Samsung Exynos 1280 vs Intel Core i3-8121U

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Samsung Exynos 1280 CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i3-8121U
Samsung Exynos 1280 Intel Core i3-8121U

CPU comparison

Samsung Exynos 1280 or Intel Core i3-8121U - 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 Samsung Exynos 1280 has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 2.40 GHz. Up to GB of memory is supported in 4 memory channels. The Samsung Exynos 1280 was released in Q1/2022.

The Intel Core i3-8121U has 2 cores with 4 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.20 GHz. The CPU supports up to 32 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i3-8121U was released in Q2/2018.
Samsung Exynos (47) Family Intel Core i3 (205)
Samsung Exynos 1280 (1) CPU group Intel Core i 8000U (CL) (1)
6 Generation 8
Cortex-A78/-A55 Architecture Cannon Lake U
Mobile Segment Mobile
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Samsung Exynos 1280 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Samsung Exynos 1280 is 2.40 GHz while the Intel Core i3-8121U has 2 CPU cores and 4 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i3-8121U is at 2.20 GHz (3.20 GHz).

Samsung Exynos 1280 Characteristic Intel Core i3-8121U
8 Cores 2
8 Threads 4
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
No Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? No
2.40 GHz
2x Cortex-A78
A-Core 2.20 GHz (3.20 GHz)
2.00 GHz
6x Cortex-A55
B-Core --

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.

Samsung Exynos 1280 Characteristic Intel Core i3-8121U
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --
-- NPU + CPU + iGPU --

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

The Samsung Exynos 1280 or Intel Core i3-8121U 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.

ARM Mali-G68 MP4 GPU no iGPU
GPU frequency --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
Vallhall 2 GPU Generation --
6 nm Technology
1 Max. displays
4 Compute units --
64 Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory --
12 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.

ARM Mali-G68 MP4 GPU no iGPU
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h264 No
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 No
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 No
Decode Codec AV1 No
Decode / Encode Codec AVC No
Decode / Encode Codec VC-1 No
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

The Samsung Exynos 1280 can use up to GB of memory in 4 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is --. The Intel Core i3-8121U supports up to 32 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 38.4 GB/s.

Samsung Exynos 1280 Characteristic Intel Core i3-8121U
LPDDR4X Memory LPDDR4-2400, DDR4-2400
Max. Memory 32 GB
4 (Quad Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
-- Max. Bandwidth 38.4 GB/s
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache --
-- L3 Cache 4.00 MB
-- PCIe version 3.0
-- PCIe lanes 16
-- PCIe Bandwidth 15.8 GB/s

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Samsung Exynos 1280 is --, while the Intel Core i3-8121U has a TDP of 15 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

Samsung Exynos 1280 Characteristic Intel Core i3-8121U
-- TDP (PL1 / PBP) 15 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. 105 °C

Technical details

The Samsung Exynos 1280 is manufactured in 5 nm and has 0.00 MB cache. The Intel Core i3-8121U is manufactured in 10 nm and has a 4.00 MB cache.

Samsung Exynos 1280 Characteristic Intel Core i3-8121U
5 nm Technology 10 nm
Unknown Chip design Monolithic
Armv8-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
-- ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512
-- Socket BGA 1356
None Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
No AES-NI Yes
Android Operating systems Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux
Q1/2022 Release date Q2/2018
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Samsung Exynos 1280 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.2 stars (13 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Intel Core i3-8121U to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 0 stars (0 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Samsung Exynos 1280 (84%)
Intel Core i3-8121U (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Samsung Exynos 1280 (85%)
Intel Core i3-8121U (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.
Samsung Exynos 1280 Samsung Exynos 1280
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
741 (91%)
Intel Core i3-8121U Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 3.20 GHz
810 (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.
Samsung Exynos 1280 Samsung Exynos 1280
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
1855 (93%)
Intel Core i3-8121U Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 2.70 GHz
1987 (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.
Samsung Exynos 1280 Samsung Exynos 1280
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
845 (76%)
Intel Core i3-8121U Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 3.20 GHz
1114 (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.
Samsung Exynos 1280 Samsung Exynos 1280
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
1829 (76%)
Intel Core i3-8121U Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 2.70 GHz
2414 (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.
Samsung Exynos 1280 Samsung Exynos 1280
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
419640 (100%)
Intel Core i3-8121U Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 2.20 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.
Samsung Exynos 1280 Samsung Exynos 1280
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i3-8121U Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 2.70 GHz
4395 (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.
Samsung Exynos 1280 Samsung Exynos 1280
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i3-8121U Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 3.20 GHz
139 (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.
Samsung Exynos 1280 Samsung Exynos 1280
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i3-8121U Intel Core i3-8121U
2C 4T @ 2.70 GHz
305 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Samsung Exynos 1280 Intel Core i3-8121U
Unknown Unknown

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