Snapdragon vs Exynos: does Note 20 Ultra with 865 Plus outperform?
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Samsung equipped the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra with a Plus version of the Snapdragon 865 processor that is in the Galaxy S20 Ultra, breaking the 3GHz clock frequency barrier for the first time on a mobile processor, and bringing support for the newest connectivity standards like Wi-fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
That's great if you live in the US or South Korea, where the Snapdragon 865 Plus models will be sold, as only Qualcomm's attached modem can and is certified to connect to the latest 5G network generations in these countries.
If you are perusing the global Galaxy Note 20 Ultra version, however, it will be powered by Samsung's Exynos 990 chipset, the same one that is in the respective Galaxy S20 Ultra models.
Given that there was a gap in performance and thermal throttling between the Snapdragon and Exynos versions of the S20 Ultra, we expect it to grow even larger between the 865+ and Exynos 990 models of the Note 20 Ultra, so we ran some benchmarks.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus vs Exynos 990 Note 20 Ultra performance benchmarks
| Benchmarks | Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Snapdragon 865+ score | Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Exynos 990 score |
|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu benchmark | 571,312 | 474,356 |
| GFXBench Car Chase onscreen | 29 FPS | 24 FPS |
| Geekbench 5 single-core | 988 | 925 |
| Geekbench 5 multi-core | 3294 | 2773 |
As usual, the Exynos version of the Note 20 Ultra gives way to the Snapdragon model, but that's valid for the S20 variants as well.
The phones are still plenty powerful enough to run everything you throw at them, 12GB RAM and all, yet the 865+ vs 865 advantage is not only in peak speed but also at extra image processing and newer memory or connectivity standards support.
Snapdragon 865 vs 865 Plus vs Exynos 990 specs
| Snapdragon 865 | Snapdragon 865+ | Exynos 990 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Production process | TSMC 7nm N7P | TSMC 7nm N7P | 7nm EUV |
| Processor cores | 1x Kryo 585 (custom A77) @2.84GHz 3x Kryo 585 @2.42GHz 4x @1.8GHz | 1x Kryo 585 (custom A77) @3.1GHz 3x Kryo 585 @2.42GHz 4x @1.8GHz | 2x Exynos M5@2.73GHz 2x Cortex A76@2.5GHz 4x Cortex A55@2GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 650 at 587MHz | Adreno 650 at 645MHz | Mali-G77 MP11 |
| Modem | X55 5G modem (add-on) up to 7.5 Gbps over 5G, and 3 Gbps download speeds on LTE | X55 5G modem (add-on) | Exynos 5123 (Category 24) Downloads up to 7.3Gbps (mmWave), 5.1Gbps (sub-6GHz), or 3Gbps (4G LTE), 8xCA Uploads: up to 422 Mbps |
| AI co-processor | Yes, Hexagon 698 | Yes, Hexagon 698 | Yes, dual-core NPU |
| Video encode | 8K HDR at 30fps 4K HDR at 120fps | 8K HDR at 30fps 4K HDR at 120fps | 8K HDR at 30fps 4K HDR at 120fps |
| Features support | QHD+ @144Hz or 4K@60Hz display refresh up to 200MP single or 2x64MP dual camera up to 16 GB DDR5 Qualcomm FastConnect 6800: Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-fi 6 | QHD+ @144Hz or 4K@60Hz display refresh up to 200MP single or 2x64MP dual camera up to 16GB DDR5 Qualcomm FastConnect 6900: Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-fi 6E | UFS 3.0 storage support for up to 2.9GB/s speeds Single-camera up to 108MP up to 16 GB DDR5 120Hz display refresh rate |
As you can see, there are three main areas where the Snapdragon 865+ outshines the 865 - peak processing and graphics speed (the first mobile chip to break the 3GHz barrier), even more global 5G multiband connectivity, and the newest Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-fi 6E standards support.
What is Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-fi 6E?
The Wi-Fi 6E in Snapdragon 865+ means that the Note 20 Ultra is capable of operating on the 6 GHz band. It would work like the current WiFi 6 on 5 GHz but with way more channels that won't interfere or overlap. According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, Wi-Fi 6E can have "14 additional 80 MHz channels and 7 additional 160 MHz channels,"reducing congestion and interference.
New Bluetooth 5.2 vs Bluetooth 5.1 features:
- Higher quality, lower-power audio codec.
- Independent true wireless earbuds synchronicity, and broadcasting audio streams to multiple listeners in different languages.
- Multiple apps can interact with a Bluetooth Low Energy device simultaneously, reducing latency and interference.
Moreover, there is the thermal throttling to consider, and, looking at our Note 20 Ultra battery tests, the Exynos version still has a way to go in order to catch up to the Snapdragon models in the US when it comes to endurance. No more than seven hours of YouTube playback with a 4500mAh battery and a top-shelf OLED display, is, after all, nothing to brag home about in this day and age.
So, yes, both Snapdragon vs Exynos Note 20 Ultra synthetic benchmarks, and real-life scenario battery tests return an advantage for the Snapdragon 865+ models over the global Exynos 990 variant. Not that this comes as a huge surprise, yet we sincerely hope that Samsung will be done with that split processing practice for the Galaxy S21 next year.
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