Snapdragon 615 (MSM8939) vs Snapdragon 617 (MSM8952) – performance, benchmarks and temperatures

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The Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 mobile chip is becoming more and more common in smartphones traditionally positioned somewhere between the mid-range and the high-end. Qualcomm has now released Snapdragon 617, and it can be found in HTC One A9, for example. It is that very HTC model that we used for the purposes of comparing the two aforementioned mobile chips. The 615 results come from Lenovo Vibe P1. We’ll compare the computational and graphics performance, and we’ll also be taking a look at how the chips affect the overall thermal profiles of the mobiles they’re housed in.

For current prices of both smartphones, complete specs sheets, as well as information on how to purchase, check out these links:

Lenovo Vibe P1: http://amzn.to/1OmEzmU
HTC One A9: http://amzn.to/1YU3jV9

Check all the offerings with Snapdragon 615: http://amzn.to/1OmEPCf
Check all the offerings with Snapdragon 617: http://amzn.to/1OmEYWo

Technical specifications

QualcommSnapdragon 615
Fabrication28 nm
Cores8
Frequency1.11 GHz – 1.50 GHz
ArchitectureARM Cortex-A53 / 64-bit support
GraphicsAdreno 405 / 550 MHz

QualcommSnapdragon 617
Fabrication28 nm
Cores8
Frequency1.21 GHz – 1.52 GHz
ArchitectureARM Cortex-A53 / 64-bit support
GraphicsAdreno 405 / 550 MHz

Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 exists in several options, and we’ll specifically be taking a look at the version housed in Lenovo Vibe P1 – MSM8939. The chip is equipped with eight Cortex-A53 cores, whose energy consumption is rather low. They’re divided into two sections, the first containing four cores operating at 1.11GHz, while the second one includes four 1.5GHz cores. The latter are called upon during periods of more intensive loads. Snapdragon 615 is a 64-bit mobile chip, manufactured though a 28nm process. It supports cameras of up to 21MP, Full HD video recording and playback, Wi-Fi 802.11n/ac, LTE Cat 4, as well as Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0. On the graphics front, theres the Adreno 405 GPU.

For more information on Snapdragon 615’s capabilities, go to Qualcomm’s official page: https://www.qualcomm.com/products/snapdragon/processors/615

In the other corner, we have Snapdragon 617, represented in the HTC One A9 by its MSM8952 variation. It’s another Qualcomm chip with eight Cortex-A53 cores, separated into two functional sections. The difference lies in their clock frequencies, with the first four operating at 1.21GHz, while the faster ones are in this case clocked at 1.52 GHz. Just like its sibling, the 617 is a 64-bit mobile processor, fabricated through a 28nm process. Unlike the Snapdragon 615, however, it supports QuickCharge 3.0, which, according to Qualcomm, is up to 38% more efficient than QuickCharge 2.0 and offers charge times that are 4x quicker in comparison. There’s also support for Qualcomm Safeswitch, which allows you to remotely deactivate your device in case you lose it or someone steals it. The supported tech list includes the likes of LTE Cat. 7 (download speeds of up to 300 Mbps, Wi-Fi 802.11n/ac, LPDDR3 933MHz memory, Bluetooth 4.1, Full HD displays, cameras of up to 21MP, as well as Full HD video recording and playback at 60 FPS. The video solution is an Adreno 405, ticking at 550MHz.

More detailed information on Snapdragon 617 can be found on Qualcomm’s official page: https://www.qualcomm.com/products/snapdragon/processors/617

Benchmark results

The table below contains several benchmark tests results, indicating both computational (the first four tests) and graphics performance (the remaining four).

BenchmarksSnapdragon 615Snapdragon 617
Geekbench 3 (Multi-Core)22542711
Vellamo 2 Metal780861
Vellamo 3 Metal10291130
Pi – 10 mil. (lower is better)35.27832,399
GFXBench 2.7 T-Rex (offscreen)1416
GFXBench 3 Manhattan (offscreen)5.66.4
3D Mark Ice Unlimited72539124

External temperatures

As per tradition, we also check to what degree (no pun intended) the chips cause an increase in external device temperature. To do that we subject the mobiles to a few hours of 3D gaming, simulated though the Epic Citadel app. Immediately following that, we measure the max temps in three separate areas on the backs of the smartphones. As you can see for yourself, neither of the two chips attains problematic temperatures, which is good news.


temp

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For current prices of both smartphones, complete specs sheets, as well as information on how to purchase, check out these links:

Lenovo Vibe P1: http://amzn.to/1OmEzmU
HTC One A9: http://amzn.to/1YU3jV9

Check all the offerings with Snapdragon 615: http://amzn.to/1OmEPCf
Check all the offerings with Snapdragon 617: http://amzn.to/1OmEYWo

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Evren
Evren
7 years ago

I’m from Turkey !
General Mobile GM 5 plus phone is very Good

Hector
Hector
7 years ago

Yo tengo un moto g4 y con el uso de la camara grabando en video no importa que resolucion grabe se calienta horrible trae qualcomm snapdragon 615 de 8 nucleos
4x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.52 GHz
4x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.21 GHz
28nm
Clock speed 960 MHz-1.52 GHz
GPU Qualcomm
Adreno (TM) 405 @ 550 MHz
GPU clock speed 400 MHz max 550MHz
Ram 1865 MB
Ram libre 476 MB
Display 5.5 pulgadas full hd 1080×1920
Dpi 403
Internal storage 10.82 GB
Available storage 9.75 GB
Android 6.0.1 marshmallow
Por que tiende a calentarse muchisimo porque alguien sabe

Alvaro Delgado PH (@ninjabass66)
Reply to  Hector

Hector, todos los tlf cuando grabas mucho rato se calientan mucho, es una de las 2 cosas q mas consume bateria en un smartphone, yo tengo un s6 con procesador de 14nm e igual se calienta, saludos

Juan Sebastian Ortiz Guzman
Juan Sebastian Ortiz Guzman
7 years ago

para empezar tiene es el snapdragon 617 de 8 nucleos y si puede ver si se calienta demasiado aproximadamente hasta 40 grados celsius