Officially announced by MediaTekDimensity 9300 with "all-big core" designAfterwards, the author compared its main features with the one recently announced by QualcommSnapdragon 8 Gen3Compare the data on the books.
MediaTek's "all-big core" design challenges Qualcomm's core configuration segmentation adjustments.
Both MediaTek and Qualcomm's new processors are built on TSMC's next-generation 4nm process, rather than the 17nm process used by Apple in the A3 Pro. However, they achieve higher computing performance through a reconfiguration of the core configuration. However, MediaTek and Qualcomm each employ different approaches.
Comparing the actual numbers, MediaTek is clearly abandoning the small core design altogether. The Dimensity 9300 incorporates four Cortex-X4 CPUs and four Cortex-A4 CPUs, creating a "4+720" "all-big-core" configuration. MediaTek's rationale is that rather than using small cores to achieve power savings, which in turn requires longer processing time, the all-big-core design allows for faster processing and quicker sleep, resulting in significantly greater power savings.
Another benefit is that it simplifies the distribution of multi-core computing tasks without having to specifically distinguish between large cores and small cores for switching. It can even combine with ultra-large core design to improve peak computing performance.
Qualcomm方面則是將Snapdragon 8 Gen 3的多核心叢集配置進一步細分調整，整體上可視為去年推出的Snapdragon 8 Gen 2調整版本，從先前的「1+3+4」核心配置調整為「1+5+2」，設計上仍保留2組小核，並且進一步增加大核數量，甚至透過不同運作時脈組合可細分成「1+3+2+2」的核心配置，讓處理器運算效能分配可以更加細膩。
Compared to MediaTek's Dimensity 9300 processor, which chooses an "all-big core" design to unleash higher computing performance, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 launched this year has clearly optimized the core configuration, proving that processor computing performance can be further improved through fine-tuning.
Display performance, artificial intelligence and other designs each have their own advantages
In terms of display performance, the Dimensity 9300 uses the Arm-designed Immortalis-G720 GPU, which offers higher display performance and hardware-grade real-time ray tracing. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 uses a next-generation Adreno GPU. Qualcomm did not disclose specific details, but emphasized that there are significant improvements in display performance and even hardware-grade real-time ray tracing. Therefore, the display performance of the two should not differ significantly.
As for on-device AI computing performance, both boast over 70 billion parameter operations. The Dimensity 9300 boasts over 130 billion parameter operations with memory compression technology, and theoretically supports over 330 billion parameter operations. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, while touted as capable of over 100 billion parameter operations with memory compression, can actually handle over 150 billion parameter operations with a combination of memory compression and software computing. Therefore, AI computing performance ultimately depends on the actual AI model used and the specific computing methods.
In other design areas, both processors offer their own strengths. For example, Qualcomm's additional support for millimeter-wave connectivity, while MediaTek emphasizes features like more layer separation for image semantic analysis. Regarding the crucial camera function in smartphones, both MediaTek and Qualcomm have collaborated extensively with Sony and Samsung, respectively, for image sensors. MediaTek also collaborates with OmniVision, providing partners with more sensor options.
The Dimensity 9300 has a winning edge on paper, but Qualcomm will focus on next year's flagship product.
On paper, the Dimensity 9300's computing power, comprised of four super-large and large cores, will undoubtedly pose a significant threat to the Snapdragon 4 Gen 8. However, MediaTek has also confirmed that the Dimensity 3's die area will be relatively increased. Furthermore, even with the large core's operating frequency reduced to 9300GHz, some heat will still be generated. Therefore, whether the actual product design can successfully resolve this heat dissipation issue may become a significant challenge.
For Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 launched this year may just be a transitional product. After all, next year, the company will focus on designing the Oryon CPU, a brand-new, independently designed architecture. By then, the only part it will rely on from Arm will be the instruction set licensing, which may lead to higher computing performance like Apple's A17 Pro.
