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Even though MWC is cancelled, we will be treated to multiple phone launches next week. One notable launch is from Honor, and possible Huawei. Honor is expected to announce the Honor 9X Pro which will be the first time we have had a phone with the Kirin 810 in the UK.
With the ongoing issues Huawei has faced with the US they have been rehashing existing hardware and released several devices with the older Kirin 710f. The standard Honor 9X was a good example of this, with the UK model having the Kirin 710f but the Chinese model with the Kirin 810.
The HiSilicon Kirin 810 was launched all the way back in June 2019. Since then we have seen the launch of numerous mid-range chipsets including the MediaTek Helio G90 which I have covered extensively in the past, and more recently the new 5G mid-range chipsets from Qualcomm and Samsung.
So, can a chipset launched nearly 9 months ago compete with the latest launches from Qualcomm and Samsung and how much better is it than the Kirin 710f it replaces?
Specification Comparison
| Kirin 810 | Kirin 710 | Snapdragon 765G | Exynoss 980 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fabrication | 7nm | 12nm | 7nm | 8nm LPP |
| CPU | 2x Cortex-A76 @2.27 GHz 6x Cortex-A55 @1.88 GHz | 4x Cortex-A73 @2.2 GHz 4x Cortex-A53 @1.7 GHz | 1x Cortex-A76 (Kryo 475) @2.4GHz 1x Cortex-A76 (Kryo 475) @2.2GHz 6x Cortex-A55 (Kryo 475) @1.8GHz | 2x Cortex-A77 @ 2.2GHz 6x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz |
| GPU | Mali-G52 MP6 @850 MHz, | Mali-G51 MP4 | Adreno 620 | Mali G76MP5 |
| Memory | LPDDR4 1866 MHz | LPDDR4 1866 MHz | LPDDR4X 2133MHz | LPDDR4X |
| Storage | eMMC 5.1, UFS 2.1 | eMMC 5.1, UFS 2.1 | eMMC 5.1, UFS 3.0 | |
| Camera | Single 48MP Dual 40 MP+ 24 MP | Single 32MP Dual 40 MP+ 24 MP | Dual 22MP + 22MP Single 36MP, MFNR, ZSL or 192MP | Main: 108MP Dual: 20MP+20MP |
| AI | Da Vinci dedicated NPU | Yes | Hexagon 696 DSP Qualcomm Sensing Hub Hexagon Tensor Accelerator Hexagon Vector eXtensions (HVX) | Yes/Integrated |
| Connectivity | Integrated 4G LTE D/L Speed: 1.4 Mbps U/L Speed: 200 Mbps | Integrated 4G modem D/L Cat-12, 600 Mbps U/L Cat-13, 150 Mbps | Snapdragon X52 Integrated 5G Modem D/L Speed: 3.7Gbps (5G), 1.2Gbps (LTE) U/L Speed: 1.6Gbps (5G), 210Mbps (LTE) | Shannon Integrated 5G (5G NR Sub-6) DL = 2550 Mbps UL = 1280 Mbps |
| Bluetooth | 5 | 4.2 | 5 | 5 |
| Wifi | Up to Wi-Fi 5 | Up to Wi-Fi 5 | Up to Wi-Fi 6 | Integrated 802.11ax (WiFi 6) |
| Antutu Scores | 235-240K | 135-140k | 300k+ | 325k+ |
| Geekbench Scores | Single Core: 2746 Multi-Core: 7700 | Single-core: 1601 Multi-core: 5457 | Single-core: 3072 Multi-core: 7661 | Single-core: 3078 Multi-core: 7346 |
Kirin 810 vs 710 Antutu and Geekbench Comparison
As you can see from the above table, the Kirin 810 is a massive upgrade from the Kirin 710 upgrading both the performance cores and the efficiency cores on the CPU allowing it to score 12% higher for the single cores on GeekBench and 41% higher for multi-core
AnTuTu benchmarks have seen a massive boost of 71%
Kirin 810 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 vs Samsung Exynos 980 Antutu and Geekbench Comparison
Vico X30 Samsung Exynos 980 Antutu 
Reno3 Pro with Snapdragon 765G
Things look less favourable when we compare to the new chipsets from Qualcomm and Samsung.
The Samsung 980 bumps up the CPU to the latest Coretex A77 cores so even though they are clocked lower than Qualcomm and HiSilicon it achieves higher GeekBench scores than them. Similarly, thanks to the Mali G76MP5 it comfortably scores the highest Antutu scores.
Both the Qualcomm and Samsung have 5G modems, however, how useful that will be to you this year depends on where you live and if your provider supports 5G.
Overall
Pricing is going to be important here, the Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 810 may not be as good as other mid-range chipsets but if it is cheaper then it is still an excellent option.
While several phones have been announced with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G and Samsung Exynos 980 none are currently available through official channels in the UK, so it is hard to judge the exact price. The Xiaomi Redmi K30 5G is available on grey import sites for around £350, so I would expect official UK stock to be more expensive.
We also don’t know how much Kirin 810 based phones will be, but this should be revealed when the Honor 9X Pro gets announced next week. The existing Honor 9X currently sells for £215. If Honor can keep the price of the Honor 9X Pro under £350 it could well be an excellent affordable mid-range option undercutting the 5G equipped models from competing brands.
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.
