Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 vs MediaTek Dimensity 9400: Battle of the Flagship Chipsets (2025)
In the race to power the most advanced smartphones of 2025, two giants lead the way—Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400. Both chipsets bring groundbreaking improvements, but which one truly reigns supreme?
Let’s dive deep into a head-to-head comparison, covering performance, AI capabilities, gaming power, efficiency, and more.
🔍 Quick Overview
| Feature | Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 | MediaTek Dimensity 9400 |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing Process | 3nm TSMC (N3E) | 3nm TSMC (N3E) |
| CPU Architecture | Custom Oryon Cores | ARM Cortex-X5 + Cortex-A720 |
| GPU | Adreno 830 | ARM Immortalis-G925 |
| AI Engine | Hexagon NPU | APU 790 |
| 5G Modem | X75 with AI 5G | Integrated R16-ready 5G |
| Geekbench Multi-Core Score | ~7600 | ~7200 |
| AnTuTu Benchmark Score | ~2.2 Million | ~2.0 Million |
⚙️ CPU & Architecture: Raw Power
Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 introduces Qualcomm’s custom Oryon CPU cores—a huge shift from the ARM Cortex design. This custom core architecture offers better single-threaded performance and thermal efficiency, ideal for high-end tasks like multitasking, video editing, and AI processing.
On the other hand, Dimensity 9400 sticks with ARM’s Cortex-X5 and Cortex-A720. While powerful, it falls slightly behind in sustained performance and thermal output compared to the Snapdragon’s Oryon cores.
✅ Winner: Snapdragon 8 Gen 4
🎮 Gaming & GPU Performance
Qualcomm’s Adreno 830 GPU takes gaming to the next level with features like real-time hardware-accelerated ray tracing, AI-driven frame rate upscaling, and lower power draw.
Dimensity 9400’s Immortalis-G925 supports ray tracing too, but performance benchmarks reveal lower FPS in intensive 3D games and less AI enhancement.
✅ Winner: Snapdragon 8 Gen 4
🤖 AI Capabilities
Both chipsets boast dedicated AI engines built on NPU advancements, but Qualcomm’s Hexagon NPU in the 8 Gen 4 delivers faster on-device AI tasks like generative text, real-time translation, and camera scene recognition.
MediaTek’s APU 790 is powerful in its own right but slightly lags in inference speed and power efficiency.
✅ Winner: Snapdragon 8 Gen 4
🔋 Power Efficiency & Thermals
Thanks to the 3nm TSMC N3E process, both chipsets deliver better thermal performance and battery efficiency than their predecessors.
However, Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 tends to run cooler in stress tests due to better thermal tuning and optimized custom cores.
✅ Winner: Snapdragon 8 Gen 4
📶 Connectivity
Snapdragon features the X75 modem, supporting AI-enhanced 5G, Wi-Fi 7, and global satellite communication compatibility. Dimensity 9400 includes a powerful integrated modem, but lacks the AI boost and satellite coverage Snapdragon provides.
✅ Winner: Snapdragon 8 Gen 4
🛒 Real-World Devices
-
Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is found in flagship phones like:
-
Dimensity 9400 powers:
📝 Final Verdict: Which One Should You Choose?
If you’re a power user, mobile gamer, or need top-tier AI performance, Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 stands out as the undisputed champion. Its custom cores, AI advancements, and cooler thermals give it the edge in real-world use.
However, Dimensity 9400 is a close contender—especially for those looking for value-packed devices with solid performance.
✅ Overall Winner: Snapdragon 8 Gen 4
Recent Post
