Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 review: specs and price
In terms of mobile processors, it’s hard to deny the innovative advances that Qualcomm is making, especially when it comes to the Snapdragon 855 mobile chipset. This chipset is powered by a Hexagon processor and leading 7nm technology that allow for AI capabilities in smartphones. Qualcomm notes that the Hexagon processor packs three times the power of its predecessor.
Count on cinema-grade videography capabilities plus 4K HDR video playback, making videos and gaming experiences practically pop off the screen. For this mobile chipset, Qualcomm has also introduced their FastConnect 6200 subsystem, allowing for Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and integrated Bluetooth 5.1.
The Snapdragon 855 is also one of the first chipsets from Qualcomm to feature multi-gigabit 4G connectivity and 5G capabilities.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Why is Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 better than the average?
- CPU speed?
1 x 2.84 GHz & 3 x 2.42 GHz & 4 x 1.78 GHzvs12.14 GHz - RAM speed?
2133 MHzvs1760.04 MHz - Download speed?
2000 MBits/svs1612.17 MBits/s - Semiconductor size?
7 nmvs17.77 nm - CPU threads?
8 threadsvs6.32 threads - Maximum memory bandwidth?
31.79 GB/svs21.03 GB/s - Maximum memory amount?
16GBvs9.98GB - OpenGL ES version?
3.2vs2.98
Price comparison
SAMSUNG Galaxy S10+ Plus (128GB, 8GB) 6.4" AMOLED, Snapdragon 855, IP68 Water Resistant, Global 4G LTE (G...SAMSUNG Galaxy S10+ Plus (128GB, 8GB) 6.4" AMOLED, Snapdragon 855, IP68 Water Resistant, Global 4G LTE (GSM + CDMA) Unlocked (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Metro) G975U (Prism Blue)
User reviews
Overall rating
Features
Gaming
9.8/10
9 votes
Performance
9.6/10
9 votes
General info
Supports 64-bit
✔Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
A 32-bit operating system can only support up to 4GB of RAM. 64-bit allows more than 4GB, giving increased performance. It also allows you to run 64-bit apps.
Has integrated graphics
✔Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
With integrated graphics you don’t need to buy a separate graphics card.
Small semiconductors provide better performance and reduced power consumption. Chipsets with a higher number of transistors, semiconductor components of electronic devices, offer more computational power. A small form factor allows more transistors to fit on a chip, therefore increasing its performance.
GPU clock speed
257 MHz
The clock speed of the graphics processing unit (GPU).
has 5G support
✔Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
The fifth-generation wireless technology delivers higher speeds and lower latency than the previous, fourth-generation tech.
GPU turbo
585 MHz
When the GPU is running below its limitations, it can boost to a higher clock speed in order to give increased performance.
DirectX version
DirectX 12
DirectX is used in video games, with newer versions supporting better graphics and features. The latest version is DirectX 12 Ultimate, which includes support for ray tracing, mesh shaders, and variable rate shading (VRS).
OpenGL ES is used for games on mobile devices such as smartphones. Newer versions support better graphics.
Some apps use OpenCL to apply the power of the graphics processing unit (GPU) for non-graphical computing. Newer versions introduce more functionality and better performance.
Performance
CPU speed
1 x 2.84 GHz & 3 x 2.42 GHz & 4 x 1.78 GHz
The CPU speed indicates how many processing cycles per second can be executed by a CPU, considering all of its cores (processing units). It is calculated by adding the clock rates of each core or, in the case of multi-core processors employing different microarchitectures, of each group of cores.
CPU threads
8 threads
More threads result in faster performance and better multitasking.
Uses big.LITTLE technology
✔Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Using big.LITTLE technology, a chip can switch between two sets of processor cores to maximize performance and battery life. For example, when playing a game the more powerful cores will be used to increase performance, whereas checking email will use the less powerful cores to maximize battery life.
Uses HMP
✔Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Heterogeneous Multi-Processing (HMP) is a more advanced version of big.LITTLE technology. In this setup, a processor can utilize all cores at the same time, or just a single core for low-intensity tasks. This can provide powerful performance or increased battery life respectively.
turbo clock speed
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
When the CPU is running below its limitations, it can boost to a higher clock speed in order to give increased performance.
L2 cache
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
A larger L2 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.
L1 cache
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
A larger L1 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.
clock multiplier
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
The clock multiplier controls the speed of the CPU.
L3 cache
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
A larger L3 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.
Memory
RAM speed
2133 MHz
It can support faster memory, which will give quicker system performance.
DDR (Double Data Rate) memory is the most common type of RAM. Newer versions of DDR memory support higher maximum speeds and are more energy-efficient.
The maximum amount of memory (RAM) supported.
maximum memory bandwidth
31.79 GB/s
This is the maximum rate that data can be read from or stored into memory.
More memory channels increases the speed of data transfer between the memory and the CPU.
eMMC version
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
A higher version of eMMC allows faster memory interfaces, having a positive effect on the performance of a device. For example, when transferring files from your computer to the internal storage over USB.
Supports ECC memory
✖Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (ARM Cortex-A76)
Error-correcting code memory can detect and correct data corruption. It is used when is it essential to avoid corruption, such as scientific computing or when running a server.
Features
Has integrated LTE
✔Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
The system on a chip (SoC) has an integrated LTE cellular chip. LTE is capable of downloading at faster speeds than older, 3G technology.
download speed
2000 MBits/s
This is the maximum download speed supported. In reality, the download speed will usually be lower, as it will be affected by other factors (such as your home/mobile network speeds).
upload speed
318 MBits/s
This is the maximum upload speed supported. In reality, the upload speed will usually be lower, as it will be affected by other factors (for example your home/mobile network speeds).
Has TrustZone
✔Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (ARM Cortex-A76)
A technology integrated into the processor to secure the device for use with features such as mobile payments and streaming video using digital rights management (DRM).
uses multithreading
✖Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Multithreading technology (such as Intel's Hyperthreading or AMD's Simultaneous Multithreading) provides increased performance by splitting each of the processor's physical cores into virtual cores, also known as threads. This way, each core can run two instruction streams at once.
Has NX bit
✔Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (Qualcomm Kryo 485)
NX bit helps protect the computer from malicious attacks.
bits executed at a time
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
NEON provides acceleration for media processing, such as listening to MP3s.
VFP version
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
Vector Floating-Point (VFP) is used by the processor to deliver increased performance in areas such as digital imaging.
front-end width
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
The CPU can decode more instructions per clock (IPC), meaning that the CPU performs better
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 result (single)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
Geekbench 6 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor's single-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2024)
Geekbench 6 result (multi)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
Geekbench 6 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor's multi-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2024)
Geekbench 5 result (single)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor's single-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2024)
Geekbench 5 result (multi)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor's multi-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2024)
PassMark result
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
This benchmark measures the performance of the CPU using multiple threads.
PassMark result (single)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
This benchmark measures the performance of the CPU using a single thread.
PassMark result (overclocked)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.
This benchmark measures the performance of the CPU when it is overclocked.
Miscellaneous
DirectX is used in games, with newer versions supporting better graphics.
Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data transfers between devices placed in close proximity, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves. Newer versions provide faster data transfers.
Price comparison
SAMSUNG Galaxy S10+ Plus (128GB, 8GB) 6.4" AMOLED, Snapdragon 855, IP68 Water Resistant, Global 4G LTE (G...SAMSUNG Galaxy S10+ Plus (128GB, 8GB) 6.4" AMOLED, Snapdragon 855, IP68 Water Resistant, Global 4G LTE (GSM + CDMA) Unlocked (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Metro) G975U (Prism Blue)
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Comments
Rodrigo
2 years ago
10 / 10
It's fast, powerful, handles the most demanding games
Rodrigo
2 years ago
10 / 10
Pros
Cons
David
2 years ago
10 / 10
Great processor even in 2022
David
2 years ago
10 / 10
Great performance for the processor after 10 years of its release.
JEREMIAS AVEL
2 years ago
5 / 10
I love the processor, if it wasn't so expensive
JEREMIAS AVEL
2 years ago
5 / 10
It's a really good processor due to its excessive power. However, the lack of materials makes it rather expensive, and compared to its siblings, it's better as they are roughly at the same price
Pros
Cons