Searching for a new smartphone that performs excellent in terms of gaming and heavy usage, Then you must know the current best processor for gaming smartphones. Our Naxontech team made a list of the top 10 best processor for gaming smartphone that helps you to choose your next smartphone with decent performance capabilities.
Before going further, you have to know why is so much important to choose a high-grade processor over a low-grade processor. You can consider CPUs are like the brain and backbone of any device. From taking a photo to achieving good performance while gaming, all major tasks are done by the chipset. Same as PCs or Laptops, a Smartphone processor comes in Quad-Core, Octa-Core, and Hexa Core configurations but it does not mean the more cores CPUs only provide a better performance, there are other key factors as well like process technology, clock frequency, core architectures and much more. Apart from these factors, you can also check the performance of the CPUs by their Antutu score and Geekbench score.
Here is the list of the best processor for gaming smartphone in 2022
RankProcessor NamePhoneAnTuTu 8GeekBench 5
#1Apple A15 BionicApple iPhone 13
Apple iPhone 13 mini
Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max8011991722 / 4685
#2Dimensity 9000Vivo X80
OnePlus 10R
OnePlus Nord 3
OPPO Find X5 Pro
Realme GT Neo 3T
Xiaomi 12T
Redmi K50 Gaming1,049,0811179/4189
#3Snapdragon 8 Gen 1Vivo X80 Pro+
Oppo Find X4 Pro
Nubia Red Magic 7
Asus Zenfone 9
Black Shark 5 Pro1,029,5561259/4189
#4Apple A14 BionicApple iPhone 12
Apple iPhone 12 mini
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max6118431613 / 3909
#5Snapdragon 888 PlusMeizu 18s Pro
OnePlus 9 Pro
iQOO 98635521160 / 2834
#6Exynos 2200Galaxy S22.
Galaxy S22+
Galaxy S22 Ultra965,874934/2925
#7Snapdragon 888OnePlus 9
IQoo 7
Reame GT Neo 7229071140 / 3745
#8Dimensity 8100Realme GT Neo 3
OnePlus Ace Racing Edition
Redmi K508094431003/2607
#9Exynos 2100Galaxy S21
Galaxy S21+
Galaxy S21 Ultra6989651085 / 3654
#10Google TensorGoogle Pixel 6 Pro6767891056 / 2855
1). Apple A15 Bionic
The Apple A15 Bionic is a system-on-a-chip (SoC) used in Apple’s iPhone 13 and iPad Mini (2021) devices. It was released in late 2021 and has six cores, two of which are performance cores and four of which are power efficiency cores. The CPU performance improves just marginally over the A14, while the GPU (in higher-end variants) improves far more. The device is made on a 5nm process and contains 15.8 billion transistors (compared to the 11.8 of the A14).
Features
- Hexa-Core, 2 processors:3.23GHz Dual-Core Avalanche1.9GHz Quad-Core Blizzard
- Apple GPU (4-core/5-core)
- Based on 5 nm fabrication technology
- LPDDR4X RAM
2). Mediatek Dimensity 9000
MediaTek Dimensity 9000 is an 8-core chipset that was revealed back on November 18, 2021, and is manufactured using a 4-nanometer process technology. It has 1 core Cortex-X2 at 3050 MHz, 3 cores Cortex-A710 at 2850 MHz, and 4 cores Cortex-A510 at 1800 MHz.
Features
- Ultra-Core – 1x Arm Cortex-X2 at 3.05GHz
- Super-Cores – 3x Arm Cortex-A710 up to 2.85GHz
- Efficiency Cores – 4x Arm Cortex-A510
- World’s first Arm Mali-G710 MC10 graphics processor
- Big in-chip caches: 8MB CPU L3 cache + 6MB system-level cache (SLC)
- LPDDR5X 7500Mbps support – 20% more power efficient than LPDDR5
3). Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 – an 8-core chipset that was announced on December 1, 2021, and is manufactured using a 4-nanometer process technology. It has 1 core Cortex-X2 at 3000 MHz, 3 cores Cortex-A710 at 2500 MHz, and 4 cores Cortex-A510 at 1800 MHz.
Features
- The octa-core chipset consists of 1x Cortex-X2 prime core clocked at 3.0GHz, 3x Cortex-A710 performance cores running at 2.5GHz, and 4x Cortex-A510 efficiency cores dialed at 1.8GHz.
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 – 4nm process node and is the first Qualcomm chip to use the latest Armv9 architecture.
- Compared to the Snapdragon 888 silicon, this one’s up to 20% improved performance, 30% snappier in graphics loads (thanks to an undisclosed Adreno GPU), up to 4x faster in AI processing (thanks to 7th gen Hexagon AI engine), and 25% more power-efficient than the Snapdragon 888 SoC.
- Modem – Snapdragon X65 modem that besides the mmWave and Sub-6GHz 5G support, also boasts up to 10Gbps downlink rate and 3GPP Release 16 benefits.
- Connectivity options – in-built iSIM support, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth LE Audio.
4). Apple A14 Bionic
Apple A14 Bionic – a 6-core chipset that was announced on September 15, 2020, and is manufactured using a 5-nanometer process technology. It has 2 cores Firestorm at 3100 MHz and 4 cores Icestorm at 1800 MHz.
Features
- 6 Core CPU
- 50% faster computation power
- Machine learning accelerators
- 11.8 billion transistors inside
- 4 Core GPU
5). Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Plus
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Plus – an 8-core chipset that was announced on June 28, 2021, and is manufactured using a 5-nanometer process technology. It has 1 core Kryo 680 Prime (Cortex-X1) at 2995 MHz, 3 cores Kryo 680 Gold (Cortex-A78) at 2420 MHz, and 4 cores Kryo 680 Silver (Cortex-A55) at 1800 MHz.
Features
- Qualcomm Kryo 680, up to 3 GHz, 64-bit.
- Adreno-660.
- Hexagon 780, 32 TOPS AI Engine
- Snapdragon X60 5G Modem-RF, 7.5 Gbps DL, 3 Gbps UL, global 5G multi-SIM.
- FastConnect 6900, Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 802.11/a/b/g/n.
- Spectra 580 ISP, Triple camera up to 28 MP, Dual camera up to 64 MP, Single-camera up to 200 MP. 720p @ 960 fps, 8K @ 30 fps.
- 4K @ 60 Hz, QHD+ @ 144 Hz display
- 5 nm fabrication technology
- Bluetooth 5.2, USB 3.1.
6). Samsung Exynos 2200
Samsung Exynos 2200 features a powerful octa-core CPU with tri-cluster architecture that includes the cutting-edge Arm Cortex-X2 core, the Exynos 2200 enables powerful computing that facilitates a top-notch gaming experience including swift game loading, smooth multitasking, and faster rendering of gameplay video.
Features
- Cortex-X2 + Cortex-A710 + Cortex®-A510
- Samsung Xclipse 920 GPU
- AI Engine with Dual-core NPU and DSP
- up to 200MP in single camera mode, Single-camera 108MP @30fps, Dual-camera 64MP+ 32MP @30fps
- Up to 8K decoding: 60fps with10-bit HEVC(H.265), 30fps with10-bit VP9, AV1Up to 8K encoding: 30fps with10-bit HEVC(H.265), VP9
7). Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 – an 8-core chipset that was announced on December 1, 2020, and is manufactured using a 5-nanometer process technology. It has 1 core Kryo 680 Prime (Cortex-X1) at 2840 MHz, 3 cores Kryo 680 Gold (Cortex-A78) at 2420 MHz, and 4 cores Kryo 680 Silver (Cortex-A55) at 1800 MHz.
Features
- Qualcomm Adreno 660 GPU delivers gorgeous graphics rendering
- Capture 120FPS burst photo at 12MP
- Snapdragon 888 employs Cortex-X1 core prime core clocked at 2.84Ghz with double L1, L2 cache that can execute 33% more instructions per cycle. Other clusters include (3x) Cortex-A78 cores and (4x) Cortex-A55 cores.
- The CPU has Spectra 580 with triple-ISP. It can also process 10-bit HDR photos in HEIF and enable cameras to shoot 120 12-megapixel images in a second.
8). MediaTek Dimensity 8100
The Dimensity 8000 family elevates premium to new dimensions in our incredible new 5G smartphone portfolio. Built using the highly advanced TSMC N5 (5nm-class) production process, it gives users best-in-class power-efficiency – particularly advantageous in high frame rate gaming.
Employing the Dimensity 9000’s groundbreaking technology world-firsts, these chips feature our latest Imagiq 780 photo and video capture engine, our new 5th generation AI processor, fresh HyperEngine 5.0 gaming enhancements, and a technology-leading Release-16 5G modem; all built into this impressive ultra-efficient chip.
Features
- Speed boosts for all big cores: Octa-core CPU with 4x Arm Cortex-A78 up to 2.85GHz
- Arm Mali G610 GPU: 170fps in GFXBench Manhattan benchmark (offscreen)
- UFS 3.1 and quad-channel LPDDR5
- Wi-Fi 6E 2×2 (BW80) with MediaTek Wi-Fi Fast Path technology
- Bluetooth 5.3
- 200MP camera support
- AI-NR/HDR photos
- 4K60 HDR10+ video capture
9). Samsung Exynos 2100
The Samsung Exynos 2100 5G is a high-end SoC with 8 cores in three clusters (1x Exynos X1 2.9 GHz/ 3x Cortex-A78 2.8 GHz/ 4x A55 2.2 GHz) and an integrated ARM Mali-G78MP14 GPU (+40% faster versus Mali-G77MP11). Integrates a 5G modem with up to 7.35 Gbps (5G NR Sub-6Hz, 5G NR mmWave, LTE Cat.
Features
- 2.9GHz Single-core (Cortex-X1) +2.8GHz Triple-core (Cortex-A78) +2.2GHz Quad-core (Cortex-A55)
- Mali-G78 MP14 GPU
- up to 200MP in single camera mode, Single-camera 108MP @30fps, Dual-camera 64MP+ 32MP @30fps
- 5G NR Sub-6GHz 5.1Gbps (DL) /2.55 Gbps (UL)5G NR mmWave 7.35Gbps (DL) /3.67 Gbps (UL)LTE Cat.24 8CA 3Gbps (DL) /Cat.22 4CA 422Mbps (UL)
10). Google Tensor
The Google Tensor SoC is the company’s first smartphone CPU. It is marketed as a high-end SoC with an inbuilt TPU for fast AI and machine learning calculations. Two fast and large ARM Cortex X1 cores run at up to 2.8 GHz in the CPU. A second cluster has two Cortex-A76 cores running at up to 2.25 GHz. Finally, for efficiency, four tiny ARM Cortex-A55 cores with speeds up to 1.8 GHz are combined. The shared 4 MB L3 cache is accessible to all cores.
Features
- 2x Cortex-X1 cores at 2.8GHz + 2x Cortex-A76 cores at 2.25GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 cores at 1.8GHz
- Based on Samsung’s 5nm fabrication
- 20-core GPU
- in-house NPU, up to 5.7 TOPS
- 4K recording at 60 FPS
Hope so, after reading this article, you can pick your best performance-centric smartphone. Keep in mind that these are the flagship chipset so you don’t get these chipsets on budget range smartphones. If you want an article on the best chipset for budget range smartphones, then you can let us know in the comment section below.
Source: Nanoreview, Notebookcheck
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Which is the best Processor for gaming?
As per June 2022, Apple A15 CPU is the best chipset for gaming and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is the best chipset in Android for gaming.
- Phones List of Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
Asus ROG Phone 6
iQOO 10 Pro
Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
OnePlus 10 Ultra
Realme GT 2 Master Explorer Edition
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
Xiaomi 12 Ultra
Xiaomi 12S
Xiaomi 12S Pro
Xiaomi 12T Pro/Xiaomi Redmi K50s Pro
Xiaomi MIX Fold 2 - Is Mediatek Dimensity 9000 better than Snapdragon 8 Gen 1?
On the paper, Mediatek Dimensity 9000 is slightly better than Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 but in terms of overall chipset optimisation, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is the winner.
