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In the past year, both Huawei and Honor have been reusing their old Kirin 710 chipset for their affordable phones, allowing them to bypass the restrictions placed upon them by the US in regards to Google. . This led to a lot of samey phones; there was very little difference between the Huawei P30 Lite, Honor 20 Lite or the Huawei P Smart 2019.
Even though they launched the Kirin 810 back in 2019, it is only this year that we have seen phones launched with the chipset.
In the meantime, Huawei/HiSilicon has also launched the new affordable Kirin 820, placing them up against the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G , Samsung Exynos 980 and Mediatek Dimensity 800.
While a lot of phones have launched with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, not many are actually available in the UK. That has now changed with the launch of the Oppo Find X2 Lite (£399) and the Motorola Edge (£549).
With a price tag of £379.99 this would make the Huawei P40 Lite 5G the most affordable 5G device on the UK market (from UK suppliers), but without Google is it any good?
I am still in the early days of my review, so I won’t draw any definitive conclusions.
Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|
HUAWEI P40 Lite 5G - 128 GB 6.5" Smartphone with Punch... |
£269.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|
| OPPO Find X2 Lite 5G - Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 765G mobile... |
£161.21 | Buy on Amazon |
HiSilicon 820 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G Specification Comparison
CPU
- HiSilicon Kirin 820 5g
- 1×2.36 GHz Cortex-A76
- 3×2.22 GHz Cortex-A76
- 4×1.84 GHz Cortex-A55
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 720
- 1×2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime (A76)
- 1×2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold (A76)
- 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver (A76)
On paper, the Kirin 820 easily looks better, using four A76 cores. This is more like a flagship chipset from 2019.
GPU
- Kirin 820
- Mali-G57 (6-core)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 720
- Adreno 620
Drawing up conclusions based on the GPU spec is fruitless here as Qualcomm do their own thing.
Benchmarks Comparison
Antutu
The Huawei P40 Lite 5G using the Kirin 820 comfortably outperforms the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G with a score 8% higher overall. It also had a massive advantage with the GPU with the result being 16.6% higher.
Antutu Benchmark | Total | CPU | GPU | MEM | UX |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Huawei P40 Lite 5G - Kirin 820 | 350308 | 113628 | 108027 | 69102 | 59551 |
Realme X50 | 323286 | 103663 | 94154 | 68007 | 57462 |
Oppo Find X2 Lite - Snapdragon 765G | 323940 | 104845 | 92682 | 58053 | 68238 |
TCL 10 5G - Snapdragon 765G | 320890 | 105992 | 94626 | 61984 | 58288 |
Geekbench
Similar results with Geekbench, the single-core speed is similar, due to the two primary cores of each chipset being similarly clocked. The P40 Lite 5G has jus a 1.8% advantage here.
However, with the multi-core, it flexes its muscles with a 28% advantage.
Single Core | Multi Core | |
---|---|---|
Huawei P40 Lite 5G - Kirin 820 | 606 | 2304 |
TCL 10 5G - Snapdragon 765G | 621 | 1924 |
Realme X50 - Snapdragon 765G | 612 | 1899 |
Oppo Find X2 Lite - Snapdragon 765G | 595 | 1799 |
Oppo Reno4 Z - Dimensity 800 | 503 | 2121 |
3DMark
The trend continues into 3DMark, making this an excellent affordable gaming phone.
In the Slingshot Extreme OpenGL test, the Kirin 820 has a 20% advantage then a 28% advantage in the Vulkan test when compared to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G
Slingshot Extreme OpenGL | Vulkan | |
---|---|---|
Huawei P40 Lite - Kirin 820 | 4131 | 3873 |
TCL 10 5G - Snapdragon 765G | 3331 | 3113 |
Realme X50 - Snapdragon 765G | 3308 | 3098 |
Oppo Find X2 Lite - Snapdragon 765G | 3415 | 3025 |
Overall
The HiSilicon 820 5G chipset is undeniably excellent affordable 5G chipset, many of the benchmarks fell just short of the flagship Kirin 980 that launched last year, and it comfortably outperforms the popular Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G all while being in a phone cheaper than its rivals.
No doubt Qualcomm and any brand using their chipsets will take some relief in knowing that Huawei is unable to use Google on any device featuring the HiSilicon 820 5G, and this is a problem that is going to dog Huawei for the foreseeable future.
It is certainly possible to live without Google on current Huawei phones, they are making it easier and easier to find the apps you want, and the apps on Huawei Mobile Services grows daily.
It is, of course, possible to install Google on your Huawei phone if needed.
A the £379 price point, being cheaper than other 5G phones in the UK, I find the lack of Google more tolerable than some of the more expensive offerings from Huawei, where you may be less willing to make compromises.
Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|
| HUAWEI P40 Lite 5G - 128 GB 6.5" Smartphone with Punch... |
£269.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|
| OPPO Find X2 Lite 5G - Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 765G mobile... |
£161.21 | Buy on Amazon |
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
Last update on 2024-04-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API