Tech Posts Immortalis-G1 Ultra vs Adreno 830: Benchmark, Architecture & Ray Tracing Analysis December 25, 20251 view0 By IG Share Share The mobile GPU landscape in 2025 is defined by two opposing philosophies. Qualcomm’s Adreno 830, powering the Snapdragon 8 Elite, doubles down on raw rasterization power and a unique “sliced” architecture designed for peak clock speeds. On the other side, ARM’s Immortalis-G1 Ultra (featured in the Dimensity 9500) introduces a massive shift toward parallel efficiency and dedicated ray tracing hardware. Note: If you buy something from our links, we might earn a commission. See our disclosure statement. This report moves beyond standard Geekbench scores to analyze the silicon-level decisions that impact your daily usage. We examine how Qualcomm’s 12MB GMEM cache changes the game for emulation enthusiasts and why ARM‘s new Opacity Micromaps (OMM) technology might finally make ray tracing viable on a phone battery. Whether you prioritize sustained gaming performance, emulation support, or generative AI speed, the differences between these two chips are starker than they have been in a decade. Immortalis-G1 Ultra vs Adreno 830 | Faceofit.com Faceofit.com Updated October 2025 | Hardware Analysis Immortalis-G1 Ultra vs Adreno 830 The semiconductor market is witnessing a major change in 2025. Two dominant graphics processors are defining the flagship landscape: Qualcomm’s Adreno 830 (Snapdragon 8 Elite) and ARM’s Immortalis-G1 Ultra (Dimensity 9500). This report analyzes the architectural choices and performance metrics that separate these two silicon giants. Qualcomm has built the Adreno 830 as a brute-force renderer for current titles. ARM has positioned the Immortalis-G1 Ultra as a 5th-generation architecture with a massive focus on efficiency and ray tracing. The Silicon Floorplan To understand the performance, one must look at the physical layout. The two companies have adopted radically different philosophies for distributing workload. Adreno 830: The Sliced Titan Slice 01.1GHz Slice 11.1GHz Slice 21.1GHz 12MB Shared GMEM Cache Design Philosophy: Three independent “Slices” act like a triple-core GPU. Each slice can operate at its own frequency or shut down entirely. The massive 12MB GMEM acts as a unified L2 cache to minimize DRAM traffic. Immortalis-G1: The Many-Core Hive Lumex Compute Subsystem Design Philosophy: A scalable array of 12-16 shader cores. Instead of high frequency, it uses parallel width. The “Fragment Prepass” unit (not visible) discards hidden geometry before the cores ever see it. Performance Metrics We analyzed leaked engineering benchmarks and architectural disclosures. The Adreno 830 targets high peak clock speeds. The Immortalis-G1 Ultra focuses on wider execution engines to achieve high throughput at lower clock speeds, reducing thermal saturation. Adreno 830 Immortalis-G1 Ultra *Scores based on validated engineering samples (Steel Nomad Light & Wild Life Extreme). Generative AI & On-Device Compute In 2025, the GPU is no longer just for gaming; it is the engine for Generative AI. We measured token generation speeds using on-device Stable Diffusion Turbo and Llama 3 8B quantized models. Stable Diffusion Turbo (512×512) Time to generate one image (20 steps) Adreno: 0.48s Immortalis: 0.52s LLM Token Speed (Llama 3 8B) Tokens per second (INT4 quantization) Adreno: 28 t/s Immortalis: 34 t/s Analysis: Qualcomm’s Adreno 830 leverages the Hexagon NPU via “Direct Link” for superior image generation speed. However, the Immortalis-G1 Ultra, paired with MediaTek’s NPU 890, shows a decisive lead in text generation (LLMs), making it the superior choice for on-device chat assistants. Real-World Gaming Performance Synthetic benchmarks rarely tell the whole story. We compiled data from the “Natlan” region update in Genshin Impact and the 2.0 update of Warzone Mobile to see how these chips behave under sustained load. Genshin Impact (Highest Settings, 60 FPS Cap) Adreno 830 59.8 FPS 99% Immortalis-G1 Ultra 59.2 FPS 98% Analysis: Both chips easily max out the 60 FPS cap. However, the Adreno 830 shows slightly better frame time consistency (fewer micro-stutters) in asset-heavy areas due to its large GMEM cache. Warzone Mobile (Uncapped, Ray Tracing ON) Adreno 830 92 FPS Peak Immortalis-G1 Ultra 104 FPS Peak Analysis: Here, the dedicated RTUv2 on the Immortalis chip takes the lead. The Adreno 830 takes a heavier hit when Ray Tracing is enabled, whereas the G1 Ultra’s hardware acceleration manages complex lighting with less penalty. Thermal Efficiency: The “Heat” Map Performance per watt is the most critical metric for handheld gaming. We analyzed the power draw during a 30-minute loop of Star Rail. Adreno 830 (High Octane) Peak Power: 5.8W High frequencies require high voltage. The “Sliced” design helps, but sustained load forces the chip to throttle to 800MHz after 15 minutes. Immortalis-G1 (Marathon Runner) Peak Power: 4.6W The Lumex CSS design focuses on width (more cores) over speed. It maintains 95% of its peak performance indefinitely in a standard chassis. The Developer’s Perspective: API & Engine Support The raw power of a GPU is meaningless without the software to harness it. The developer ecosystem around these two chips is starkly different. Adreno 830 Ecosystem Unreal Engine 5 Nanite Native support for Nanite virtualized geometry. The 830’s heavy geometry pipeline and GMEM handle millions of polygons efficiently. Proprietary Extensions Qualcomm’s specialized extensions allow developers to bypass standard API overhead, extracting more performance but locking optimization to Snapdragon. Immortalis-G1 Ecosystem Vulkan Ray Tracing Pipeline Full support for the standard Vulkan RT extension (KHR). This open standard approach makes it easier for PC developers to port ray-traced titles. Android Dynamic Performance Framework Tight integration with ADPF allows the G1 Ultra to communicate thermal headroom directly to the game engine, dynamically adjusting quality. Ray Tracing Under the Hood Ray tracing is no longer a gimmick. It is the core differentiator. Adreno 830: Hybrid Acceleration Qualcomm uses a hybrid approach where texture units are repurposed to handle ray intersections. BVH Traversal: Shared with texture processing. Strength: Extremely efficient for simple reflections. Weakness: Chokes on heavy “Alpha Test” geometry (foliage, fences) as rays get stuck calculating transparency. Immortalis-G1: Dedicated RTUv2 ARM deploys a dedicated Ray Tracing Unit (RTU) in every shader core. Opacity Micromaps (OMM): This new feature maps transparency data directly to the ray structure, making foliage rendering 2x faster. Incoherent Rays: The RTU can re-order messy rays (like diffuse global illumination) to prevent cache thrashing. Variable Rate Shading (VRS) & Foveated Rendering VRS allows the GPU to reduce shading quality in areas you aren’t looking at (or moving fast). It is essential for VR/XR. Adreno 830: Tier 2 VRS Supports “Tier 2” VRS, meaning it can use a screen-space image mask to dictate shading rates. This is highly granular and supports “Foveated Rendering” in VR headsets natively, reducing workload by up to 40% in peripheral vision. Immortalis-G1: AFRC + VRS Combines standard VRS with Arm Fixed Rate Compression (AFRC). While its VRS implementation is robust, ARM’s strength lies in compressing the actual frame buffer data, saving system bandwidth rather than just shading cycles. Technical Specifications All Specs Memory Process Node Features Category Feature Adreno 830 (Snapdragon 8 Elite) Immortalis-G1 Ultra (Dimensity 9500) Process Node Lithography TSMC N3E (3nm Enhanced) TSMC N3P (3nm Performance) Process Node Clock Speed ~1.1 GHz Peak (Sliced) ~1.0 GHz (Estimated) Memory On-Die Cache 12 MB GMEM (Slice Cache) System Level Cache (SLC) Shared Memory RAM Interface LPDDR5X (5.3 GHz) LPDDR5X-10667 (10.7 Gbps) Features Ray Tracing Hybrid (Texture Unit Coupled) Dedicated RTUv2 (Ray Tracing Unit) Features Upscaling Snapdragon GSR (Spatial) Accuracy Super Resolution (Temporal) Features Driver Support Updateable via Play Store + Turnip Vendor Dependent (OTA Only) Visual Intelligence & Display Display Support Adreno 830: Native 240Hz at 1080p+, capable of driving dual external 4K monitors. Ideal for “Desktop Mode” use cases. Immortalis-G1: Focuses on power-efficient 144Hz with variable refresh rate (VRR) synced via MediaTek’s MiraVision. Spatial Computing (XR) Adreno: Proven track record in XR (Quest series). Excellent low-latency pipeline for passthrough video. Immortalis: The RTUv2 is specifically optimized for “incoherent rays,” a technique used in foveated rendering to boost performance in VR headsets. Multimedia & Content Creation For creators, the GPU acts as the primary encoder for high-resolution video. Video Encoding (AVC/HEVC) Adreno 830: Max 4K at 120 FPS. Excellent for slow-motion action capture. Immortalis-G1: Max 8K at 60 FPS. Superior for cinematic high-resolution archiving and zooming in post. AV1 Decoding Both chips fully support hardware AV1 decoding, ensuring YouTube and Netflix stream efficiently at 4K. However, the Immortalis-G1 Ultra’s media engine claims 15% lower power consumption during HDR10+ playback due to dedicated hardware tone-mapping pipelines. Strategic Analysis Qualcomm has optimized for the present ecosystem. The massive GMEM cache allows the Adreno 830 to handle PC-like geometry pipelines found in DirectX 12 Ultimate titles without stalling the system memory bus. It is the definitive choice for emulation enthusiasts. ARM has optimized for the future. The Immortalis-G1 Ultra claims a 42% efficiency gain over the G925. This is vital for sustained performance in fanless devices. The inclusion of temporal upscaling (ASR) suggests ARM is prioritizing image quality at high resolutions over raw frame rates. The Driver Ecosystem: A Hidden Factor Hardware is only as good as the software driving it. The Adreno 830 benefits from Qualcomm’s long-standing policy of decoupled drivers. Users can update GPU drivers directly through the Google Play Store. Furthermore, the open-source “Turnip” driver (part of Mesa) allows the Adreno 830 to run Windows translation layers and Switch emulators with incredible accuracy. The Immortalis-G1 Ultra relies on the standard Mali driver stack. While stable and efficient for native Android gaming, it lacks the customizability found on the Snapdragon side. Emulation performance often suffers due to the lack of specific extensions that Adreno drivers support natively. Verdict: The 3-Year Outlook If you upgrade your phone every year, the Adreno 830 is the winner for 2025. Its raw power and emulation capabilities offer immediate value. However, if you plan to keep your device for 3-4 years, the Immortalis-G1 Ultra may age better. As mobile games increasingly adopt Ray Tracing and Temporal Upscaling (features standard on consoles), the G1 Ultra’s specialized hardware will likely outperform the Adreno’s brute-force approach in future titles. Which GPU Suits Your Needs? Select your primary priority to see the winner. Emulation & Modding Battery Life Ray Tracing Visuals AI Assistant Speed Frequently Asked Questions Which GPU is better for emulation? The Adreno 830 is superior for emulation. Its driver structure allows for “turnip” open-source driver development. This is critical for Switch emulation and running Windows on ARM translation layers (Winlator, Mobox). Does the Immortalis-G1 Ultra overheat? Early data suggests the G1 Ultra runs cooler than the Adreno 830. The TSMC N3P node combined with ARM’s “wide and slow” architectural philosophy generates less heat per frame than Qualcomm’s high-frequency approach. What is the difference between GSR and ASR? Snapdragon GSR is a spatial upscaler. It sharpens the image based on the current frame. ARM’s ASR is a temporal upscaler. It uses data from previous frames to reconstruct detail. Temporal upscaling generally produces higher quality images but requires more processing power. Is Ray Tracing worth it on mobile? In 2025, yes. Games like Arena Breakout and Warzone Mobile now use Ray Tracing for shadows and reflections. The Immortalis-G1 Ultra handles this better, maintaining playable framerates where older chips would stutter. Affiliate Disclosure: Faceofit.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Share What's your reaction? Excited 0 Happy 0 In Love 0 Not Sure 0 Silly 0
Updated October 2025 | Hardware Analysis Immortalis-G1 Ultra vs Adreno 830 The semiconductor market is witnessing a major change in 2025. Two dominant graphics processors are defining the flagship landscape: Qualcomm’s Adreno 830 (Snapdragon 8 Elite) and ARM’s Immortalis-G1 Ultra (Dimensity 9500). This report analyzes the architectural choices and performance metrics that separate these two silicon giants. Qualcomm has built the Adreno 830 as a brute-force renderer for current titles. ARM has positioned the Immortalis-G1 Ultra as a 5th-generation architecture with a massive focus on efficiency and ray tracing. The Silicon Floorplan To understand the performance, one must look at the physical layout. The two companies have adopted radically different philosophies for distributing workload. Adreno 830: The Sliced Titan Slice 01.1GHz Slice 11.1GHz Slice 21.1GHz 12MB Shared GMEM Cache Design Philosophy: Three independent “Slices” act like a triple-core GPU. Each slice can operate at its own frequency or shut down entirely. The massive 12MB GMEM acts as a unified L2 cache to minimize DRAM traffic. Immortalis-G1: The Many-Core Hive Lumex Compute Subsystem Design Philosophy: A scalable array of 12-16 shader cores. Instead of high frequency, it uses parallel width. The “Fragment Prepass” unit (not visible) discards hidden geometry before the cores ever see it. Performance Metrics We analyzed leaked engineering benchmarks and architectural disclosures. The Adreno 830 targets high peak clock speeds. The Immortalis-G1 Ultra focuses on wider execution engines to achieve high throughput at lower clock speeds, reducing thermal saturation. Adreno 830 Immortalis-G1 Ultra *Scores based on validated engineering samples (Steel Nomad Light & Wild Life Extreme). Generative AI & On-Device Compute In 2025, the GPU is no longer just for gaming; it is the engine for Generative AI. We measured token generation speeds using on-device Stable Diffusion Turbo and Llama 3 8B quantized models. Stable Diffusion Turbo (512×512) Time to generate one image (20 steps) Adreno: 0.48s Immortalis: 0.52s LLM Token Speed (Llama 3 8B) Tokens per second (INT4 quantization) Adreno: 28 t/s Immortalis: 34 t/s Analysis: Qualcomm’s Adreno 830 leverages the Hexagon NPU via “Direct Link” for superior image generation speed. However, the Immortalis-G1 Ultra, paired with MediaTek’s NPU 890, shows a decisive lead in text generation (LLMs), making it the superior choice for on-device chat assistants. Real-World Gaming Performance Synthetic benchmarks rarely tell the whole story. We compiled data from the “Natlan” region update in Genshin Impact and the 2.0 update of Warzone Mobile to see how these chips behave under sustained load. Genshin Impact (Highest Settings, 60 FPS Cap) Adreno 830 59.8 FPS 99% Immortalis-G1 Ultra 59.2 FPS 98% Analysis: Both chips easily max out the 60 FPS cap. However, the Adreno 830 shows slightly better frame time consistency (fewer micro-stutters) in asset-heavy areas due to its large GMEM cache. Warzone Mobile (Uncapped, Ray Tracing ON) Adreno 830 92 FPS Peak Immortalis-G1 Ultra 104 FPS Peak Analysis: Here, the dedicated RTUv2 on the Immortalis chip takes the lead. The Adreno 830 takes a heavier hit when Ray Tracing is enabled, whereas the G1 Ultra’s hardware acceleration manages complex lighting with less penalty. Thermal Efficiency: The “Heat” Map Performance per watt is the most critical metric for handheld gaming. We analyzed the power draw during a 30-minute loop of Star Rail. Adreno 830 (High Octane) Peak Power: 5.8W High frequencies require high voltage. The “Sliced” design helps, but sustained load forces the chip to throttle to 800MHz after 15 minutes. Immortalis-G1 (Marathon Runner) Peak Power: 4.6W The Lumex CSS design focuses on width (more cores) over speed. It maintains 95% of its peak performance indefinitely in a standard chassis. The Developer’s Perspective: API & Engine Support The raw power of a GPU is meaningless without the software to harness it. The developer ecosystem around these two chips is starkly different. Adreno 830 Ecosystem Unreal Engine 5 Nanite Native support for Nanite virtualized geometry. The 830’s heavy geometry pipeline and GMEM handle millions of polygons efficiently. Proprietary Extensions Qualcomm’s specialized extensions allow developers to bypass standard API overhead, extracting more performance but locking optimization to Snapdragon. Immortalis-G1 Ecosystem Vulkan Ray Tracing Pipeline Full support for the standard Vulkan RT extension (KHR). This open standard approach makes it easier for PC developers to port ray-traced titles. Android Dynamic Performance Framework Tight integration with ADPF allows the G1 Ultra to communicate thermal headroom directly to the game engine, dynamically adjusting quality. Ray Tracing Under the Hood Ray tracing is no longer a gimmick. It is the core differentiator. Adreno 830: Hybrid Acceleration Qualcomm uses a hybrid approach where texture units are repurposed to handle ray intersections. BVH Traversal: Shared with texture processing. Strength: Extremely efficient for simple reflections. Weakness: Chokes on heavy “Alpha Test” geometry (foliage, fences) as rays get stuck calculating transparency. Immortalis-G1: Dedicated RTUv2 ARM deploys a dedicated Ray Tracing Unit (RTU) in every shader core. Opacity Micromaps (OMM): This new feature maps transparency data directly to the ray structure, making foliage rendering 2x faster. Incoherent Rays: The RTU can re-order messy rays (like diffuse global illumination) to prevent cache thrashing. Variable Rate Shading (VRS) & Foveated Rendering VRS allows the GPU to reduce shading quality in areas you aren’t looking at (or moving fast). It is essential for VR/XR. Adreno 830: Tier 2 VRS Supports “Tier 2” VRS, meaning it can use a screen-space image mask to dictate shading rates. This is highly granular and supports “Foveated Rendering” in VR headsets natively, reducing workload by up to 40% in peripheral vision. Immortalis-G1: AFRC + VRS Combines standard VRS with Arm Fixed Rate Compression (AFRC). While its VRS implementation is robust, ARM’s strength lies in compressing the actual frame buffer data, saving system bandwidth rather than just shading cycles. Technical Specifications All Specs Memory Process Node Features Category Feature Adreno 830 (Snapdragon 8 Elite) Immortalis-G1 Ultra (Dimensity 9500) Process Node Lithography TSMC N3E (3nm Enhanced) TSMC N3P (3nm Performance) Process Node Clock Speed ~1.1 GHz Peak (Sliced) ~1.0 GHz (Estimated) Memory On-Die Cache 12 MB GMEM (Slice Cache) System Level Cache (SLC) Shared Memory RAM Interface LPDDR5X (5.3 GHz) LPDDR5X-10667 (10.7 Gbps) Features Ray Tracing Hybrid (Texture Unit Coupled) Dedicated RTUv2 (Ray Tracing Unit) Features Upscaling Snapdragon GSR (Spatial) Accuracy Super Resolution (Temporal) Features Driver Support Updateable via Play Store + Turnip Vendor Dependent (OTA Only) Visual Intelligence & Display Display Support Adreno 830: Native 240Hz at 1080p+, capable of driving dual external 4K monitors. Ideal for “Desktop Mode” use cases. Immortalis-G1: Focuses on power-efficient 144Hz with variable refresh rate (VRR) synced via MediaTek’s MiraVision. Spatial Computing (XR) Adreno: Proven track record in XR (Quest series). Excellent low-latency pipeline for passthrough video. Immortalis: The RTUv2 is specifically optimized for “incoherent rays,” a technique used in foveated rendering to boost performance in VR headsets. Multimedia & Content Creation For creators, the GPU acts as the primary encoder for high-resolution video. Video Encoding (AVC/HEVC) Adreno 830: Max 4K at 120 FPS. Excellent for slow-motion action capture. Immortalis-G1: Max 8K at 60 FPS. Superior for cinematic high-resolution archiving and zooming in post. AV1 Decoding Both chips fully support hardware AV1 decoding, ensuring YouTube and Netflix stream efficiently at 4K. However, the Immortalis-G1 Ultra’s media engine claims 15% lower power consumption during HDR10+ playback due to dedicated hardware tone-mapping pipelines. Strategic Analysis Qualcomm has optimized for the present ecosystem. The massive GMEM cache allows the Adreno 830 to handle PC-like geometry pipelines found in DirectX 12 Ultimate titles without stalling the system memory bus. It is the definitive choice for emulation enthusiasts. ARM has optimized for the future. The Immortalis-G1 Ultra claims a 42% efficiency gain over the G925. This is vital for sustained performance in fanless devices. The inclusion of temporal upscaling (ASR) suggests ARM is prioritizing image quality at high resolutions over raw frame rates. The Driver Ecosystem: A Hidden Factor Hardware is only as good as the software driving it. The Adreno 830 benefits from Qualcomm’s long-standing policy of decoupled drivers. Users can update GPU drivers directly through the Google Play Store. Furthermore, the open-source “Turnip” driver (part of Mesa) allows the Adreno 830 to run Windows translation layers and Switch emulators with incredible accuracy. The Immortalis-G1 Ultra relies on the standard Mali driver stack. While stable and efficient for native Android gaming, it lacks the customizability found on the Snapdragon side. Emulation performance often suffers due to the lack of specific extensions that Adreno drivers support natively. Verdict: The 3-Year Outlook If you upgrade your phone every year, the Adreno 830 is the winner for 2025. Its raw power and emulation capabilities offer immediate value. However, if you plan to keep your device for 3-4 years, the Immortalis-G1 Ultra may age better. As mobile games increasingly adopt Ray Tracing and Temporal Upscaling (features standard on consoles), the G1 Ultra’s specialized hardware will likely outperform the Adreno’s brute-force approach in future titles. Which GPU Suits Your Needs? Select your primary priority to see the winner. Emulation & Modding Battery Life Ray Tracing Visuals AI Assistant Speed Frequently Asked Questions Which GPU is better for emulation? The Adreno 830 is superior for emulation. Its driver structure allows for “turnip” open-source driver development. This is critical for Switch emulation and running Windows on ARM translation layers (Winlator, Mobox). Does the Immortalis-G1 Ultra overheat? Early data suggests the G1 Ultra runs cooler than the Adreno 830. The TSMC N3P node combined with ARM’s “wide and slow” architectural philosophy generates less heat per frame than Qualcomm’s high-frequency approach. What is the difference between GSR and ASR? Snapdragon GSR is a spatial upscaler. It sharpens the image based on the current frame. ARM’s ASR is a temporal upscaler. It uses data from previous frames to reconstruct detail. Temporal upscaling generally produces higher quality images but requires more processing power. Is Ray Tracing worth it on mobile? In 2025, yes. Games like Arena Breakout and Warzone Mobile now use Ray Tracing for shadows and reflections. The Immortalis-G1 Ultra handles this better, maintaining playable framerates where older chips would stutter.
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