Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 CPU1 vs CPU2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G

CPU comparison

Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G - 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 Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 has 4 cores with 4 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 2.40 GHz. Up to 8 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 was released in Q3/2016.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 2.30 GHz. The CPU supports up to 8 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G was released in Q1/2020.
Qualcomm Snapdragon (104) Family Qualcomm Snapdragon (104)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (3) CPU group Qualcomm Snapdragon 720 (1)
3 Generation 2
Kryo Architecture Kryo 465
Smartphone / Tablet Segment Smartphone / Tablet
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 is a 4 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.40 GHz. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G has 8 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 2.30 GHz.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
4 Cores 8
4 Threads 8
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
2.40 GHz
2x Kryo
A-Core 2.30 GHz
2x Kryo 465 Gold
1.60 GHz
2x Kryo
B-Core 1.80 GHz
6x Kryo 465 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.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
Qualcomm AI engine AI hardware Qualcomm AI engine
Hexagon 680 AI specifications Hexagon 692 @ 5 TOPS
-- 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.

Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU Qualcomm Adreno 618
0.62 GHz GPU frequency 0.70 GHz
0.62 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
5 GPU Generation 6
14 nm Technology 14 nm
0 Max. displays 2
-- Compute units --
256 Shader 128
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory 4 GB
11,1 DirectX Version 12.1

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.

Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU Qualcomm Adreno 618
Decode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode
Decode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
Decode Codec VP9 Decode
Decode Codec VP8 Decode
No Codec AV1 No
No Codec AVC Decode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 supports a maximum of 8 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G can connect up to 8 GB of memory in 2 memory channels.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
LPDDR4-3733 Memory LPDDR4X-1866
8 GB Max. Memory 8 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
14.9 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 14.9 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 Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 has a TDP of --, that of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G is --.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
-- TDP (PL1 / PBP) --
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 has a 0.00 MB cache, while the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G cache has a total of 0.00 MB.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Characteristic Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
14 nm Technology 8 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
Q3/2016 Release date Q1/2020
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.3 stars (3 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 3.6 stars (34 ratings). Rate now:

Average performance in benchmarks

Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 (57%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G (100%)
Multi core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 (45%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a partial load benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. In the single-core test, only the fastest CPU core is measured. The test run simulates the performance in practice.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
4C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
370 (51%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
8C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
732 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

The practical Geekbench 6 multi-core benchmark tests the system's performance under partial load. The processor's maximum power consumption is far from being used up.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
4C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
752 (42%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
8C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
1770 (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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
4C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
341 (62%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
8C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
549 (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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
4C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
864 (52%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
8C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
1676 (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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
Qualcomm Adreno 530 @ 0.62 GHz
476 (100%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
Qualcomm Adreno 618 @ 0.70 GHz
358 (75%)

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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
4C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
1594 (41%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
8C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
3911 (100%)

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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
4C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
0 (0%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
8C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
332605 (100%)

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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
4C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
0 (0%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
8C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
269796 (100%)

AI performance (NPU)

The performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is given here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher.

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. The performance is given in the number (trillions) of arithmetic operations per second (TOPS).
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
4C 4T @ 2.40 GHz
0 (0%)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
8C 8T @ 2.30 GHz
5 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
Unknown Unknown

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