MediaTek Dimensity 8550 vs Snapdragon 7 Gen 4: MediaTek is Much Faster, but Currently Appears in More Expensive Smartphones

The MediaTek Dimensity 8550 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 belong to the mid-range and upper mid-range categories, but there is a significant performance gap between them. The Dimensity 8550 features eight Cortex-A725 cores and a Mali-G720 MC8 GPU. In real-world tests, it outperforms the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 in multi-threaded tasks, and especially in graphics. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 supports newer wireless standards and is found in a larger number of smartphones, many of which are significantly cheaper.

Key Differences

The main advantage of the Dimensity 8550 is its CPU performance. All eight cores are based on Cortex-A725, with four running at 3.2-3.4 GHz. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 uses five Cortex-A720 cores and three power-efficient Cortex-A520 cores, with a maximum frequency of 2.8 GHz. The MediaTek also has 6 MB of L3 cache and an additional 5 MB of SLC system cache.

The gap in GPU performance is even larger. The Dimensity 8550 uses a Mali-G720 MC8 with eight graphical cores, while the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 has an Adreno 722. In real-world tests, the difference in GPU performance is significantly greater than that of CPU performance in single-threaded tasks.

In terms of wireless interfaces, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 has an advantage. It supports Wi-Fi 7 with speeds up to 5.8 Gbps and Bluetooth 6.0. The Dimensity 8550 is listed with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4. However, the maximum 5G speed is better on the MediaTek, rated at 5.17 Gbps compared to 4.2 Gbps.

Benchmarks on Real Smartphones

Currently, far fewer devices have been released with the Dimensity 8550 compared to the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4. The table includes the global OPPO Reno16 Pro and the Chinese OPPO Reno16. The Chinese Reno16 should not be confused with the global version, which features the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4.

The tests show a significant gap between the chips. The OPPO Reno16 Pro scores 1,559 and 6,166 points in Geekbench 6, and achieves 4,411 points in Wild Life Extreme. The Chinese Reno16 has slightly lower scores, with 1,524 and 5,733 points in Geekbench 6, 4,133 points in Wild Life Extreme, and around 2.18 million in AnTuTu 11.

The results of smartphones with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 differ much less from each other. The Realme 15 Pro scores 1,201/3,549 in Geekbench 6 and 1,251,276 in AnTuTu 11. The Realme P4 Pro’s results are 1,209/3,575 and 1,282,176, respectively. The Vivo V60 scores 1,247/3,539 in Geekbench 6 and 1,819 in Wild Life Extreme.

In single-core performance, the Dimensity 8550 is approximately 25-30% faster, while in multi-threaded Geekbench performance, the gap reaches 60-75%.

In Wild Life Extreme, the Dimensity 8550 scores around 4,100-4,400 points compared to around 1,800 for the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4. This is roughly a 2.3-2.4 times difference.

The gap in AnTuTu is also substantial. Smartphones on the Dimensity 8550 score around 2.18 million points, while Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 devices usually remain in the range of 1.2-1.3 million. The result for MediaTek is about 70% higher.

Gaming and Stability Under Load

Under prolonged load, the Dimensity 8550 does not always maintain peak performance. In the OPPO Reno16 Pro test, it scored 4,411 points in Wild Life Extreme, but the stability of the standard Wild Life Stress Test was only 46.6%. In the Wild Life Extreme Stress Test, this figure was higher at 57.6%.

The situation is similar with the Chinese OPPO Reno16. In standard Wild Life Extreme, it scored 4,133 points, but after prolonged loading, stability was around 50%. The chip has high peak performance, but its compact design does not allow it to maintain this without reducing clock speeds for long periods.

The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 starts slower, making it easier to maintain performance. The Vivo V60 scores around 1,800 points in Wild Life Extreme-less than half of the OPPO Reno16 Pro's score.

In gaming, the Dimensity 8550 provides a significantly larger performance margin, but the results are more dependent on the cooling of the specific smartphone. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 is slower, but its clock speeds are easier to maintain under prolonged load.

Devices and Prices

Currently, the prices for smartphones on these chips do not overlap much. Some models with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 are several times cheaper than the European OPPO Reno16 Pro.

The OPPO Reno16 Pro 12/512 GB in the European market starts at around €859. This is already a high price for the upper mid-range. In this price bracket, the Reno16 Pro competes with smartphones featuring flagship processors.

The Realme 15 Pro is significantly cheaper. The international version of 12/256 GB can be found starting at around €269. Even considering shipping and differences among sellers, the gap with OPPO remains enormous.

The Vivo V60 is priced closer to the Reno16 Pro. The imported version of 12/256 GB is found at around €595, while the 12/512 GB version is around €615. The difference with OPPO still amounts to several hundred euros.

The Realme P4 Pro is primarily targeted at the Indian market. With a price of around €300-350, it belongs to a different price category and does not directly compete with the Reno16 Pro.

The Dimensity 8550 is objectively faster than the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, but the chips rarely appear in devices within the same price range in the market right now. Therefore, the Dimensity 8550's victory in benchmarks does not automatically mean a better price-performance ratio for a specific smartphone.

Which One to Choose

In terms of raw performance, the Dimensity 8550 is stronger. It is faster in single-threaded tasks, is even more ahead in multi-threaded tasks, and is about 2.3-2.4 times faster in Wild Life Extreme. For gaming, emulators, and heavy computations, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 is a class below.

When choosing a specific smartphone, price changes the picture. Models with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 are currently available from around €300, while the OPPO Reno16 Pro with the Dimensity 8550 starts at €859. In this range, the Reno16 Pro must compete with smartphones using flagship SoCs.

If two smartphones are priced the same and are comparable in display, cameras, and memory, the model with the Dimensity 8550 would be preferable. However, given the current pricing, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 is more often found in more affordable devices, meaning a direct comparison of the two SoCs does not reflect the price difference of the smartphones themselves.