With the launch of the Snapdragon 780G 5G Mobile Platform today, the Snapdragon 700 series from Qualcomm now has about EIGHT different processors catering to different needs and it can get really confusing to decipher the differences between each of them and how they impact the end-user experience on a smartphone. The newly launched Snapdragon 780G slots right in with the Snapdragon 750G and Snapdragon 765G (at least that’s what one would imagine upon seeing the nomenclature), but Qualcomm’s numbering scheme has been all over the place. Hence, we decided to compare the three chipsets to see how they differ. Spoiler alert, the new Snapdragon 780G is looking really good!
Snapdragon 780G vs Snapdragon 765G vs Snapdragon 750G
CPU Architecture and Manufacturing Process
The CPU, as we all know, is the brain of any computer and the performance of a smartphone is determined majorly by the type of processor cores it uses. The new Snapdragon 780G 5G uses Qualcomm’s latest Kryo 670 CPU cores along with a Hexagon 770 processor to aid with AI capabilities. In comparison, the Snapdragon 765G uses the older Kryo 475 CPU cores with a Hexagon 696 processor for AI, and the Snapdragon 750G uses the slightly more updated Kryo 570 cores with the Hexagon 694 processor for AI. The Snapdragon 780G 5G is not just superior in terms of the CPU architecture but also pulls ahead in terms of the manufacturing process of the CPU itself. The Snapdragon 780G is manufactured on the 5nm node which is the same as the flagship Snapdragon 888 mobile platform, while the Snapdragon 765G is manufactured on the 7nm process with the Snapdragon 750G being manufactured on the slightly older 8nm node.
GPU and Gaming Performance
All three chipsets that we are comparing in this article have ‘G’ suffixed to their names and according to Qualcomm, the letter G indicates that the processor is optimized for gaming. The new Snapdragon 780G comes with the Adreno 642 GPU that promises to provide up to a 40% boost in gaming performance compared to the Snapdragon 768G which itself is a slightly upgraded version of the Snapdragon 765G we are talking about in this article. The Snapdragon 765G, on the other hand, has the Adreno 620 GPU while the Snapdragon 750G has a slightly inferior Adreno 619. If you play a lot of games on your smartphone including heavy titles like COD Mobile or PUBG Mobile, look out for phones with the Snapdragon 780G as the gaming performance seems to be right up there with some flagship phones if we go by Qualcomm’s claims. Not just in terms of raw performance, but the Snapdragon 780G will also be a lot more power-efficient when compared to the Snapdragon 765G and Snapdragon 750G due to the fact that it is manufactured using the 5nm process.
Network and Connectivity
While all three processors have support for 5G, the new Snapdragon 780G comes with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X53 5G modem whereas the Snapdragon 765G and Snapdragon 750G have the older X52 modem. However, going by Qualcomm’s product brief sent to us, the Snapdragon 780G only gets support for Sub-6 GHz 5G whereas the Snapdragon 765G and Snapdragon 750G have support for both Sub-6 GHz as well as the superior mmWave 5G networks. Looks like the weird numbering scheme of Qualcomm we talked about earlier is coming into play here too, as the X52 modem on the Snapdragon 765G and 750G seems to have better capabilities than the X53 modem on the Snapdragon 780G. This could also be due to the fact that Qualcomm is aiming at smartphone manufacturers predominant in Asian countries since mmWave at the moment is mostly limited to North America. Another difference in this department is that while the Snapdragon 765G and Snapdragon 750G are only Wi-Fi 6-ready, the Snapdragon 780G has full-fledged support for Wi-Fi 6 with the new FastConnect 6900 system.
Camera, Display, and Charging
Image processing plays a huge part in the final output of any image captured by a smartphone and the ISP is what’s responsible for it. The Snapdragon 780G has the Qualcomm Spectra 570 Image Signal Processor which seems more superior compared to the Spectra 355 on the Snapdragon 765G and 355L on the Snapdragon 750G. All three chipsets, however, are capable of capturing up to a 192MP snapshot using Multi-frame Noise reduction using a 48MP camera and all three of them can even shoot up to 4K videos in HDR. In terms of Display, the Snapdragon 780G can push a Full HD+ display at 144Hz while the Snapdragon 765G can go up to Quad HD+ at 60Hz. The Snapdragon 750G, on the other hand, is limited to Full HD+ at 120Hz. Given that these are mid-range chipsets, a Quad HD+ display doesn’t make sense and the 144Hz refresh rate coupled with a Full HD+ display seems like a good combination on the Snapdragon 780G. All three chips support HDR10 playback. As for charging, there is support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ on all three chipsets but it is up to the smartphone manufacturer to enable this feature or opt for a proprietary standard. There’s also support for India’s NavIC satellite system on all three chipsets. The Snapdragon 780G 5G from Qualcomm is shaping out to be a solid mid-range chip, one of the best among the ones recently announced in terms of raw performance on paper and efficiency too thanks to the 5nm manufacturing node. Smartphones with the new Snapdragon 780G mobile platform are expected to hit the market sometime in the second quarter of 2021 which is not too far away.
