Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 is over a year behind Apple’s A12 Bionic

“It was embarrassing for Qualcomm when Apple released its 64-bit A7 back in 2013. It was just as humiliating that Apple was able to deliver its A12 Bionic as a 7nm Application Processor this fall,” Daniel Eran Dilger writes for Roughly Drafted. “Qualcomm is still only just talking about its first 7nm chip as it’s readied for sale. Qualcomm has been making mobile processors long before Apple. How is it getting so outgunned?”

“A big part of it is that Apple can fund the development of advanced technology because it is selling over 200 million high-end phones every year. This year, Apple reached average selling prices of nearly $800,” Dilger writes. “Qualcomm services a handful of high-end Androids, but these sell in far lower quantities.”

At Qualcomm’s introduction of the Snapdragon 855, “Qualcomm also detailed its CPU core advancements, which it called the biggest leap it has ever produced, claiming a 45 percent increase in CPU performance over the 845,” Dilger writes. “However, Qualcomm needs a bigger leap than that just to match Apple’s A11 Bionic from last year, let alone Apple’s newest chip.”

Tons more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Apple embarrasses Qualcomm yet again.

With each passing year, and especially with iPhone X, it becomes increasingly clear – even to the Android settlers – that the competition has no chance of even remotely keeping up against Apple’s unmatched vertically integrated one-two punch of custom software and custom hardware. The Android to iPhone upgrade train just turned onto a long straightaway, engines stoked, primed to barrel away! — MacDailyNews, September 13, 2017

SEE ALSO:
Apple iPad Pro’s A12X chip has no real rivals; it delivers performance unseen on Android tablets – November 1, 2018
This year’s Apple A12-powered iPhones to leave Android phones even further behind – September 4, 2018
Apple’s year-old iPhone X trounces Samsung’s brand new Galaxy Note 9 in benchmark tests – August 10, 2018
First benchmarks reveal Apple’s iPhone X Plus performance will obliterate even Android’s wildest dreams – July 2, 2018
iPhone 8’s Apple A11 Bionic chip so destroys Android phones that Geekbench creator can’t even believe it – September 30, 2017
Apple’s A11 Bionic chip is by far the highest-performing system on the market; totally destroys Android phones – September 19, 2017
Apple’s A11 Bionic chip in iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X leaves Android phones choking in the dust – September 18, 2017
The inside story of Apple’s amazing A11 Bionic chip – September 18, 2017
Apple’s A11 Bionic obliterates top chips from Qualcomm, Samsung and Huawei – September 18, 2017
Apple accelerates mobile processor dominance with A11 Bionic; benchmarks faster than 13-inch MacBook Pro – September 15, 2017
Apple’s A11 Bionic chip in iPhone X and iPhone 8/Plus on par with 2017 MacBook Pro – September 14, 2017

7 Comments

  1. Qualcomm’s biggest advantage is that Android smartphone manufacturers are going to couple that powerful processor with huge amounts of system RAM. With twice the amount of system RAM the iPhone will be using, those Android flagship smartphones are going to show much higher overall performance with their ability to keep many more programs in RAM. Also, most Android flagship smartphones come with larger battery capacity than iPhones, so their battery life will be much longer than the iPhone.

    Apple has basically squandered the A12’s advantages by trying to squeeze out maximum profits from the iPhone instead trying to make the iPhone a totally unbeatable device in terms of raw specs. Most smartphone reviewers think iPhones are well behind their Android competition which I find rather disappointing considering the high costs of R&D Apple has put into all the A-series processors.

    Not only should A-series processors be used in iPhones and iPads but they should also be used in base-level MacBooks to full advantage. Apple should stretch the use of those A-series processors to be also used in servers.

      1. Each user is best served when he decides what specific performance attributes in which he should invest. Bragging over synthetic benchmark scores for compromised mobile hardware that nobody uses for heavy processing loads is a chore only for fanboys. The vast majority of iPhone owners would rather have 4 hours more battery life than 0.1 ghz clock speed on the processor. Ymmv.

        For desktop machines, where the whole point is pure computing power without battery and portability constraints, benchmarks become more meaningful.

        1. Way to confuse the issue. Lol was responding to the statement that Android phones will be faster because they have more RAM. The benchmark tests, both synthetic and “real world testing”, demonstrate that the iPhone is faster, regardless of the RAM. You wandering off into the weeds about battery life is off-topic.

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