The Snapdragon variant was spotted on Geekbench with impressive benchmark scores.
What you need to know
- The non-U.S. versions of the S20 and the Note 20 series were infamous for their use of Exynos processors over the more performant Snapdragon 865.
- Preliminary benchmarks show that the upcoming Snapdragon 875 may again be more powerful and efficient compared to the new Exynos chipset for the Galaxy S21 series.
- The comparative Exynos benchmarks are two months older than the new Snapdragon 875 benchmarks, so take this comparison with a grain of salt.
The international versions of the Samsung Galaxy S20 and Note 20 series were heavily criticized throughout 2020 for their use of the less efficient Samsung Exynos processors over the more performant Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. Unfortunately, preliminary benchmarks for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S21 hints that the trend may continue in 2021.
The Galaxy S21 will reportedly come with a Snapdragon 875 or the Exynos 2100, depending on the region. Almost two months ago, SamMobile spotted Geekbench scores for the Galaxy S21’s Exynos variant, posting 1038 points for single-core tests and 3060 points for multi-core. However, they just recently found the Geekbench scores for the Snapdragon 875 version of the Galaxy S21 as well.
According to the benchmark, the Snapdragon variant of the Galaxy S21, model number SM-G996U, scored 1120 points in single-core tests and 3319 points in multi-core. While the scoring difference between the two models isn’t dramatic, it’s certainly noticeable in this context.
However, before you get your pitchforks out (again), please keep in mind that the Exynos benchmark tests were from nearly two months ago and many things can change by launch time. On top of that, we recently reported that the Exynos version is rumored to be “on-par or better than the Snapdragon 875” in raw power and efficiency.
So, while these numbers tell a different story, we should all take these benchmarks with a grain of salt and see how real-world performance is like once we get our hands on these devices.
The Galaxy S21 is expected to be announced earlier than usual on January 14, 2021. Three models are expected to be showcased including the Galaxy S21, S21+, and the S21 Ultra.
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