MediaTek Dimensity 8500 vs Helio G99: 4 times faster in AnTuTu and up to 12 times in graphics

MediaTek Dimensity 8500 and Helio G99 are separated by four years of mobile processor development, and test results show this difference immediately. Smartphones from the Dimensity 8500 family achieve about 2.1 million points in AnTuTu 11 compared to 520-550 thousand for the Helio G99. In 3DMark Wild Life Extreme, the gap reaches approximately 12 times. Meanwhile, the POCO X8 Pro with Dimensity 8500 Ultra can be found for around €310, while new stocks of Galaxy A15 4G with Helio G99 are still being sold for about €200.

Main Differences

In Dimensity 8500, all eight CPU cores belong to the Cortex-A725 architecture. Helio G99 uses two Cortex-A76 for heavy workloads and six Cortex-A55 for background and light tasks.

According to CPUTronic, Dimensity 8500 scores 1693 points in Geekbench 6 Single-Core and 6897 Multi-Core, while Helio G99 scores 733 and 1994 points respectively. This results in about a 2.3 times advantage in single-thread performance and a 3.5 times advantage when using all cores.

Benchmarks in Real Smartphones

The average performance of the SoC gives a general idea of performance, but a specific smartphone may perform faster or slower depending on cooling, power settings, and firmware. Therefore, it is useful to compare several production devices.

For Dimensity 8500, there are also versions labeled Ultra and Extreme. Performance-wise, they are very close to the base platform.

The three smartphones from the Dimensity 8500 family show a similar level: around 1700 points in Geekbench 6 single-thread, 6100-6950 in multi-threaded mode, and over 2 million points in AnTuTu 11.

Infinix Note 30 and Galaxy A15 4G on Helio G99 are around 520-550 thousand points in AnTuTu 11. Compared to POCO X8 Pro, this results in an approximately fourfold gap. In Geekbench, the difference is smaller, but still very significant: about 2.3 times in single-thread and more than threefold in Multi-Core.

Such results can no longer be explained solely by cooling or specific smartphone settings. This is a generational and architectural difference.

What the Prices Show

According to found European offers, the POCO X8 Pro 8/256 GB costs about €310, while the Motorola Edge 70 Pro 8/256 GB starts at €440. The Redmi Turbo 5 is primarily aimed at the Chinese market, so the imported version with 12/256 GB costs about €400.

Smartphones with Helio G99 cost noticeably less, but not always as much as one might expect given the performance. The Infinix Note 30 is typically found for about €150, while new stocks of Galaxy A15 4G are around €200.

The comparison of Galaxy A15 4G and POCO X8 Pro is particularly telling. The price difference is about €110, or approximately 55%, while AnTuTu performance differs by about four times. Besides the faster processor, the POCO offers 5G, LPDDR5X, and a more modern storage subsystem.

The price of a smartphone, of course, depends not only on the SoC. Cameras, display, build quality, battery, memory capacity, and software support duration also affect the final cost. However, at similar price points, Helio G99 becomes a noticeable limitation.

Graphics: A Gap Up to 12 Times

The most significant difference is found in the GPU. The Dimensity 8500 features Mali-G720 MC8, whereas Helio G99 uses the much simpler Mali-G57 MC2.

In 3DMark Wild Life Extreme, Dimensity 8500 scores about 4058 points. Smartphones using Helio G99 score around 344-348 points. The difference is approximately 11.7 times.

This doesn’t mean that the user interface on a smartphone with Helio G99 will operate 12 times slower. Such a gap manifests primarily in gaming and other heavy graphics tasks.

Helio G99 handles less demanding mobile games and many older projects reasonably well, but in heavy modern games, you'll need to lower settings and frame rates. Dimensity 8500 has a significantly larger GPU overhead and is better suited for high graphics settings.

Under prolonged load, much depends on the cooling system. A smartphone with good heat dissipation can maintain maximum frequencies longer, which is why two devices with similar versions of the same SoC may show different gaming performance after extended use.

Difference in Everyday Applications

Cortex-A725 is significantly more powerful than Cortex-A76 and Cortex-A55. Additionally, unlike Helio G99, Dimensity 8500 does not use older smaller Cortex-A55.

This gives an advantage in app installation, photo processing, archive extraction, handling heavy web pages, and active multitasking.

Helio G99 still manages messaging apps, browsers, navigation, video, and banking applications. Limitations are more pronounced in heavy applications, games, and when purchasing a smartphone intended for several years of use.

Memory and Storage

Dimensity 8500 supports LPDDR5X and UFS 4 with MCQ. Helio G99 is limited to LPDDR4X and UFS 2.2.

The smartphone manufacturer is not obliged to use the fastest memory type supported by the SoC. However, the Dimensity 8500 platform allows for memory and storage of significantly higher classes.

Devices like POCO X8 Pro already use LPDDR5X and UFS 4.1. This speeds up loading large applications, installing games, and handling large files.

5G vs. 4G

Helio G99 supports only LTE. Dimensity 8500 works with 5G networks and belongs to a more modern generation of mobile platforms.

For a budget smartphone that is mostly connected to Wi-Fi, the absence of 5G may not be critical. However, at a price around €200, it becomes a noticeable limitation, especially if the device is purchased for several years.

What to Choose

In terms of performance, Dimensity 8500 wins by a large margin. Real smartphones show about a fourfold advantage in AnTuTu 11, and in demanding 3D graphics, the difference approaches about 12 times.

Helio G99 still suits budget smartphones for basic tasks: calls, messaging, browsing, video, navigation, and simple games. However, at this level, the price of the device is particularly important.

If a smartphone with Helio G99 costs around €150, such a purchase still seems logical for a non-demanding user. As the price approaches €200, competition becomes much fiercer: the POCO X8 Pro with Dimensity 8500 Ultra costs about €110 more than the Galaxy A15 4G, but offers a machine of a different level, 5G support, modern memory, and a faster storage system.

Thus, today Helio G99 should primarily be chosen in truly budget models. If the budget allows for reaching €300, the Dimensity 8500 family provides much greater performance headroom and is better suited for long-term use.