MediaTek Helio A20 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


MediaTek Helio A20 CPU1 vs CPU2 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
MediaTek Helio A20 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3

CPU comparison

MediaTek Helio A20 or Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The MediaTek Helio A20 has 4 cores with 4 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 1.80 GHz. Up to 3 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The MediaTek Helio A20 was released in Q2/2020.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.00 GHz. The CPU supports up to 16 GB of memory in 8 memory channels. The Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 was released in Q3/2022.
Mediatek Helio (37) Family Qualcomm Snapdragon (104)
MediaTek Helio A20/A25 (2) CPU group Qualcomm Snapdragon SQ3 (1)
2 Generation 2
Cortex-A53 / Cortex-A53 Architecture Kryo 680
Mobile Segment Mobile
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The MediaTek Helio A20 is a 4 core processor with a clock frequency of 1.80 GHz. The Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 has 8 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 3.00 GHz.

MediaTek Helio A20 Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
4 Cores 8
4 Threads 8
normal Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
1.80 GHz
4x Cortex-A53
A-Core 3.00 GHz
4x Kryo 680 Gold
-- B-Core 2.40 GHz
4x Kryo 680 Silver

NPU AI performance

The performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is specified here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher. Processors with support for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors.

MediaTek Helio A20 Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --
-- NPU + CPU + iGPU --

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

The integrated graphics unit of a processor is not only responsible for the pure image output on the system, but can also significantly increase the efficiency of the system with the support of modern video codecs.

PowerVR GE8300 GPU Qualcomm Adreno 690
0.55 GHz GPU frequency --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
-- GPU Generation 6
20 nm Technology 7 nm
1 Max. displays 0
1 Compute units --
-- Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
2 GB Max. GPU Memory --
10 DirectX Version 12.0

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

PowerVR GE8300 GPU Qualcomm Adreno 690
Decode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP9 Decode
No Codec VP8 Decode / Encode
No Codec AV1 No
No Codec AVC Decode
No Codec VC-1 Decode
No Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The MediaTek Helio A20 supports a maximum of 3 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 can connect up to 16 GB of memory in 8 memory channels.

MediaTek Helio A20 Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
LPDDR4X-1600, LPDDR3-933 Memory LPDDR4X-2133
3 GB Max. Memory 16 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 8 (Octa Channel)
12.8 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 68.3 GB/s
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache --
-- L3 Cache --
-- PCIe version --
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The MediaTek Helio A20 has a TDP of --, that of the Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 is --.

MediaTek Helio A20 Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
-- TDP (PL1 / PBP) --
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The MediaTek Helio A20 has a 0.00 MB cache, while the Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 cache has a total of 0.00 MB.

MediaTek Helio A20 Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
12 nm Technology 5 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
Armv8-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv8-A (64 bit)
-- ISA extensions --
-- Socket --
None Virtualization None
No AES-NI No
Android Operating systems Android, Windows 10 (ARM)
Q2/2020 Release date Q3/2022
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

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Here you can rate the Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.0 stars (1 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
MediaTek Helio A20 (9%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
MediaTek Helio A20 (7%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
MediaTek Helio A20 MediaTek Helio A20
4C 4T @ 1.80 GHz
148 (9%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
1688 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
MediaTek Helio A20 MediaTek Helio A20
4C 4T @ 1.80 GHz
522 (7%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
7538 (100%)

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
MediaTek Helio A20 MediaTek Helio A20
4C 4T @ 1.80 GHz
0 (0%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
605 (100%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
MediaTek Helio A20 MediaTek Helio A20
4C 4T @ 1.80 GHz
0 (0%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
3571 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
MediaTek Helio A20 MediaTek Helio A20
4C 4T @ 1.80 GHz
173 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
MediaTek Helio A20 MediaTek Helio A20
4C 4T @ 1.80 GHz
476 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
MediaTek Helio A20 MediaTek Helio A20
4C 4T @ 1.80 GHz
0 (0%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
198 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
MediaTek Helio A20 MediaTek Helio A20
4C 4T @ 1.80 GHz
0 (0%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
1261 (100%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
MediaTek Helio A20 MediaTek Helio A20
PowerVR GE8300 @ 0.55 GHz
35 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
Qualcomm Adreno 690 @ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)

AnTuTu 9 Benchmark

The AnTuTu 9 benchmark is very well suited to measuring the performance of a smartphone. AnTuTu 9 is quite heavy on 3D graphics and can now also use the "Metal" graphics interface. In AnTuTu, memory and UX (user experience) are also tested by simulating browser and app usage. AnTuTu version 9 can compare any ARM CPU running on Android or iOS. Devices may not be directly comparable when benchmarked on different operating systems.

In the AnTuTu 9 benchmark, the single-core performance of a processor is only slightly weighted. The rating is made up of the multi-core performance of the processor, the speed of the working memory, and the performance of the internal graphics.
MediaTek Helio A20 MediaTek Helio A20
4C 4T @ 1.80 GHz
90326 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)

AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

The AnTuTu 8 Benchmark measures the performance of a SoC. AnTuTu benchmarks the CPU, GPU, Memory as well as the UX (User Experience) by simulating browser and app usage. AnTuTu can benchmark any ARM CPU that runs under Android or iOS. Devices may not be directly compareable if the benchmark has been performed under different operating systems.

In the AnTuTu 8 benchmark, the single-core performance of a processor is only slightly weighted. The evaluation consists of the multi-core performance of the processor, the speed of the RAM and the performance of the internal graphics.
MediaTek Helio A20 MediaTek Helio A20
4C 4T @ 1.80 GHz
79352 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
MediaTek Helio A20 MediaTek Helio A20
4C 4T @ 1.80 GHz
714 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
MediaTek Helio A20 MediaTek Helio A20
4C 4T @ 1.80 GHz
0 (0%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
1057 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
MediaTek Helio A20 MediaTek Helio A20
4C 4T @ 1.80 GHz
0 (0%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
117 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
MediaTek Helio A20 MediaTek Helio A20
4C 4T @ 1.80 GHz
0 (0%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
8C 8T @ 3.00 GHz
771 (100%)

Devices using this processor

MediaTek Helio A20 Qualcomm Snapdragon Microsoft SQ3
Unknown Microsoft Surface Pro 9

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