Mediatek MT6732 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 MSM8952 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 APQ8016

Mediatek MT6732

The 1.5 GHz MediaTek MT6732 is a 64-bit ARM-based SoC launched in 2014 primarily for small budget to mainstream Android devices. The quad-core processor is manufactured in 28 nm and is based on the Cortex-A53 architecture. It integrates an LTE modem and an ARM Mali-760 MP2 GPU capable of decoding and encoding videos of up to 1080p30. Compared to the MT6735, the MT6732 utilizes a faster graphics unit (T760 vs T720).

Processor

The Cortex-A53 is the successor to the popular Cortex-A7 design. In addition to the jump from 32-bit to 64-bit architecture (ARMv8 ISA) to address more than 4 GB of memory, the new design offers better branch prediction and higher performance-to-power ratio that rivals the Cortex-A9. The four cores of the MT6732 are clocked at up to 1.5 GHz and sits roughly in between the Qualcomm Snapdragon 610 (4x Cortex-A53 at 1.7 GHz) and Snapdragon 410 (4x Cortex-A53 at 1.2 to 1.4 GHz). The power-efficient processor is fit for common tasks like browsing and running light applications.

Graphics

The integrated Mali-T760 MP2  is an entry-level GPU clocked at up to 500 MHz. Most Android games will play at acceptable frame rates on medium resolutions and quality.

Features

The MT6732 SoC integrates a memory controller (32-bit LPDDR3, 6.4 GB/s), multiple radios (WLAN, Bluetooth, GPS), and a cellular modem (GSM, UMTS, GPRS, HSPA+, HSUPA, TD-SCDMA, EVDO, and LTE Cat 4). Its integrated video engine allows for 1080p playback at 30 FPS. Cameras are supported up to 13 MP.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 MSM8952

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 MSM8952 is a mid-range ARMv8-based SoC largely for Android tablets and smartphones announced in September 2015. In addition to 8 Cortex-A53 CPU cores at up to 1.5 / 1.2 (performance and power saving cluster) GHz, the SoC integrates an Adreno 405 GPU with a LPDDR3-1866 memory controller and supports Wi-Fi (802.11ac), Bluetooth 4.0, UMTS, and LTE. Compared to the older Snapdragon 615, the clock speeds are a bit lower (hits 1.7 GHz max).

CPU

The Cortex-A53 is the successor to the very popular Cortex-A7 design. In addition to the new 64-bit capable ARMv8 ISA, the cores offer a variety of other improvements such as better branch prediction. This leads to a significantly higher performance per clock, which is even above the older Cortex-A9.

The eight cores of the Snapdragon 617 are divided into two quad-core clusters, each optimized for a different operating point. While one cluster can clock up to 1.5 GHz to handle more demanding applications, the other cluster is limited to a maximum of 1.2 GHz for energy-saving purposes. All eight cores can be active at the same time, although most applications aren't parallelized to support 8 cores efficiently.

Overall, the Snapdragon 617 offers a performance similar to that of the older Snapdragon 600 (Krait architecture).

GPU

Another new feature is the integrated graphics unit named Adreno 405 (most likely around 550 MHz). The Adreno 400 series has been substantially redesigned and supports DirectX 11.2 (FL 11_1) including hardware tessellation, OpenGL ES 3.1, and OpenCL 1.2. Furthermore, the performance has been significantly improved, which is now similar to the Adreno 320 and PowerVR G6200.

Features

The Snapdragon 617 offers numerous wireless technologies such as Bluetooth 4.0 and WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n/ac as well as a Multi-SIM cellular modem supporting LTE cat. 4 (up to 150 Mbps), WCDMA, CDMA, EV-DO, TD-SCDMA and GSM/EDGE.

The SoC can encode and decode 1080p videos using dedicated hardware and stream content to displays with up to 2560 x 2048 pixels. A large number of video codecs including H.265 (playback only) will be supported. The camera ISP can handle sensors with up to 21 MP.

Power Consumption

The Snapdragon 617 is manufactured by TSMC in a 28 nm LP process. According to the specifications, we expect a medium or medium-high power consumption for use in medium-sized or larger smartphones and tablets.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 APQ8016

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (APQ8016) is a ARM based mid-range SoC for tablets and smartphones (mostly Android based). It was announced in Dec. 2013 and was the first 64-Bit SoC by Qualcomm. It integrates four ARM Cortex-A53 (quad-core) processor cores, a Adreno 306 graphics card, a 64 Bit LPDDR2/3 memory controller and WLAN, Bluetooth, and UMTS/LTE radio. Compared to the MSM8916, the APQ8016 lacks the integrated cellular radio (3G, 4G, LTE) and is usually clocked lower (1.2 vs 1.4 GHz).