Nvidia Tegra x1 vs Snapdragon 845 Mobile SOC specifications comparison

Last year, Qualcomm recently announced its new processor – the Snapdragon 845. How does it work in comparison to yet another powerful competitor in the form of Nvidia Tegra X1? That is precisely what we will be covering in today’s post. Let us check out the two competing processors (Tegra x1 vs Snapdragon 845) for a complete understanding.

The Nvidia Tegra X1 – An Overview

Of course, Qualcomm has been one of the conspicuous options when it comes to the processors for Android devices – including smartphones and Android TVs. But, Nvidia has been trying to give fierce competition to the established player.

Nvidia loves calling its Tegra X1 as the Mobile Super Chip. It is the first and only mobile processor to move beyond the 1 Teraflops throughput threshold. The 64-Bit high-performance ARM-based SoC is designed mainly for Android tablets and embedded systems. The processor comes with four ARM Cortex A57 and four ARM Cortex A53 cores.

It offers you an integrated GPU in the form of  Maxwell-based GPU with 256 CUDA cores. The processor supports LPDDR3 and LPDDR4 with a maximum bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s. The processor is manufactured with a dated 20 nm lithography process by TSMC.

It incorporates a larger GPU, and thus you would not find the processor powering the usual smartphones. The processor is specifically for the tablets and the other embedded systems.

Some of the features found on the Nvidia Tegra X1 are

• It can decode and encode 4K UHD content at 60 fps.
• The 64-bit architecture offers you the capacity of the more data processing compared to the 32-bit architecture.
• It can even work with the in-car systems.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 – A Sneak Peek

The Snapdragon 845 is specifically designed for use on top of the line smartphones. The processor is manufactured on the 10 nm LPP FinPet manufacturing process. Just like Nvidia Tegra X1, the processor also features eight cores.

However, unlike the configuration on Nvidia offering, the Snapdragon 845 packs in four  Kryo 385 cores (Custom Cortex-A75) at up to 2.8 GHz (max) for performance and four Kryo 385 at 1.8 GHz (max) for efficiency and day to day tasks. The X20 LTE modem onboard offers you Cat. 18 1.2 Gbps downlink, Cat 13 150 Mbps uplink speeds.

Featured on the devices like  Samsung Galaxy S9 and Sony Xperia XZ Pro, the processor offers a wide range of improvements over its predecessors. Some of the honorable mentions could be Quick Charge 4+, support for HDR video recording and an increase in battery usage.

The Snapdragon 845 is not a single chip, but it is a complete option that combines multiple components. The entire component group consists of Adreno 630 GPU, Hexagon 685 DSP, an X20 LTE modem, a Kryo 385 CPU plus a Secure Processing Unit.

Some of the features offered on Snapdragon 845 are

• It provides a unique feature like Broadcast Audio. You should be able to use the smartphones with Snapdragon 845 to stream audio to more than one device.
• It offers you quad camera support with an AI-based bokeh functionality & scene detection.
• The Snapdragon 845 provides you access to Ultra HD Premium 4K recording @ 60 FPS with 10-bit color and HDR 10.
• You can experience enhanced support for security for biometrics.
• The X20 LTE modem improves the connectivity. You can experience a 20 percent hike in the peak or real-world performance.

The Comparison Chart for the two competing Processors: Tegra x1 vs Snapdragon 845

Now that you are equipped with enough knowledge about either of the processors how about comparing them in a side by side comparison chart? The head to head comparison should help you find the complete specification and functionality of both the competing processors.

Which One should you Go with?

Well, that comparison may not be easy. The two competing processors have been designed for different ecosystems. The Nvidia Tegra X1 is a little larger, and thus it may not be feasible to use with smartphones. The processor is specifically designed for use on tablets and embedded systems like those used in cars. The Snapdragon 845, on the other hand, is meant for smartphones.

Also, the Nvidia Tegra X1 has been considered to be less power efficient. However, this is compensated with the graphics drivers, API, dev tools and other tools that Nvidia offers you as part of the package.

The Concluding Thoughts

That was perhaps a fair comparison between the two competing options for the processors. Nvidia has been making an entry into the mobile processors, and it may not be that easy to challenge the established players as such. In any case, we think the leader in the graphics cards has made the right choice of diversifying its business.

Of course, when it comes to the smartphones and the compatibility thereof, nothing can beat the features and functionality offered by Qualcomm and its Snapdragon range of processors.

Have you used any of the processors featured in this compilation? If you have, do share your thoughts, experiences, and opinions with us so that it would help us and our readers understand the features for better.