Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 vs Apple M1

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 CPU1 vs CPU2 Apple M1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Apple M1

CPU comparison

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 or Apple M1 - 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 8+ Gen 1 has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.20 GHz. Up to 16 GB of memory is supported in 4 memory channels. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 was released in Q2/2022.

The Apple M1 has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.20 GHz. The CPU supports up to 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Apple M1 was released in Q4/2020.
Qualcomm Snapdragon (102) Family Apple M series (23)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7/8 Gen 1 (3) CPU group Apple M1 (9)
1 Generation 1
Cortex-X2 / -A710 / -A510 Architecture M1
Mobile Segment Mobile
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Predecessor --
-- Successor Apple M2

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is 3.20 GHz while the Apple M1 has 8 CPU cores and 8 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Apple M1 is at 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz).

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Characteristic Apple M1
8 Cores 8
8 Threads 8
hybrid (Prime / big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
3.20 GHz
1x Kryo Prime
A-Core 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz)
4x Firestorm
2.75 GHz
3x Kryo Gold
B-Core 0.60 GHz (2.06 GHz)
4x Icestorm
2.00 GHz
4x Kryo Silver
C-Core --

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

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. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Characteristic Apple M1
Qualcomm AI engine AI hardware Apple Neural Engine
Hexagon AI specifications 16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS

Internal Graphics

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 or Apple M1 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.

Qualcomm Adreno 730 GPU Apple M1 (8 Core)
0.90 GHz GPU frequency 0.39 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.30 GHz
7 GPU Generation 1
4 nm Technology 5 nm
0 Max. displays 2
-- Compute units 128
-- Shader 1024
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
8 GB Max. GPU Memory 8 GB
12.1 DirectX Version --

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 730 GPU Apple M1 (8 Core)
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 Decode
No Codec AV1 No
Decode Codec AVC Decode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 can use up to 16 GB of memory in 4 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 25.6 GB/s. The Apple M1 supports up to 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 68.2 GB/s.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Characteristic Apple M1
LPDDR5-6400 Memory LPDDR4X-4266
16 GB Max. Memory 16 GB
4 (Quad Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
25.6 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 68.2 GB/s
No ECC No
2.00 MB L2 Cache 16.00 MB
6.00 MB L3 Cache --
-- PCIe version 4.0
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is --, while the Apple M1 has a TDP of 18 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Characteristic Apple M1
-- TDP (PL1 / PBP) 18 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up 20 W
-- TDP down 10 W
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is manufactured in 4 nm and has 8.00 MB cache. The Apple M1 is manufactured in 5 nm and has a 16.00 MB cache.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Characteristic Apple M1
4 nm Technology 5 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
Armv9-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv8.5-A (64 bit)
-- ISA extensions Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
-- Socket --
None Virtualization Apple Virtualization Framework
No AES-NI Yes
Android, Windows 10 (ARM) Operating systems macOS
Q2/2022 Release date Q4/2020
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.7 stars (9 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Apple M1 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.8 stars (206 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (70%)
Apple M1 (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (50%)
Apple M1 (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 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
1228 (70%)
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
1742 (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 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
3924 (51%)
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
7650 (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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
1657 (70%)
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
2369 (100%)

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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
4231 (49%)
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
8576 (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 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
Qualcomm Adreno 730 @ 0.90 GHz
818 (31%)
Apple M1 Apple M1
Apple M1 (8 Core) @ 1.30 GHz
2610 (100%)

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 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
7189 (50%)
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
14463 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
112 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
509 (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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
1503 (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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
7759 (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 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
1032680 (100%)
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 0.60 GHz
0 (0%)

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

In the Blender Benchmark 3.1, the scenes "monster", "junkshop" and "classroom" are rendered and the time required by the system is measured. In our benchmark we test the CPU and not the graphics card. Blender 3.1 was presented as a standalone version in March 2022.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
117 (100%)

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.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
314 (100%)

CPU performance per watt (efficiency)

Efficiency of the processor under full load in the Cinebench R23 (multi-core) benchmark. The benchmark result is divided by the average energy required (CPU package power in watts). The higher the value, the more efficient the CPU is under full load.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Apple M1
7,759 CB R23 MC @ 18 W
431 (100%)

Performance for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

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 8+ Gen 1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 0.60 GHz
11 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Apple M1
Unknown Apple iMac 24 (2021)
Apple MacBook Pro 13 (L2020)
Apple MacBook Air (2020)
Apple Mac mini (2020)
Apple iPad Pro 11 (2021)
Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2021)
Apple iPad Air (2022)

News and articles for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and the Apple M1

MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ vs Apple A16 and Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ vs Apple A16 and Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
Posted by Stefan on 2022-09-22
With the Dimensity 9000+, Mediatek presents the latest of its smartphone chips. The successor to the Mediatek Dimensity 9000 achieves higher CPU and GPU clock frequencies thanks to better binning. The CPU clock of the prime core (A core) increases from 3.0 to 3.2 GHz. And the ARM Mali-G710 MP10 GPU can now clock at 0.9 GHz (previously 0.85 GHz).

Both are a good improvement over the Dimensity 9000 in theory but the increase in performance should not usually be noticeable in practice. In the end, the overall performance of the Mediatek Dimensity 9000+ is impressive: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is beaten in Geekbench 5 in both the single-core and multi-core benchmarks.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is more powerful and efficient
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is more powerful and efficient
Posted by Stefan on 2022-07-11
Qualcomm is changing the contract manufacturer from Samsung to TSMC for the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. By switching to the TSMC 4 nm manufacturing process, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is not only 10 percent faster but also 15 percent more efficient than its predecessor. This makes Qualcomm's TOP SoC one of the fastest smartphone chips on the market.
Apple M2 Pro with more CPU cores and production in 3 nm ?
Apple M2 Pro with more CPU cores and production in 3 nm ?
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-28
After Apple surprisingly presented the normal Apple M2 processor as the first successor to the Apple M1 already in June 2022, the Apple M2 Pro and the Apple M2 Max may follow in autumn. The difference in performance compared to the basic version could be even greater this time and range from 25 to 40 percent.

In this article we describe how Apple could realize this and why the price should also go up.
Apple M2 vs Apple M1 - What are the differences?
Apple M2 vs Apple M1 - What are the differences?
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-09
During WWDC 2022 on June 6th, 2022 Apple surprisingly presented its new Apple M2 processor. This will initially be installed in a completely revised Apple MacBook Air with 13.6 inches, a even thinner form factor and new colors. Apple also updated the already known (old) Apple MacBook Pro 13.3 with touch bar.

Many leakers had counted on Apple not presenting its new second-generation M processor until the fall. But things turned out differently. And there is very likely a reason for that: the improvements in the Apple M2 are limited compared to the predecessor.

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