HiSilicon Kirin 960 vs MediaTek Dimensity 900

The HiSilicon Kirin 960 and MediaTek Dimensity 900 are both powerful processors, but they differ in terms of their specifications.

In terms of CPU cores and architecture, the HiSilicon Kirin 960 boasts 8 cores consisting of 4x 2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 and 4x 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53. On the other hand, the MediaTek Dimensity 900 features 8 cores as well, with 2x 2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 and 6x 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55. This means that the Dimensity 900 has a slightly higher clock speed for its more powerful cores.

When it comes to instruction set, the Kirin 960 utilizes the ARMv8-A instruction set, while the Dimensity 900 uses the newer ARMv8.2-A instruction set. This suggests that the Dimensity 900 may have better compatibility with certain software and applications.

In terms of manufacturing process, the Kirin 960 has a lithography of 16 nm, while the Dimensity 900 boasts a smaller 6 nm lithography. The smaller lithography generally results in greater power efficiency and improved performance.

The number of transistors is also worth comparing. The Kirin 960 has 4000 million transistors, while the Dimensity 900 takes it a step further with 10000 million transistors. This signifies that the Dimensity 900 has a more advanced architecture and potentially better performance capabilities.

Additionally, the Dimensity 900 comes with Neural Processing Unit (NPU) technology, which allows for enhanced artificial intelligence performance.

In terms of thermal design power (TDP), the Kirin 960 has a lower TDP of 5 Watts, which implies that it may run cooler and consume less power than the Dimensity 900, which has a TDP of 10 Watts.

Overall, the MediaTek Dimensity 900 is technologically more advanced than the HiSilicon Kirin 960. It features a smaller lithography, higher transistor count, and the inclusion of an NPU for superior AI capabilities. However, the Kirin 960 still offers a respectable performance and a lower TDP, which may be beneficial in certain use cases.