Qualcomm’s latest flagship chip Snapdragon 865 is the successor to Snapdragon 855 and comes with several improvements. Although there was also a Snapdragon 855+ after Snapdragon 855, there weren’t any major changes. Now we have a few smartphones with Snapdragon 865 and there will be several more in the coming days. So, I thought to write a detailed comparison of Snapdragon 865 and Snapdragon 855 to give you an idea of what has been improved in the latest iteration.
Here’s the quick side by side comparison of Snapdragon 865 and Snapdragon 855. If you were looking for Snapdragon 865 vs Snapdragon 855 or Snapdragon 855 vs Snapdragon 865, keep reading.
Snapdragon 865 vs Snapdragon 855
| SoC | Snapdragon 865 | Snapdragon 855 |
| Model | SDM865, SM8250 | SDM855, SM8150 |
| CPU Cores | Octa-core, Qualcomm Kryo 585 | Octa-core, Qualcomm Kryo 485 |
| CPU Clock Speed | Up to 2.84 GHz | Up to 2.84 GHz |
| CPU | 1x Kryo 585 (ARM Cortex A77-based) @ 2.84GHz 3x Kryo 585 (ARM Cortex A77-based) @ 2.4GHz 4x Kryo 385 (ARM Cortex A55-based) @ 1.8GHz | 1x Kryo 485 (ARM Cortex A76-based) @ 2.84GHz 3x Kryo 485 (ARM Cortex A76-based) @ 2.42GHz 4x Kryo 385 (ARM Cortex A55-based) @ 1.8GHz |
| CPU Architecture | 64-bit | 64-bit |
| GPU | Adreno 650 Vulkan 1.1 | Adreno 640 @ 600MHz Vulkan 1.1 |
| Process | 7nm (TSMC’s N7P) | 7nm (TSMC’s N7) |
| Memory Type | LPDDR5 @ 2750MHz | LPDDR4 @ 2133MHz |
| Storage Type | UFS 3.0 | UFS 3.0 |
| Display | Max On-Device Display: 4K @ 60 Hz, QHD+ @ 144 Hz Max External Display: 4K @ 60 Hz HDR: HDR10+, HDR10 | Max On-Device Display: 4K Ultra HD Max External Display: 4K Ultra HD HDR: HDR10+ |
| 5G Modem | 2nd Gen Snapdragon X55 4G LTE & 5G multimode modem | Snapdragon X50 5G & Snapdragon X24 4G LTE Modem |
| Download Speeds | 7.5Gbps over 5G(X55) & 2.5Gbps over 4G LTE(X55) | 5Gbps over 5G(X50) & 2Gbps over 4G LTE(X24) |
| AI | 5th generation AI Engine Hexagon 698 15 TOPS | 4th generation AI Engine Hexagon 690 7 TOPS |
| ISP | Dual 14-bit Spectra 480 ISP | Dual 14-bit Spectra 380 ISP |
| Camera | Single: Up to 64MP; ZSL or Up to 200MP Dual: Up to 25MP; ZSL | Single: Up to 48MP; ZSL or Up to 192MP Dual: Up to 22MP; ZSL |
| Video | 8K at 30 fps 4K at 120fps 720p at 960fps unlimited recording Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 10-bit H.265 | 4K at 60fps 720p at 480fps HDR10+ 10-bit H.265 |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.1 | Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Charging | Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ Qualcomm Quick Charge AI | Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ |
Snapdragon 865 is built on the TSMC-improved 7nm manufacturing process that is more power-efficient than the first-gen TSMC 7NM process used in Snapdragon 855. Snapdragon 865 comes with an octa-core CPU that includes one ARM Cortex A77 core based on Kryo 585 clocked 2.84GHz for high-performance. The other three ARM Cortex A77 cores based on Kryo 585 clocked at 2.42GHz are for mid-performance and the remaining four Cortex A55 cores based on Kryo 385 clocked at 1.8GHz are for low power usage. Now if you compare it with Snapdragon 855, it has 1 ARM Cortex A76 prime core clocked at 2.84GHz along with three ARM Cortex A76 cores clocked at 2.42GHz for mid-performance and four power-efficient Cortex A55 cores clocked at 1.8GHz.
Snapdragon 865 offers 25% better multi-core performance and overall 25% improvement in performance due to the use of ARM Cortex-A77 core.
Snapdragon 865 supports LPDDR4x at 2,133MHz and LPDDR5 at 2,750MHz, but Snapdragon 855 only supports LPDDR4x at 2,133MHz.
Snapdragon 865 comes with the latest Adreno 650 that is 20% faster in graphics rendering over the Adreno 640 used with Snapdragon 855. So, there will also be an improvement in the gaming experience. Snapdragon 865 supports 10-bit HDR gaming and 8K video playback.
Snapdragon 865 also comes with a 5th generation AI engine that boasts to be twice as powerful as Snapdragon 855’s 4th generation AI engine. The latest AI engine can manage 15 TOPS (trillions of operations) while the previously it was just 7 TOPS.
Snapdragon 865 has Spectra 480 ISP that is capable of processing 2 Gigapixels per second. It also supports 8K video recording and Dolby Vision video capture. This chip also supports 4K video recording at 120fps and unlimited slow-motion (720p @ 960fps) video recording. It can also simultaneously capture 4K HDR videos and 64-megapixel burst Shot. The Snapdragon 855 features Spectra 380 ISP that supports up to 192MP cameras, real-time depth sensing while recording videos at 60 fps and HEIF codec support. Camera capabilities have been improved in the latest chip. So, you will see much better photo and video recording capabilities in smartphones with Snapdragon 865 chipset this year.
There’s no integrated modem this time with Snapdragon 865. It uses an external Snapdragon X55 5G modem. So, all the phones featuring the Snapdragon 865 will offer X55 5G modem as well. The Snapdragon 855 also came with an external 5G modem, but there will be no 4G-only option with this new chip. OEMs will have to use the 5G modem with Snapdragon 865. The Snapdragon X55 5G modem supports both sub-6 and mmWave. It supports peak download speeds up to 7.5Gbps. There’s also Multi-SIM 5G support. On the other hand, Snapdragon 855 comes with X24 LTE Cat.20 modem while OEMs have an option to use X50 modem separately.
Both Snapdragon 865 and Snapdragon 855 support Wi-Fi 6 but in the latest chip, Snapdragon has improved Bluetooth and added Bluetooth 5.1.
With Snapdragon 865, Qualcomm introduced 3D Sonic max fingerprint scanner that can simultaneously recognize two fingers, It measures 20mm x 30mm that makes it 17% bigger than the predecessor. Snapdragon 855 had an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner.
In short, Snapdragon 865 is faster, supports better camera processing, and power-efficient. Now the flagship devices will offer up to 144Hz screens, up to 200MP camera modules and more this year. 5G devices will also be there even before the 5G network arrives.
