HiSilicon Kirin 710 vs HiSilicon Kirin 955

The HiSilicon Kirin 710 and Kirin 955 processors are both powerful options for mobile devices, but they differ in their specifications.

Starting with the HiSilicon Kirin 710, it features an architecture of 4x 2.2 GHz Cortex-A73 cores and 4x 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 cores. With a total of eight cores, it provides a balanced combination of high-performance and power efficiency. The processor is built on a 12 nm lithography, indicating a smaller and more efficient manufacturing process. It contains approximately 5500 million transistors, indicative of its complexity and capability. The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of the Kirin 710 is 5 watts, which suggests a relatively low power consumption.

On the other hand, the HiSilicon Kirin 955 boasts an architecture of 4x 2.5 GHz Cortex-A72 cores and 4x 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53 cores. Similar to the Kirin 710, it also has a total of eight cores, enabling a balance between performance and power efficiency. However, the Kirin 955 is built on a 16 nm lithography, indicating a slightly larger manufacturing process compared to the Kirin 710. It contains approximately 2000 million transistors, which, although lower than the Kirin 710, is still a significant number. Similar to the Kirin 710, the Kirin 955 has a TDP of 5 watts.

While both processors have similar core configurations and TDPs, there are notable differences between them. The Kirin 955 has a higher clock speed with its Cortex-A72 cores running at 2.5 GHz, compared to the 2.2 GHz of the Cortex-A73 cores in the Kirin 710. This suggests that the Kirin 955 may have slightly better single-core performance. Additionally, the Kirin 710 has a smaller lithography at 12 nm, which may result in better power efficiency and heat dissipation compared to the 16 nm lithography of the Kirin 955.

Ultimately, the choice between these processors will depend on the specific needs and priorities of the device. The Kirin 710 may offer a more power-efficient and thermally optimized solution, while the Kirin 955 may provide a slight edge in single-core performance.