Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks vs Samsung Exynos 1480 Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks
There are 8 key differences between Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks and Samsung Exynos 1480 Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks.
Key differences
| Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | Samsung Exynos 1480 Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | |
|---|---|---|
| Fabrication | Not officially confirmed (independent estimates range from advanced 7nm to 5nm from SMIC) | 4nm |
| CPU cores | 8 cores (some sources cite 12 logical threads via SMT, not officially confirmed) | 8 cores |
| Core configuration | 1× Taishan Big clocked above 3.0 GHz + 3× Taishan Mid at ~2.27 GHz + 4× Taishan Little at ~1.72 GHz | 4x Cortex-A78 2.75GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 2.05GHz |
| Max clock | ~3.0 GHz | 2.75 GHz |
| GPU | Maleoon 920 (some less consistent sources cite the Maleoon 935; not officially confirmed) | Samsung Xclipse 530 (AMD RDNA 2) |
| GPU clock | Not officially announced | Up to 1300MHz |
| NPU | A new, improved NPU — 200% better image understanding than the Kirin 9020 (officially announced by Huawei) | 6K MAC NPU |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
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
Samsung Exynos 1480 Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks
The Exynos 1480 outperforms the Helio G99 by up to 60-80%, thanks to the Xclipse 530 GPU built on AMD architecture.
- +AMD-based Xclipse 530 GPU delivers strong performance.
- +Advanced 4nm process for better power efficiency.
- +Clearly outperforms rivals like the Helio G99.
- −Higher price than rivals like the Helio G99, reflecting the stronger performance.
- −Xclipse GPU drivers are relatively less mature than Adreno or Mali in some newer games.
Full specifications
| Huawei Kirin 9030S Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | Samsung Exynos 1480 Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks | |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | ||
| Manufacturer | — | Samsung |
| 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) | — |
| Availability | Available | Available |
| CPU | ||
| CPU cores | 8 cores (some sources cite 12 logical threads via SMT, not officially confirmed) | 8 cores |
| Core configuration | 1× Taishan Big clocked above 3.0 GHz + 3× Taishan Mid at ~2.27 GHz + 4× Taishan Little at ~1.72 GHz | 4x Cortex-A78 2.75GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 2.05GHz |
| Max clock | ~3.0 GHz | 2.75 GHz |
| Architecture | ARMv8-A, 64-bit (Huawei's own core design) | — |
| Graphics & AI | ||
| GPU | Maleoon 920 (some less consistent sources cite the Maleoon 935; not officially confirmed) | Samsung Xclipse 530 (AMD RDNA 2) |
| GPU clock | Not officially announced | Up to 1300MHz |
| NPU | A new, improved NPU — 200% better image understanding than the Kirin 9020 (officially announced by Huawei) | 6K MAC NPU |
| AI performance | Not officially announced by Huawei | — |
| Memory & connectivity | ||
| Supported RAM | No exact official figure (supports up to 16 GB per some sources) | — |
| Max RAM | Not officially announced | — |
| Supported storage | Not precisely announced | — |
| 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 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 6.0 (depending on the actual device's specifications) | 5.3 |
| Benchmarks | ||
| AnTuTu | ~1,614,887 | — |
| Geekbench single-core | ~1,411 | — |
| Geekbench multi-core | ~4,121 | — |
| 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 | First mid-range chip using an AMD-based GPU |
| Phones using it | Huawei Pura 90 Pro, Huawei Pura 90 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy A37 |
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