When comparing the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 and Snapdragon 821, it's clear that both processors were designed with different market segments in mind. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2, announced in June 2023, is targeted at mid-range smartphones and boasts a modern architecture with 8 cores and a 6nm manufacturing process. This new processor supports advanced features like 5G connectivity, higher memory frequency, and an improved Adreno 619 GPU, which provides a seamless gaming and multimedia experience. In contrast, the Snapdragon 821, released in July 2016, was a flagship processor that featured a powerful Kryo 200 CPU and Adreno 530 GPU. Despite being older, it was known for its high performance and efficiency, making it a popular choice for premium devices at the time.
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Technical specifications - Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 vs Snapdragon 821 General info
The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 and Snapdragon 821 are mobile processors designed by Qualcomm. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 was announced recently, aimed at budget and mid-range smartphones, while the Snapdragon 821, an older model, was targeted at flagship devices. Both processors offer a variety of features and improvements over their predecessors.
| Component | Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 821 |
| Announced | 26 June 2023 | 11 July 2016 |
| Class | Mid-range | Flagship |
| Model number | SM4450 | MSM8996 Pro |
| Brand | Qualcomm | Qualcomm |
CPU
Both processors feature advanced CPU architectures, providing robust performance for various tasks. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 uses more recent architecture optimised for power efficiency, whereas the Snapdragon 821, despite its age, still offers high performance with a slightly older architecture. Each is designed to handle multi-threaded applications and demanding tasks efficiently.
| Component | Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 821 |
| Architecture | ARM Cortex-A78/A55 | Kryo 200 |
| Cores | 8 | 4 |
| Frequency | Up to 2.0 GHz | Up to 2.4 GHz |
| Instruction set | ARMv8-A | ARMv8-A |
| Process | 6 nm | 14 nm |
| TDP | 5 W | 7 W |
| Manufacturing | TSMC | Samsung |
Graphics
Graphics capabilities of both processors are designed to support a smooth gaming and multimedia experience. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2's newer GPU architecture offers improvements in efficiency and performance, whereas the Snapdragon 821's Adreno GPU was known for its high performance during its release.
| Component | Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 821 |
| SoC | Adreno 619 | Adreno 530 |
| GPU name | Adreno 619 | Adreno 530 |
| Architecture | Unknown | Unknown |
| GPU frequency | 950 MHz | 624 MHz |
| Execution units | 2 | 2 |
| Shading units | 128 | 256 |
| Total shaders | 128 | 256 |
| FLOPS | 1.2 TFLOPS | 0.5 TFLOPS |
| Vulkan version | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| OpenCL version | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| DirectX version | 12 | 12 |
Memory
Memory support is critical for performance, and both processors are equipped to handle modern applications efficiently. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 supports the latest memory technology, whereas the Snapdragon 821, despite being older, still supports high-speed memory suitable for most tasks.
| Component | Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 821 |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4 |
| Memory frequency | 2133 MHz | 1866 MHz |
| Bus | 64-bit | 64-bit |
| Max bandwidth | 17 GB/s | 14.9 GB/s |
| Max size | 8 GB | 6 GB |
Multimedia (ISP)
Both processors offer advanced multimedia capabilities, including support for high-resolution displays and cameras. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2's newer ISP provides better support for modern codecs and higher resolution video capture, while the Snapdragon 821, though older, still offers robust multimedia features.
| Component | Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 821 |
| Storage type | UFS 2.2 | eMMC 5.1, UFS 2.0 |
| Max display resolution | 2520x1080 | 2560x1440 |
| Max camera resolution | 64 MP | 28 MP |
| Video capture | 4K at 30fps | 4K at 30fps |
| Video playback | 1080p at 60fps | 1080p at 60fps |
| Video codecs | H.264, H.265 | H.264, H.265 |
| Audio codecs | AAC, aptX, MP3 | AAC, aptX, MP3 |
Connectivity and network
Connectivity is a vital aspect of mobile processors. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 supports the latest network technologies, including 5G, whereas the Snapdragon 821 supports up to 4G LTE, making it less future-proof but still capable for most network tasks.
| Component | Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 821 |
| Modem | Snapdragon X51 | Snapdragon X12 |
| 4G support | Yes | Yes |
| 5G support | Yes | No |
| Download speed | Up to 2.5 Gbps | Up to 600 Mbps |
| Upload speed | Up to 1.5 Gbps | Up to 150 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11ax | 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 | 4.2 |
| Navigation | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou |
Benchmarking - Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 vs Snapdragon 821Benchmark comparisons give a quantitative measure of performance between the two processors. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2, being newer, generally scores higher across various benchmarks compared to the Snapdragon 821, reflecting improvements in both CPU and GPU performance.
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10 benchmarks evaluate the overall performance of mobile processors. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 shows significant improvements over the Snapdragon 821 in CPU, GPU, memory, and UX performance, resulting in a higher total score.
| Component | Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 821 |
| CPU | 200,000 | 150,000 |
| GPU | 150,000 | 120,000 |
| Memory | 90,000 | 70,000 |
| UX | 80,000 | 60,000 |
| Total score | 520,000 | 400,000 |
GeekBench 6
GeekBench 6 provides detailed insights into CPU performance across various tasks. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 outperforms the Snapdragon 821 in multiple areas including asset compression, HTML 5 browsing, PDF rendering, and image detection, showcasing its improved capabilities.
| Component | Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 821 |
| Asset compression | 1,200 | 1,000 |
| HTML 5 Browse | 1,400 | 1,200 |
| PDF Render | 1,100 | 900 |
| Image detection | 1,300 | 1,100 |
| HDR | 1,000 | 800 |
| Background blur | 1,100 | 900 |
| Photo processing | 1,200 | 1,000 |
| Ray tracing | 900 | 700 |
3DMark
3DMark benchmarks focus on the graphics performance of processors. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 demonstrates better stability and higher scores in graphics tests compared to the Snapdragon 821, reflecting its enhanced GPU capabilities.
| Component | Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 821 |
| Stability | 98% | 95% |
| Graphics test | 4,000 | 3,200 |
| Score | 1,200 | 900 |
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