Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks
There are 8 key differences between Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks.
Key differences
| Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | |
|---|---|---|
| Fabrication | Not officially confirmed (independent estimates range from advanced 7nm to 5nm from SMIC) | 3 nm (TSMC) |
| Announced | 20 April 2026 (with the launch of Huawei Pura 90 Pro andPro Max) | 21 October 2024 |
| CPU cores | 8 cores (some sources cite 12 logical threads via SMT, not officially confirmed) | 8 cores |
| Core configuration | 1× Taishan Big clocked above 3.0 GHz + 3× Taishan Mid at ~2.27 GHz + 4× Taishan Little at ~1.72 GHz | 2× Oryon Prime at 4.32 GHz + 6× Oryon Performance at 3.53 GHz ("for Galaxy" version: 4.47 and 3.63 GHz) — no separate efficiency cores |
| Max clock | ~3.0 GHz | 4.32 GHz (4.47 in version Galaxy) |
| Architecture | ARMv8-A, 64-bit (Huawei's own core design) | ARMv8.2-A, 64-bit (not ARMv9 as sometimes assumed) |
| GPU | Maleoon 920 (some less consistent sources cite the Maleoon 935; not officially confirmed) | Adreno 830 |
| GPU clock | Not officially announced | ~1.1 GHz |
Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks
A chip that reflects real progress in Huawei's technical independence, with a clear focus on AI imaging improvements and unique satellite connectivity. The lack of full official transparency means final performance should be judged cautiously until more reliable data is available.
- +A real, officially stated improvement in AI image processing
- +Two-way Beidou satellite connectivity — a world exclusive
- +CPU performance approaching Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 level
- −No full official transparency on the CPU and GPU details
- −Independent sources clearly disagree on the exact GPU name
- −Performance still well short of the newest global flagship chips in 2026
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks
An exceptional flagship chip and a real turning point in Qualcomm's design, with first-class multitasking and graphics performance. Do check the cooling system of the specific phone to make sure performance holds up over long sessions.
- +A radical CPU re-engineering with all-powerful Oryon cores
- +Exceptional multitasking performance in benchmarks
- +A GPU built on an all-new sliced architecture
- −A noticeable drop in thermal stability during very long gaming sessions
- −Qualcomm does not disclose the exact TOPS figure for the AI engine
- −The ARMv8.2-A architecture lacks some accelerators rivals have
Full specifications
| Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | |
|---|---|---|
| التصنيع | ||
| Manufacturer | — | Qualcomm |
| Fabrication | Not officially confirmed (independent estimates range from advanced 7nm to 5nm from SMIC) | 3 nm (TSMC) |
| Announced | 20 April 2026 (with the launch of Huawei Pura 90 Pro andPro Max) | 21 October 2024 |
| Availability | Available | Available |
| المعالج المركزي | ||
| CPU cores | 8 cores (some sources cite 12 logical threads via SMT, not officially confirmed) | 8 cores |
| Core configuration | 1× Taishan Big clocked above 3.0 GHz + 3× Taishan Mid at ~2.27 GHz + 4× Taishan Little at ~1.72 GHz | 2× Oryon Prime at 4.32 GHz + 6× Oryon Performance at 3.53 GHz ("for Galaxy" version: 4.47 and 3.63 GHz) — no separate efficiency cores |
| Max clock | ~3.0 GHz | 4.32 GHz (4.47 in version Galaxy) |
| Architecture | ARMv8-A, 64-bit (Huawei's own core design) | ARMv8.2-A, 64-bit (not ARMv9 as sometimes assumed) |
| الرسوميات والذكاء الاصطناعي | ||
| GPU | Maleoon 920 (some less consistent sources cite the Maleoon 935; not officially confirmed) | Adreno 830 |
| GPU clock | Not officially announced | ~1.1 GHz |
| NPU | A new, improved NPU — 200% better image understanding than the Kirin 9020 (officially announced by Huawei) | Hexagon NPU (supports personalisation, multimodal processing and running local language models) |
| AI performance | Not officially announced by Huawei | Not officially announced by Qualcomm |
| الذاكرة والاتصال | ||
| Supported RAM | No exact official figure (supports up to 16 GB per some sources) | LPDDR5X |
| Max RAM | Not officially announced | No exact figure announced by Qualcomm |
| Supported storage | Not precisely announced | UFS 4.0 |
| Modem | Integrated 5G, theoretical download up to 3,500 Mbps (some less reliable sources cite higher figures under the "5.5G" label) | Snapdragon X80, theoretical download up to 10 Gbps and upload up to 3.5 Gbps |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 7 (via FastConnect 7900) |
| Bluetooth | 6.0 (depending on the actual device's specifications) | 6.0 |
| نتائج الاختبارات | ||
| AnTuTu | ~1,614,887 | ~2,750,000 – 2,810,000 |
| Geekbench single-core | ~1,411 | ~3,033 – 3,184 |
| Geekbench multi-core | ~4,121 | ~9,271 – 10,105 |
| مميزات إضافية | ||
| Key features | 43% better AI colour processing, 110% clearer zoomed video, 30% steadier frame rates in games, 25% better overall performance versus the Pura 80 generation, plus Beidou satellite connectivity | Camera support up to 320 MP, Snapdragon Elite Gaming features (Adaptive Performance Engine, Game Super Resolution), and fairly consistent performance under sustained load (74–77% in 15–60-minute tests) |
| Phones using it | Huawei Pura 90 Pro, Huawei Pura 90 Pro Max | Realme GT7 Pro, Xiaomi 15 series, OnePlus 13, iQOO 13, Samsung Galaxy S25 series (version "for Galaxy") |
Other comparisons
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Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks vs MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Max Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks
Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks