After teasing their new developments around the Snapdragon 855 Plus release, MediaTek, a company whose processors are usually found in mid-range smartphones, are looking to change things. On Tuesday, the Taiwanese manufacturer announced two gaming-oriented SoC, the Helio G90 and G90T, which pitted against the heavyweights in the market, such as the 855 Plus and A12 Bionic.
The MediaTek G90 series, as mentioned earlier, is set to be gaming oriented and, to that end, is set to use the current market standard Cortex-A76 and Cortex-A55 CPU’s in-line with the Mali-G76 3EEMC4 GPU. The processor’s CPU is an octa-core setup clocked up to 2.05GHz with the GPU set at 800MHz.
The G90 series can support up to 10GB of LPDDR4x RAM and the UFS2.1 standard for storage. It also supports a comprehensive arrangement of lenses, including a single 64MP shooter. It also supports a single 48MP lens or dual-lens 24MP+16MP configuration.
Although the company was one of the first to announce 5G capability for their hardware, surprisingly, the latest MediaTek G90s are being pitched as gaming processors that lack a 5G modem. The company hopes to cover that with the Cat-12 4G LTE WorldMode modem tied in with several other software features that we talk about next.
“The mobile gaming market is growing, and device makers are looking to give consumers and especially gaming fans the best smartphone game-play experience. That’s why we designed the G90 series,” said TL Lee, General Manager of MediaTek’s Wireless Communication business unit.
“Our combination of hardware and software delivers high performance, unrivalled image quality, uninterrupted connectivity to always stay in the game, and smooth, responsive action even in the most demanding games.”
Also read: How good is a 10 series GPU in 2019?
MediaTek HyperEngine
MediaTek’s differentiating factor in the market is bound to be their HyperEngine that performs the following actions to provide the user with an unmatched experience.
The HyperEngine array of technologies is set to do the following:
- Intelligent Network Prediction: This feature allows for concurrent connections to your WiFi and cellular network, which will facilitate seamless switching with no hitches. MediaTek claims that the switch would take place in 13 milliseconds.
- Dual WiFi connections: As the name suggests, this feature enables consumers to connect their devices to two different routers or two different bands (2.4 or 5GHz) of the same network. This helps maintain a connection with minimum jitters, which translates to stable internet with lower latency.
- The display features: The engine also allows the company to implement HDR10 technology, allowing visuals of the highest quality with smooth tracking of the users’ movements on the touchscreen to avoid stutter. Low latency during the entire process also allows for higher frame rates.
“With the Helio G90 series, you get a super-fast and responsive display and reduced lag for smoother gameplay – because every millisecond counts in the game world. Whether it’s Fortnite, PUBG or other top titles, this chip is a gaming powerhouse,” Lee added.
Also read: Gaming oriented features for smartphones: Do they really make a difference?
How does the G90 series stack up against the Snapdragon 855 Plus?
As mentioned earlier, MediaTek is known to make chips for mid-range smartphones, and therefore, their adoption by manufacturers in their flagship offerings is questionable.
Qualcomm is a consolidated entity, and Apple will make its chipsets after acquiring Intel’s 5G smartphone modem business for a billion dollars.
On paper and in the case of raw performance, the 855 Plus outdoes the MediaTek as it has a base clock speed of 2.96GHz over the 2.05Ghz. The absence of a 5G modem also makes the Taiwanese chip less future-proof, questioning whether it would be applicable in the long term.
These two factors are enough to point out that the 855 Plus is the better chip here. You can read the table below for a detailed look at the configuration of the chips. If MediaTek places their flagship chip in mid-range phones, then they would surely be a viable competitor to the silicon giant Qualcomm.
| Category | Snapdragon 855 Plus | Meditatek G90 series |
|---|---|---|
| Design Process | 7nm | 12nm |
| CPU | Octa-core set up (8xKryo 485 cores clocked at 2.96GHz) | Octa-core setup using the Cortex A76 and A55 |
| GPU | Improved Adreno 640 | Mali-G76 3EEMC4 |
| RAM | upto 12GB LPDDR4x | upto 10GB LPDDR4x |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Connectivity | LTE Cat.16 + X50 5G modem | Cat-12 4G LTE modem |
| Camera | Single lens support for a 48MP sensor, Dual lens support for 22MP sensor (16MP+16MP live dual snapshot) | Single lens support for 64MP and 48MP, Dual lens support for 24MP+16MP |
Also read: A14 Bionic vs Snapdragon 888 vs Exynos 2100: How do the flagship chipsets compare?
