MediaTek Helio G99 vs Snapdragon 7 Gen 4: Snapdragon is more than twice as fast

The Helio G99 and Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 are found in relatively inexpensive smartphones, but there is a huge performance difference between them. The Helio G99 was released back in 2022 and was designed for budget 4G models. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 arrived three years later and features 5G, a new CPU architecture, and significantly more powerful graphics. In Geekbench 6, Snapdragon is about 70-90% faster, while in AnTuTu 11, smartphones with it score more than twice the points. In graphical benchmarks like 3DMark, the advantage reaches up to about five times.

Key Differences

Comparing these processors solely by their clock speeds is pointless. The Helio G99 uses two Cortex-A76 and six Cortex-A55. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 employs much newer cores, and its Adreno 722 is significantly faster than the Mali-G57 MC2.

Snapdragon also supports LPDDR5X, UFS 4.0, 5G, and Wi-Fi 7. Manufacturers may not utilize all these features in every smartphone, but the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 imposes much fewer limitations when it comes to choosing memory, connectivity, and cameras.

Real-World Smartphone Performance

Results from specific smartphones show just how much this difference holds in actual devices. Below are the AnTuTu 11, Geekbench 6, and 3DMark Steel Nomad Light results.

In AnTuTu 11, smartphones with Helio G99 score about 520,000-560,000 points, while models with Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 exceed 1.25 million. This is about 2.3 times higher.

In Geekbench 6, Snapdragon scores around 1,200-1,250 points in single-core performance compared to 700-730 for Helio G99. The advantage is approximately 70%. In the multi-core test, Snapdragon scores about 3,550 points versus 1,860-1,990 for Helio G99, which is 80-90% more.

Snapdragon is Almost Five Times Faster in Graphics

The advantage of Snapdragon is particularly significant in 3DMark Steel Nomad Light. The Samsung Galaxy A15 4G scores 130 points, and the Infinix Zero 30 4G scores 147. The Realme 15 Pro and Vivo V60 show results of 666-667 points.

The Adreno 722 scores about 4.5-5 times more points here than the Mali-G57 MC2.

This gap is most important in gaming. Helio G99 can handle less demanding games, but in heavier titles, you have to lower the graphics settings. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 has much more GPU performance headroom, allowing for higher settings and frame rates in games.

What Else the Helio G99 Can Handle

The Helio G99 is still capable of handling browsing, video, messaging, navigation, and less demanding games. For such tasks, it is still sufficient.

However, compared to modern mid-range chips, the age of the G99 is already noticeable. The G99 lacks 5G support, and the Mali-G57 MC2 is much weaker than the graphics of newer processors in this segment.

Buying a smartphone with Helio G99 is justified only if it is indeed cheap and 5G is not needed. In more expensive smartphones, the Helio G99 is already too weak compared to newer chips.

What to Choose

When it comes to performance, the choice is clear: the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 is significantly faster. The difference is about 70-90% in Geekbench 6, roughly 2.3 times in AnTuTu 11, and up to five times in graphical 3DMark.

Moreover, Snapdragon supports 5G, LPDDR5X, UFS 4.0, and 4K 60 FPS video recording.

The Helio G99 should only be considered in affordable 4G smartphones. For gaming and more demanding applications, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 is far superior, especially if the smartphone is purchased for several years.