Is MediaTek Dimensity 9200 on Redmi K60pro Plus better than Snapdragon Gen2?

The flagship-level processors of two leading IC design companies, Qualcomm and MediaTek, have recently entered the stage – the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and the Dimensity 9200, both competing for the title of the best cost-effective smartphone chipset of 2023.

Redmi K60 Pro, renowned for its excellent value, comes equipped with Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.

However, the newly released Redmi K60 Pro Plus on August 14th has taken a different route by adopting MediaTek’s flagship processor, the Dimensity 9200.

Is MediaTek Dimensity 9200 on Redmi K60pro Plus better than Snapdragon Gen2?

These releases from Qualcomm and MediaTek represent the pinnacle of these IC design companies’ capabilities.

As flagship products, this article aims to delve into their technical architectures and provide a comprehensive analysis and comparison.

In 2022, MediaTek introduced the Dimensity 9000, surpassing Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in single-core performance, multi-core performance, and GPU computational capabilities.

It also exhibited superior energy efficiency. Following this, Qualcomm released the Snapdragon 8+ as a corrective measure.

However, both Qualcomm’s flagship products, the Snapdragon 888 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, faced overheating issues, causing problems for several smartphone manufacturers.

Models like Xiaomi 11, Xiaomi 12, Honor 70, and Honor Magic 3 encountered setbacks, leading to subsequent generations of fixes like Xiaomi 12S and Honor 80 Pro.

In the same year, MediaTek launched the Dimensity 8100, widely adopted by many mid-range smartphones, becoming a performance powerhouse for devices like the vivo X80.

Considering the performance of MediaTek’s Dimensity 8100 and the newly released Dimensity 9200, as well as Huawei’s absence due to the chip manufacturing situation, Qualcomm responded with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

It was a re-release from the error-correcting version to an overall version, leading to this comparison between the Dimensity 9200 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPUs.

Is MediaTek Dimensity 9200 on Redmi K60pro Plus better than Snapdragon Gen2?

Comparison of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and Dimensity 9200 Technical Specifications:

As depicted above, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 adopts an eight-core structure of 1+2+2+3, while Dimensity 9200 uses a 1+3+4 structure. Differences in their respective configurations are clearly marked.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s X3 core operates at 3.19GHz, surpassing Dimensity 9200’s 3.05GHz by 0.14GHz.

This discrepancy suggests that Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s single-core performance is expected to outperform Dimensity 9200 by a considerable margin, primarily due to the frequency of its large core.

Both chips have 8MB of L3 cache, suggesting little disparity in this aspect.

Unlike Dimensity 9200’s configuration of three middle cores, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 adopts a 2+2 model with two 2.80GHz A715 cores and two 2.80GHz A710 cores, compared to Dimensity 9200’s three 2.85GHz A715 cores.

With an additional middle core, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 experiences a substantial increase in computational capabilities.

In summary, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 exhibits notable improvements in single-core performance compared to Dimensity 9200.

Moreover, its multi-core capabilities are enhanced due to the extra middle core. This results in Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 boasting stronger multi-core capabilities, as well as higher peak power consumption.

Interpretation of Snapdragon 8 Gen2 vs Dimensity 9200 technical specifications:

Is MediaTek Dimensity 9200 on Redmi K60pro Plus better than Snapdragon Gen2?

Moving on to the GPU, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 incorporates the Adreno 740 GPU chip with a frequency of 680MHz, whereas Dimensity 9200 features the Mali G715 MC11 with a frequency of 981MHz.

Paying close attention to the GPU aspect, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s Adreno 740 operates at a comparatively low frequency of 680MHz.

In contrast, Dimensity 9200’s Mali G715’s frequency reaches 981MHz, showcasing a significant difference of 331MHz.

Those familiar with chipsets likely understand that higher frequencies correlate with increased power consumption and reduced energy efficiency. In this case, Qualcomm’s strategy involves increasing scale while decreasing frequency, likely resulting in improved overall energy efficiency.

Conversely, Dimensity 9200 opts for trading frequency for performance, similar to the approach seen with Qualcomm’s Adreno 680 during the Snapdragon 888 era.

Therefore, Dimensity 9200’s GPU power efficiency is expected to be less favorable.

GPU Performance:

Analyzing the GPU performance, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and Dimensity 9200 achieve comparable peak performance, with the latter slightly ahead by around 2%.

However, in terms of power consumption, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 outperforms Dimensity 9200, with peak power consumption measuring at 7.53W for Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and 10.3W for Dimensity 9200.

This contrast emphasizes the significant efficiency disparity between ARM’s Mali G-series GPU architecture and Qualcomm’s Adreno series architecture in terms of energy efficiency.

Dimensity 9200 essentially prioritizes performance through frequency adjustments.

The decision to not adopt multiple middle cores likely stems from cost-saving considerations and the potentially lower single-core energy efficiency of the Mali GPU architecture.

In conclusion, these two chipsets have distinct positioning:

Overall, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 holds a clear advantage over Dimensity 9200 in terms of comprehensive capabilities.

Notably, its GPU energy efficiency makes Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 a superior choice for gaming performance compared to Dimensity 9200.

For consumers who prioritize gaming experiences, opting for devices powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is recommended.