MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ vs Snapdragon 865+: The better chip?

It is nothing new to see chipsets pitted against each other in innumerable comparisons, both on similar and absolutely dissimilar grounds. Two of the biggest smartphone processor brands- Qualcomm and MediaTek- have always been a part of such comparisons, usually against each other. So, now when 5G chipsets are entering the scene, it is natural that the best processors from both brands will be compared with each other. In this case, we are talking about the MediaTek Dimensity 1000 Plus and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus. Now, it is understandable why people want to compare these two processors seeing as they both are the top of the range of 5G chipsets from their respective brands. However, there are some differences to take into consideration before jumping in on the comparison.

First of all, the Snapdragon 865 Plus was launched some months later than the Dimensity 1000 Plus, which MediaTek launched early during summer of 2020. So, there will be some of the upgraded features and specs in the Snapdragon processor. Even so, the Dimensity 1000 Plus takes on the competition and even exceeds on a lot of aspects.

In terms of RAM speed, the Snapdragon 865 Plus processor succeeds the MediaTek 5G chipset holding almost 884MHz higher RAM speed and almost 14GB/s more memory bandwidth, better LPDDR5 RAM support and better multimedia properties than the MediaTek Dimensity 1000 Plus. Additionally, in the AnTuTu scores as well the Snapdragon 865 Plus takes the lead with 648k points against the Mediatek chipset’s 510k points. These were some areas where the Snapdragon processor undoubtedly takes the lead. However, the comparisons are not over yet. So, let us see the pros of the MediaTek Dimensity 1000 Plus over its Snapdragon rival now.

First of all, the MediaTek Dimensity 1000 Plus has an almost 5 percent better overall CPU clock speed having the world’s first 4 Big core Cortex-A77 CPU, with even Android Authority recognizing that the brand packs in the “latest and greatest CPU cores and integrated 5G.” These specifications help the chipset in delivering powerful performance, during regular multitasking as well as gaming. Other than this, the MediaTek chipset also boasts of features like hardware-assisted virtualization, TrustZone, out-of-order execution, and AES etc. which the Snapdragon chipset does not have. The MediaTek chipset also comes with a much better support for upload and download speed than the Snapdragon 865 Plus and that evens their earlier differences somewhat. Also, the MediaTek Dimensity 1000 Plus is lauded for having an integrated 5G modem which poses a great advantage over its competitor, Snapdragon that lacks this feature.

The biggest advantage that the MediaTek chipset has over the Snapdragon 865 Plus however, is the price. The Snapdragon powered phones are exorbitant going up to 80k while the Dimensity powered ones are aimed at the mid-range segment and can be estimated around 30k. This is clearly a major difference and gives the MediaTek chipset an edge over the competition. Snapdragon has also failed to resolve its usual heating issues even with the flagship prices. So, I think the MediaTek Dimensity 1000 Plus is a much more affordable and much better choice of processor.