Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks
There are 8 key differences between Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks.
Key differences
| Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | |
|---|---|---|
| Fabrication | Not officially confirmed (independent estimates range from advanced 7nm to 5nm from SMIC) | 3nm (TSMC N3P) |
| Announced | 20 April 2026 (with the launch of Huawei Pura 90 Pro andPro Max) | November 26, 2025 |
| 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 | 2x Oryon Prime 3.8GHz + 6x Oryon Performance 3.32GHz |
| Max clock | ~3.0 GHz | 3.8 GHz |
| Architecture | ARMv8-A, 64-bit (Huawei's own core design) | Oryon v3 |
| GPU | Maleoon 920 (some less consistent sources cite the Maleoon 935; not officially confirmed) | Adreno 840 |
| GPU clock | Not officially announced | Without HPM cache (unlike the Elite tier) |
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 Gen 5 Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks
Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 delivers near-flagship performance at a lower price, using the same Oryon v3 cores and Adreno 840 GPU at reduced clocks.
- +Near-flagship performance at a lower price.
- +Same Oryon v3 cores and Adreno 840 GPU used in the Elite tier.
- +Advanced 3nm process for good power efficiency.
- −GPU performance weaker than Elite Gen 5 due to missing HPM cache.
- −Naming similarity to Elite tier may confuse consumers.
Full specifications
| Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | ||
| Manufacturer | — | Qualcomm (manufactured by TSMC) |
| Fabrication | Not officially confirmed (independent estimates range from advanced 7nm to 5nm from SMIC) | 3nm (TSMC N3P) |
| Announced | 20 April 2026 (with the launch of Huawei Pura 90 Pro andPro Max) | November 26, 2025 |
| Availability | Available | Available |
| CPU | ||
| 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 | 2x Oryon Prime 3.8GHz + 6x Oryon Performance 3.32GHz |
| Max clock | ~3.0 GHz | 3.8 GHz |
| Architecture | ARMv8-A, 64-bit (Huawei's own core design) | Oryon v3 |
| Graphics & AI | ||
| GPU | Maleoon 920 (some less consistent sources cite the Maleoon 935; not officially confirmed) | Adreno 840 |
| GPU clock | Not officially announced | Without HPM cache (unlike the Elite tier) |
| NPU | A new, improved NPU — 200% better image understanding than the Kirin 9020 (officially announced by Huawei) | — |
| AI performance | Not officially announced by Huawei | — |
| Memory & connectivity | ||
| Supported RAM | No exact official figure (supports up to 16 GB per some sources) | LPDDR5X |
| Max RAM | Not officially announced | Up to 4800MHz |
| Supported storage | Not precisely announced | UFS 4.1 |
| Modem | Integrated 5G, theoretical download up to 3,500 Mbps (some less reliable sources cite higher figures under the "5.5G" label) | — |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | — |
| Bluetooth | 6.0 (depending on the actual device's specifications) | — |
| Benchmarks | ||
| AnTuTu | ~1,614,887 | Approximately 2.9-3.1 million |
| Geekbench single-core | ~1,411 | Approximately 2,800-2,960 |
| Geekbench multi-core | ~4,121 | Approximately 9,100-10,200 |
| Extra features | ||
| 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 | Performance close to last year's Snapdragon 8 Elite at a lower price |
| Phones using it | Huawei Pura 90 Pro, Huawei Pura 90 Pro Max | vivo X300 FE, Motorola Razr Fold, OnePlus 15R |
Other comparisons
Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks
Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks vs Samsung Exynos 1480 Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks
Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks vs Snapdragon 8 Elite Customized for Galaxy Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks
Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks
Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks vs Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks