Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 vs Apple M1

Comparisons 03-12-2021

Full comparison data of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 vs Apple M1, testing of graphics chips (GPU). A thorough review of all the technical characteristics of the SoCs, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table. From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like 3DMark, GFXBench, PassMark, Geekbench, PCMark, AnTuTu, Neocore, Quadrant, Vellamo, even the gaming performance of CPUs in GTA, Asphalt 9, Minecraft, Fortnite, PUBG, Call of Duty, Madout2 etc.
After reading the results these tests and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which SoCs is better to buy Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or M1.

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

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1

99%

100%

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

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1

84%

100%

Gaming performance
Which CPU is better for gaming

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1

94%

100%

Antutu 8

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

	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1	M1
Total score	1014839	1204017
CPU	284157	337129
GPU	385631	457523
MEM	162372	192638
UX	182662	216731

GeekBench 5.2

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

	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1	M1
Single-Core	1415	1807
Multi-Core	4462	7691

Comparison of specifications

CPU and Memory

	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1	M1
Frequency	3000 MHz	3200 MHz
Cores	8	8
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	5 nm
Transistors count		16000 millions
Core configuration	1x3.0 GHz Cortex-X2 3x2.5 GHz Cortex-A710 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A510	4x3.2 GHz Firestorm 4x2.0 GHz Icestorm
Power consumption (TDP)	6 W	5 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 (Quad Channel)	LPDDR4X
Max. Memory	32 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200	2666
Memory bandwidth	88	64
Neural Processor (NPU)	Yes	Yes
L1 cache	1 MB	48 KB
L2 cache	2 MB	4 MB
L3 cache	8 MB	12 MB
Instruction set architecture (ISA)	ARMv8.2-A	ARMv8.4-A

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M1 is 6% better than Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in terms of CPU frequency. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption.

GPU and Media

GPU	Adreno 730	Apple M1
GPU Frequency	970 MHz	3200 MHz
GFloPS	1800	2600
# of Cores		8
# of Shader Units	1024	128
Display	7680 x 4320 pixels	2732 x 2048 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	38.1	46.1
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG Mobile)	120.7	142.7
Garena Free Fire - The Cobra	71.1	85.7
Call of Duty: Mobile	65.7	78.7
Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5 Mobile)	102.4	122.1
Minecraft: Pocket Edition	148.7	176.2
Real Racing 3	144.2	171.6
Sniper 3D	158.9	188.1
Need for Speed No Limits	100.7	119.3
Mortal Kombat X	103.4	123.4
CSR Racing 2	87.7	102.7

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 8 and GeekBench 5.2 becnmarks.

Cameras

Camera resolution	200 MP	24 MP
Dual Camera resolution	64 MP	24 MP
Image Signal Processor (ISP)	Qualcomm Spectra 680	Apple ISP
Video Encoding FPS	120	960
Video Encoding resolution	8K, 4K (Ultra HD), 2K, FullHD	4K (Ultra HD), 2K, FullHD
Codec support	Dolby Vision, H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, HDR10+, HLG, HDR10	Dolby Vision, H.265 (HEVC), HDR10+, HLG, HDR10, H.264 (AVC), VP8, VP9

Networks and Navigation

Modem	Qualcomm Snapdragon X65 Modem-RF System 5G	Snapdragon X80 5G
Download speed	15000 MBit/s.	9500 MBit/s.
Upload speed	6000 MBit/s.	6000 MBit/s.
Navigation	NavIC enabled, GNSS, Beidou, Galileo, NavIC, GPS, Dual frequency GNSS, GLONASS, QZSS, SBAS	Galileo, GLONASS, GPS, Beidou
NFC support	Yes	Yes
5G support	Yes	Yes

Result:
The number of parameters for which Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is better: 11
The number of parameters for which Apple M1 is better: 28
You need to understand that you should not blindly trust the software comparison of the table. It is better to just watch the full video of parallel testing and listen to what people think who really appreciated the capabilities of both CPUs, and also read the test results on the links under the article.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC - all data

• Devices lists
• Benchmarks
• PUBG mobile
• Fortnite Mobile
• Antutu 8
• 3DMark
• GeekBench 5 mobile

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 specs and review.

M1 SoC - all data

• Devices lists
• Benchmarks
• PUBG mobile
• Fortnite Mobile
• Antutu 8
• 3DMark
• GeekBench 5 mobile

• M1 specs and review.