Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks vs MediaTek Dimensity 8550 Super Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks
There are 8 key differences between Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks and MediaTek Dimensity 8550 Super Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks.
Key differences
| Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | MediaTek Dimensity 8550 Super Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | |
|---|---|---|
| Fabrication | Not officially confirmed (independent estimates range from advanced 7nm to 5nm from SMIC) | 4nm |
| Announced | 20 April 2026 (with the launch of Huawei Pura 90 Pro andPro Max) | May 27, 2026 |
| CPU cores | 8 cores (some sources cite 12 logical threads via SMT, not officially confirmed) | 8 cores (all Cortex-A725) |
| Core configuration | 1× Taishan Big clocked above 3.0 GHz + 3× Taishan Mid at ~2.27 GHz + 4× Taishan Little at ~1.72 GHz | 1x 3.4GHz + 3x 3.2GHz + 4x 2.2GHz |
| Max clock | ~3.0 GHz | 3.4 GHz |
| Architecture | ARMv8-A, 64-bit (Huawei's own core design) | All Big Core (Cortex-A725) |
| GPU | Maleoon 920 (some less consistent sources cite the Maleoon 935; not officially confirmed) | Arm Mali-G720 MC8 |
| GPU clock | Not officially announced | Approximately 1500MHz |
Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks
A chip that reflects real progress in Huawei's technical independence, with a clear focus on AI imaging improvements and unique satellite connectivity. The lack of full official transparency means final performance should be judged cautiously until more reliable data is available.
- +A real, officially stated improvement in AI image processing
- +Two-way Beidou satellite connectivity — a world exclusive
- +CPU performance approaching Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 level
- −No full official transparency on the CPU and GPU details
- −Independent sources clearly disagree on the exact GPU name
- −Performance still well short of the newest global flagship chips in 2026
MediaTek Dimensity 8550 Super Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks
Dimensity 8550 is primarily an AI update rather than a performance upgrade, keeping the same CPU and GPU as the Dimensity 8500 while adding a new NPU 880 with Gemini Nano V3 support.
- +New NPU 880 unit with Gemini Nano V3 support.
- +All-Big-Core design delivers strong sustained performance.
- +Faster LPDDR5X memory and UFS 4.0 storage.
- −Not a genuine raw performance upgrade over the previous Dimensity 8500.
- −May confuse consumers due to near-identical core specifications.
Full specifications
| Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | MediaTek Dimensity 8550 Super Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | ||
| Manufacturer | — | MediaTek (manufactured by TSMC) |
| Fabrication | Not officially confirmed (independent estimates range from advanced 7nm to 5nm from SMIC) | 4nm |
| Announced | 20 April 2026 (with the launch of Huawei Pura 90 Pro andPro Max) | May 27, 2026 |
| Availability | Available | Available |
| CPU | ||
| CPU cores | 8 cores (some sources cite 12 logical threads via SMT, not officially confirmed) | 8 cores (all Cortex-A725) |
| Core configuration | 1× Taishan Big clocked above 3.0 GHz + 3× Taishan Mid at ~2.27 GHz + 4× Taishan Little at ~1.72 GHz | 1x 3.4GHz + 3x 3.2GHz + 4x 2.2GHz |
| Max clock | ~3.0 GHz | 3.4 GHz |
| Architecture | ARMv8-A, 64-bit (Huawei's own core design) | All Big Core (Cortex-A725) |
| Graphics & AI | ||
| GPU | Maleoon 920 (some less consistent sources cite the Maleoon 935; not officially confirmed) | Arm Mali-G720 MC8 |
| GPU clock | Not officially announced | Approximately 1500MHz |
| NPU | A new, improved NPU — 200% better image understanding than the Kirin 9020 (officially announced by Huawei) | NPU 880 with LLM Booster |
| AI performance | Not officially announced by Huawei | Google Gemini Nano V3 support |
| Memory & connectivity | ||
| Supported RAM | No exact official figure (supports up to 16 GB per some sources) | LPDDR5X |
| Max RAM | Not officially announced | Up to 9600Mbps |
| Supported storage | Not precisely announced | UFS 4.0 |
| Modem | Integrated 5G, theoretical download up to 3,500 Mbps (some less reliable sources cite higher figures under the "5.5G" label) | — |
| 5G | Yes | Yes (5G-Advanced) |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 6.0 (depending on the actual device's specifications) | 5.4 |
| Benchmarks | ||
| AnTuTu | ~1,614,887 | Approximately 2-2.4 million |
| Geekbench single-core | ~1,411 | Approximately 1,761-2,027 |
| Geekbench multi-core | ~4,121 | Approximately 7,148-7,208 |
| Extra features | ||
| Key features | 43% better AI colour processing, 110% clearer zoomed video, 30% steadier frame rates in games, 25% better overall performance versus the Pura 80 generation, plus Beidou satellite connectivity | — |
| Phones using it | Huawei Pura 90 Pro, Huawei Pura 90 Pro Max | Oppo Reno16 Pro |
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