (TDP)	6 W	11 W
Memory type	LPDDR4x (Dual Channel)	LPDDR4x (Dual Channel)
Max. Memory	8 Gb	6 Gb
Memory Frequency	1866	1866
Memory bandwidth	14	29.8
Neural Processor (NPU)	No	No
L1 cache	256 KB	64 KB
L2 cache	1 MB	3 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 Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro is 25% better than Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 has -2 more core than Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption.

GPU and Media

GPU	Adreno 510	Adreno 530
GPU Frequency	600 MHz	650 MHz
GFloPS	176	518.73
# of Cores
# of Shader Units	128	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		27.4
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG Mobile)	17.8	26.5
Garena Free Fire - The Cobra	31.1	53.8
Call of Duty: Mobile	19.9	28.5
Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5 Mobile)	15.4	21.4
Minecraft: Pocket Edition	18.2	37.2
Real Racing 3	54.4	94.2
Sniper 3D	59.1	69.9
Need for Speed No Limits	56	64.6
Mortal Kombat X	45.1	78
CSR Racing 2	43.5	59.2

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

Networks and Navigation

Modem	Qualcomm Snapdragon X8 LTE modem	Qualcomm Snapdragon X12 LTE modem
Download speed	300 MBit/s.	600 MBit/s.
Upload speed	100 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 Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 is better: 5
The number of parameters for which Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro is better: 31
You need to know that you should not sightlessly trust the software comparison on the table. You can watch benchmark video from beginning to end of joint comparison and listen to what people think who really appreciated the capabilities of both processors Snapdragon 650 MSM8956 and Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro, and also read the test results on the links under the article.

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.

Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro SoC - all data

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

• Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro specs and review.