The heart of any modern smartphone is the mobile processor. Today on the market there is a large number of chips for budget and flagship mobile phones. Two companies monopolized the market: Qualcomm and MediaTek (not included in the rating). Huawei, Samsung and Apple also produce central chips for their own smartphones. The AnTuTu benchmark presented a fresh rating of mobile processors for smartphones in 2016. We'll show you ten of the best central processing units (CPUs) that feature high performance and include powerful video processors.
10. 6-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (68,508 points)
The last place in the AnTuTu rating was given to the 64-bit Snapdragon 808, which is slightly lower in performance than the famous flagship chip of past years, the Snapdragon 810, and is made using a 20-nm process technology. The test result showed 68,508 points, which is very good and immediately places this mobile processor in the category of the best. Its architecture uses the concept of combining several ARM big.LITTLE cores of different frequencies. It includes two Cortex A57 cores at 2 GHz and four Cortex A53 cores at 1.5 GHz.
The system on the chip also includes a Qualcomm Adreno 418 video processor, which has a frequency of 600 MHz and supports DirectX 11.1 and OpenCL 1.2 drivers. Smartphones with this mobile processor can be equipped with displays with a resolution of up to 2560 x 1600 pixels and support fast charging Quick Charge 2.0.
9. 6-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 (78,979 points)
The next mobile processor, Snapdragon 650, appeared this year and has very good performance. The structure consists of four Cortex A53 cores with a frequency of each 1.2 GHz and two high-performance Cortex-A72 cores with a frequency of 1.8 GHz. “Stone” copes well with all modern tasks and has ample capabilities for assembling a fairly powerful smartphone.
This includes an ARM Adreno 510 video processor clocked at 650 MHz and support for a high-speed LTE X8 modem that operates at speeds of up to 300 Mb/s. The video chip is capable of processing high quality 4K video with a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. There is support for Quick Charge 3.0 and NFC near-field wireless technology.
Smartphones with this chip - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro, Sony Xperia X.
8. Dual-core Apple A8 (79,100 points)
This mobile processor is used exclusively for iPhone smartphones 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Last year, mobile phones made a lot of noise and at the end of 2015 they became leaders in performance in AnTuTu ratings. The chip is equipped with two cores on a single-chip system with proprietary Cyclone architecture. Both models of sixth-generation Apple mobile phones were equipped with 1 GB of RAM. This indicates a very interesting and high-performance system.
This also includes a very powerful 6-core PowerVR GX6650 video processor, which, together with the M8 coprocessor, has excellent performance and affects the operation of all built-in sensors on Apple phones. The energy efficiency of the entire system is excellent, which made it possible to use batteries of small capacity but with a long operating time.
Smartphones with this chip are iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
7. 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 (79,636 points)
The seventh place was taken by another Qualcomm chip, codenamed Snapdragon 652. It was designed for mid-class smartphones and tablets, although it is designed for greater capabilities than are used in mobile phones with its participation. This is an improved 8-core version of the Snapdragon 650, which received four Cortex-A53 cores with a standard frequency of 1.2 GHz and four Cortex-A57 cores with increased speed of 1.8 GHz. The cores operate on the ARMv8-ISA architecture.
The mobile processor was included in the AnTuTu 2016 rating without question, thanks to good performance and support for the Adreno 510 (650 MHz) video processor. The latter can work with video resolution 4K or FullHD with a frame rate of 120 FPS. Cameras up to 21 megapixels and an LTE-UMTS modem with data transfer rates of up to 300 Mb/s are also supported.
Smartphones with this chip - Samsung Galaxy A9, Oppo R9 Plus, ZTE Nubia Z11 Max.
6. 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (81,049 points)
The flagship mobile processor from two years ago, the Snapdragon 810, still has high performance and competes with new chips created on a smaller process technology. The already well-known big.LITTLE architecture includes four Cortex-A57 cores, which are overclocked to 2 GHz and four Cortex-A53 with a clock speed of 1.5 GHz. This “stone” is capable of using 8 cores at once.
The system on a chip includes a quite decent Adreno 430 (650 MHz) graphics accelerator, which at one time was the most powerful and supports a maximum video resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. It is still quite relevant today and can handle even the most powerful toys on a smartphone. There is support for LTE CAT6 and eMMC 5.0 standard storage.
Smartphones with this chip are Sony Xperia Z5, Microsoft Lumia 950 XL, ZTE Axon Lux, ZTE Nubia Z9 Max.
5. 8-core Samsung Exynos 7420 (86,652 points)
The chip was introduced at the beginning of 2015 and still holds the leading position, taking an honorable fifth position in the AnTuTu rating. It uses an 8-core architecture of small-large big.LITTLE cores, with four high-performance Cortex-A57 (2.1 GHz) and four less fast Cortex-A53 (1.5 GHz). It can use all cores at once, thereby obtaining high performance Smartphone OS.
This mobile processor is equipped with an ARM Mali-T760 MP8 772 MHz video chip and a bandwidth of 302 gigaflops. Supports OpenGL ES 3.1 and of course DirectX 11. The Exynos 7420 can also work with the new generation of LPDDR4 RAM. Overall, a very good processor with up-to-date performance. Although new generations have already been released, the chip will still hold a high position until the end of the year.
Smartphones with this chip - Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, the famous Samsung Galaxy Note 5, and no less popular Meizu Pro 5.
4. 8-core Huawei Kirin 950 (92,746 points)
A proprietary development of Huawei, which is designed for high-end devices powerful smartphones. It uses a system of 8 cores, which is also distributed into four Cortex-A53 (frequency 1.8 GHz) and four Cortex-A57 (frequency 2.3 GHz). The chip easily works with ultra-high quality 4K video and is up to 30% more productive than the previous “stone”.
The graphics are handled by the powerful and very intelligent ARM Mali-T880 video processor. This mobile processor is manufactured using a 16nm process technology and is quite energy efficient. FinFET transistors are used here. There is also a separate DSP for audio processing, codenamed Tensilica HiFi 4. The system also includes an additional i5 coprocessor, which is responsible for encryption.
Smartphones with this chip - Huawei P9, Huawei Mate 8, Huawei Honor 8
3. 8-core Samsung Exynos 8890 (129,865 points)
Another very powerful chip from Samsung, which was the first for the manufacturer to have cores of its own design. The 64-unit ARMv8 architecture was used to build the same configuration of big.LITTLE cores with different types and frequencies. Where four high-performance Samsung M1 cores with a clock frequency of 2.6 GHz and the already familiar Cortex-A53 with a slightly increased frequency of 1.6 GHz were used.
Thanks to the 14nm process technology, a 10% improvement in energy efficiency and a 30% increase in performance were achieved compared to the previous generation of mobile processor. The chip rightfully ranks third in this year’s AnTuTu ranking of the most powerful processors for smartphones. There is support for LTE modem up to maximum value 600 Mb/s.
Smartphones with this chip – last generation Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and latest version Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
2. Dual-core Apple A9 (132,657 points)
The next generation of high-performance chip from Apple, which came out with the iPhone 6s and its improved version iPhone 6s Plus, put these smartphones on the highest pedestal of 2015. Apple phones were the best in 2015 in terms of performance and even now they have not moved much from their positions. Compared to the Apple A9, the mobile processor is 70% more efficient, and the video core is as much as 90% better.
Together with the M9 coprocessor, the chip allows you to work with 4K video and even record videos in ultra-HD quality. Despite the fact that the processor has only two cores, this does not prevent it from being one of the best in the AnTuTu 2016 rating. Bandwidth data buses are much higher than those of their 8-core counterparts. Apple keeps the bar high and is not going to stop there.
1. Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (136,383 points)
The first position went to the mobile processor, which made a breakthrough in performance and finally made Qualcomm the world leader in the design and production of powerful mobile chips. The latest Harvard architecture was used here, which has very low heat dissipation compared to its predecessors. The already well-known Adreno 530 video processor is responsible for graphics.
The latter supports all the latest versions software drivers like OpenGL ES 3.1, OpenCL 2.0 and Vulkan. There is mandatory support for 4K video, which can be recorded on the camera at 60 FPS, which is very impressive. The chip is so popular that it is used in many smartphone models.
Smartphones with this chip are OnePlus 3, Lenovo Moto Z, ZTE Axon 7, Xiaomi Mi5 and many others.
Conclusion
As can be seen from the graph, half of all positions went to Qualcomm, which practically monopolized the market. Samsung and Apple each gained two places and lowered their performance numbers compared to last year. The top mobile processor from Chinese Huawei performed quite well.
The processor is the heart of a smartphone. It controls computing processes, and the performance of the device largely depends on it. In fact, modern smartphones operate on the basis of so-called chipsets, SoC (System-on-Chip, “system-on-chip”), where the processor is only the central element: a modem, a graphics core, and elements are installed on one board. responsible for sound reproduction, spatial orientation, and so on. But we will simply say “processor”.
One could say that the more clock frequency, the more powerful the processor, but not everything is so simple.
Basic processor parameters
Processors differ from each other in several ways. The first of these is the clock frequency, or the number of clock cycles, signals arriving at the input of the circuit in one second. This parameter determines how many operations the processor can perform in one second, and one could say that the higher the clock frequency, the more productive the processor, but not everything is so simple. Other parameters also affect performance, such as processor architecture or number of cores.
The second parameter is the number of cores. First, an increase in the number of cores entails an increase in performance, but only in applications that are optimized for this. Secondly, multi-core processors allow you to cope with the problem of strong heating of the device and save energy: if the task is not very complex, only a part of the cores takes part in solving it.
Again, one could say that the more cores, the better, but this is not always the case. Much depends on optimizing the hardware and operating system. Of course, single- and even dual-core processors are now considered a sign of a low-power budget device, but the iPhone 6s, one of the most powerful modern smartphones, makes do with a dual-core A9 processor, and the iPhone 6 with a dual-core A8 processor demonstrates impressive performance. Microsoft's flagship Lumia 950 is powered by a six-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, although many flagship Android smartphones are equipped with eight- and even ten-core processors. The flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor has only four cores, but this is enough to be considered the leader in performance and graphics processing speed today.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 has only four cores, but this is enough to be considered a leader in performance.
In fact, many eight-core processors are actually two quad-core clusters: one with lower performance handles simple tasks, the second takes over when tasks become more complex, but eight cores are never used at the same time.
Third parameter - technological process. Again, we will not go into detail and say that this term describes the thickness of the conductive tracks: the thinner they are, the better the signal passes, the lower the resistance, the lower the energy consumption. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and A9 mentioned above are made on a 14-nanometer process, although most processors are created on the basis of a 16-, 18-, even 20-nanometer process. And somewhere on the horizon Qualcomm Snapdragon 828 and 830 are already looming, which are expected to be created using a 10-nanometer technological process.
iPhone 6s, one of the most powerful modern smartphones, uses a dual-core A9 processor.
So how do you choose a processor?
It would seem that everything is simple: the higher the clock frequency, the greater the number of cores, the smaller the technological process - the better. But in reality, everything is somewhat different, because, as mentioned above, other parameters also affect performance, for example, how much operating system optimized for a particular processor. It also happens that due to the use of an overly powerful, but not very energy-efficient processor, a smartphone quickly heats up when performing complex tasks (for example, when running resource-intensive games), and it is no longer very comfortable to use.
Some might suggest that virtual tests should be trusted, for example, popular program AnTuTu. But even here it is not easy to find a definite answer to the question of which processor is better, because virtual testing measures the maximum capabilities of the processor, and this is not at all the same as the capabilities of the processor in everyday use.
Many manufacturers mobile devices use MediaTek developments.
In fact, the quality of the processor is determined by all the parameters listed above, and do not forget that the extent to which it can reveal its capabilities depends on the characteristics of a particular smartphone and on how seriously the manufacturer took optimization software to the processor. For example, the Microsoft Lumia 650 with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 processor will be faster than many Chinese smartphones, equipped with eight-core processors with higher clock speeds.
Major mobile processor manufacturers
The cute and fast Huawei P8 Lite is powered by the proprietary HiSilicon Kirin 620 chipset.
All companies producing mobile processors can be divided into four categories.
When you choose a smartphone or tablet, you probably look at its hardware specifications. When reading processor descriptions, it is not immediately possible to understand what this or that designation implies. However, there is a certain rating of the performance of smartphone mobile processors, based on which you can purchase fast device. What do these terms mean and what should you pay attention to?
What is a processor?
The processor acts as a transmitter. That is, a request is sent to it that you want your smartphone to do. Early mobile phones were basically similar to traditional landlines. Smartphones, however, are portable computers that have telephony capabilities built into the system. Under this amazing touch display located full-fledged computer, responsible for running your applications, giving you instructions (how to act in certain situations), GPS coordinates, and communicating with others. The processor is the brain of any operation.
What is the core?
This is the element located in the main processor that reads and executes instructions. The production of such devices began with single-core processors, but modern developers have created more powerful devices, including large quantity cores in one device. This led to the emergence of dual-core gadgets. Quad-core processors (powered by four cores) soon appeared, and today hexa- (six) and octa- (eight) core smartphones and tablets can be found on sale.
What are the benefits of multiple cores?
The more cores, the faster they can process the commands you give your phone. This means that several of these components will share the load among themselves and complete any work very quickly. You can upload high-quality photos or HD videos and then browse your collection without interruption. Animations and videos play smoothly without stuttering. Games don't freeze. Of course, there are exceptions, but as a rule, the more cores, the better the performance.
Will an octa-core smartphone be twice as fast as a quad-core one?
This is impossible. An octa-core processor is only faster than a quad-core processor when it is processing an application that uses its capabilities or when multitasking. For example, one core may be processing requests in a web browser while the other is idle. The call comes and it gets to work. As a result, your web browser experience and your phone call will go through, but not necessarily, twice as fast.
What other factors might be involved?
Multiple cores are just one component of a smart device (think of them as a specific part of a car engine). In addition, the graphics processor is responsible for the operation of this component, RAM for short-term memory, antennas for Wi-Fi and GPS and much more. They all work together as a whole, and all should be considered when you buy a smartphone or tablet.
What should you remember about processors?
When purchasing a smartphone or tablet, it is advisable to first study the rating of mobile processors. Which chip is better - such a device will be more powerful. This will give you an idea of what a particular device can do and how fast it operates.
In order to compile a rating of mobile processors for smartphones, it is necessary to conduct a series of tests on devices with each of them and record general criteria for assessing performance, as well as perform graphic manipulations. Some experts have conducted such studies, and the results were quite predictable. So, a comparison table of processors for smartphones in descending order is presented below.
In addition to overall performance, we also tested the GPU on devices released in 2016. The ratings of GPUs for smartphones were also compiled taking into account the performance of the graphics subsystem. The GPU rankings are slightly different from the overall list.
Processors for smartphones: rating
Based on research of graphic properties, the rating can be presented as follows:
- Qualcomm 820.
- Apple A9.
- Samsung Exynos 8890.
- Qualcomm 810.
- Samsung Exynos 7420.
- Apple A8.
- Qualcomm 805.
- Kirin 950.
- Qualcomm 808.
- Qualcomm 652.
As you can see, the top 3 in both lists includes the same components. Thus, the best processors for smartphones, the ratings of which are presented in the article, coincide in all respects: both in graphics performance and in the results of general tests.
Therefore, it is important to get an idea of what devices are running these processors. So, you can find Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 in the following devices:
- Sony Xperia X Performance.
- Samsung Galaxy S7.
- Xiaomi Mi5.
- Letv V MAX Pro.
- LG G5.
Depending on the place of purchase, the Galaxy S7 may be equipped with a Samsung Exynos 8890 instead of the above-mentioned component, which still significantly outperforms its competitors. It is also worth noting that the computing power of all devices today is very high. For this reason, purchasing modern smartphone, you won't notice a significant drop in performance even if it's not very powerful. Even Chinese processors for smartphones, the rating of which will look completely different, will suit you quite well fast work. Only if you care about the smallest specifications or plan to install and use highly specialized intensive applications, these results can help you make a decision when purchasing a device.
Selecting a mobile phone
Recently, many smartphone manufacturers have released their new products, which undoubtedly make the user feel a certain confusion when choosing. In connection with the release of new devices, processors for smartphones are also changing, the ratings of which are quite difficult to update. For example, last year the Apple A9 ranked first in all comparison lists, and then the Hisilicon Kirin 950 supplanted it. Today, Qualcomm, Apple and Samsung are fighting for primacy with varying degrees of success.
Performance Evaluation
As the chip performance rating has already shown, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor took first place and showed much greater power than the Apple A9. Moreover, Samsung Exynos 8890 also has good results, and its performance is already close to A9.
The recently launched Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 and 650 also show high functionality and power. The Qualcomm 652 is already close in performance to the 810 model. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 has already surpassed the 808, which leads the mid-range smartphone market. Since 6797 phones are currently not produced, and only models released in past years can be found on the market, the rating of MTK processors for smartphones is no longer relevant.
GPU Performance Ranking
In recent years, smartphones have given increasing importance to GPU performance, as it is closely related to game play and image handling in a mobile phone, and it has a direct impact on users' actual experience. Currently, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (Adreno530) is characterized by high performance in this regard. Samsung Exynos 8890 (Mali-T880 MP12) is almost equal to Apple A9 in terms of power, as already noted. Regarding Hisilicon Kirin 950 (Mali-T880 MP4), which is well known to everyone, its GPU performance is not good enough, and the test results are similar to Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (Adreno418) and Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 (Adreno510).
In fact, the performance of the graphics chip is also directly related to the screen resolution of your smartphone. Currently, the main resolution is 1080P, and 2K has become the development trend of high-end smartphones. However, without the support of a powerful GPU, even this a high resolution will still result in poor performance of the device.
Of course, the factors that determine performance mobile phone, much larger than the CPU and GPU values. However, it is necessary to fully understand that nothing but the powerful performance of the chips is the basis for a smoothly operating device. Without high performance support, any user experience will be empty. This can be summed up by the old adage: "You can't make something out of nothing."
The above information regarding processors for smartphones rated above cannot be considered as a permanent rule. Today, new devices are regularly released with increasingly powerful technical characteristics.
From these data today, we can see that Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 is taking the lead in terms of performance. Even though Apple hasn't released any new processors, the overall performance of the Apple A9 is still strong. If we consider the Exynos 8890 Samsung, its parameters are approximately equal to the A9 in total.
Devices running on the Apple A9 are the iPhone 6S and iPhone SE, which are considered one of the most rated and fashionable devices.
Exynos Samsung 8890 takes a strong third place in this ranking and is only slightly inferior to its competitors. He managed to outperform many devices made from other components. Currently, only the Samsung Galaxy S7 can be found among devices manufactured with this chip.
The Kirin 950 processor also offers very good performance over a long period of time. Moreover, it previously topped the component ratings thanks to its excellent characteristics. However, this performance rating has steadily declined as more advanced devices have begun to appear on the market. Devices running on this processor are Huawei P9, Huawei Mate 8, Huawei P9 Max.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 offers pretty good General characteristics. It was highly appreciated in its time and to this day remains one of the most used elements in various devices. Smartphones equipped with it are successfully sold in many countries around the world today, including HTC One M9, XL, Nexus 6P, OnePlus 2.
At one time it was greatly underestimated, despite the fact that its parameters are distinguished by decent power. Despite the low ratings, phones with it are popular, especially the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Meizu Pro 5.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 and 650 are processors used in mid-range smartphones. Despite their low ranking, they are actively used in the production of gadgets. Today there is no question of discontinuing such smartphone models as Samsung Sony Xperia X and Xiaomi Redmi.
Mobile processors are the processors that power mobile devices. Initially, processors were installed exclusively in computers, but with the development of smartphones and tablets, microprocessor manufacturers also paid attention to the low-end segment of computing technology. Mobile processors manufactured by Qualcomm are especially popular. Samsung equips its smartphones with Qualcomm processors; Apple is developing mobile devices for its technology Apple processors Ax by Samsung Electronics. From time to time, different companies try to launch their own mobile processors.
Microprocessor manufacturers continue to struggle with Moore's Law, but Samsung was the first to announce that it was starting to produce chips based on the 10-nanometer process technology, ahead of even Intel, not to mention other companies. To make it clear what we are talking about: the transistors of these processors will be only 50 times larger than a silicon atom, which is approximately 0.2 nanometers.
There are three main players in the chipset market for mobile devices today: the American company Qualcomm, the Taiwanese MediaTek and Korean Samsung. Chinese Spreadtrum, American Intel and Apple are also developing their chips. The chips of the latter are used only in their production technology (iPhone, iPad, iPod). The lineup processors of each corporation (except Apple) is quite wide. It is especially important to note the company Huawei. It owns its own division for the development and production of HiSilicon processors.
The top three produce CPUs for smartphones of all price categories; the number of simultaneously used models can exceed a dozen. Because the model number does not directly reflect the level of performance, find best processor for a smartphone it is difficult for an untrained user. For example, the MediaTek 675x series includes eight-core models MT6750, 6752, 6753 and 6755. The most productive of them is 6755, but it is followed not by 6753 (which would be logical), but by 6750 or 6752 (this chip was quickly removed from production altogether , since it turned out to be too fast for the positioned niche). The mentioned 6753 is the weakest in the series.
To be considered the best, a processor must have fast and economical cores with the latest technology. It also needs to be suitable for any modern task and handle both gaming and 4K video decoding. All the models listed in the selection can do this and will be installed in flagship smartphones until the end of summer 2016 and will remain relevant for a long time.
The best processor for a smartphone at the time of writing is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. The chipset, introduced at the end of 2015, was first released in February 2016, as part of the flagships Samsung Galaxy S7 (version for China) and Xiaomi Mi5. It is a powerful quad-core CPU based on a modification of Qualcomm's own ARM architecture. Its operating frequency is up to 2.2 GHz.
Thanks to the thin 14 nm process technology, the chip remains cool and economical, unlike its predecessor. The high speed of the processor is confirmed by AnTuTu tests. The average score of existing smartphones based on it is about 140 thousand points. Upcoming Chinese flagships with Snapdragon 820 show even more impressive numbers. A more advanced processor will be released under number 821.
Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa
Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa is the second leader in the mobile processor market. The brainchild of Samsung is an eight-core CPU with big.LITTLE architecture. Four cores on the proprietary Mongoose architecture work at 2.4 GHz for heavy tasks, and four cost-effective 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 are activated for light workloads. The chip was introduced at the beginning of 2016, the first smartphone based on it was the Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 EDGE.
The processor is manufactured using a 14 nm process technology, thanks to which smartphones with it consume energy economically. In AnTuTu, the chipset shows a result of 135 thousand points, which confirms second place in terms of performance. The next more advanced Exynos is numbered 8893. 
Apple A9
The Apple A9 processor was developed by the company's engineers specifically for the current generation of iPhone and introduced in September 2015. It is used inside the 6s, 6s Plus, SE models, as well as several Apple tablets. The chip is a dual-core CPU based on a modified ARM architecture Twister. Its clock speed can reach 1.8 GHz.
Like the other two leaders, the processor is manufactured using the 14 nm and 16 nm process technology (depending on the manufacturer). This, combined with high-end optimization, allows it to set records with unimpressive characteristics on paper, and remain cool. Depending on the smartphone model (and, as a result, screen resolution), the chip scores about 130-135 thousand points in AnTuTu. Apple's next more advanced processor is labeled A10. 
MediaTek Helio X25
The brainchild of the Taiwanese company MediaTek is the first mass-produced ten-core processor for a smartphone. The CPU was launched into mass production at the beginning of 2016, the first device based on it was Meizu Pro 6. It has an unusual architecture, since it consists of not 2 (like big.LITTLE), but 3 computing clusters. 2 Cortex-A72 cores operating at 2.5 GHz are active in heavy tasks, four Cortex-A53 2 GHz are activated in medium loads and with multiple data streams, and four Cortex-A53 1.55 are active in the background and with light loads GHz.
The multi-core approach implemented in the chip allows you to select, depending on the task, the optimal cluster of cores. Due to this, energy savings are achieved and the fact that the percent is produced using a 20 nm process technology is compensated. In the synthetic AnTuTu test, the processor shows about 97 thousand points. Considering that there are no more smartphones on it besides Meizu Pro 6, in the foreseeable future it is possible that new products based on it will be released with even greater performance. 
HiSilicon Kirin 955
Top chipset Huawei smartphones is HiSilicon Kirin 955. The processor, introduced in April 2016, is equipped with eight cores. Four of them are high-speed Cortex-A72 operating at a frequency of 2.5 GHz, another four are Cortex-A53 1.8 GHz. Traditionally, big.LITTLE technology is used to separate cores.
The technological process used to create the chipset is 16 nm. This is a current value in 2016, allowing you to achieve efficiency and performance at the same time. In the AnTuTu benchmark, the processor scores about 95 thousand points. 