Apple M2 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 870

Let's find out which one of Apple M2 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 is of a more recent generation, and what segment it belongs to.

• Name
  Apple M2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 870
• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Family
  Apple M series Qualcomm Snapdragon
• Generation
  2 7
• CPU group
  Apple M2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 865/870

In this block we are going to compare Apple M2 vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 by main technical specifications: number of cores and threads, base and maximum frequencies, process technology and cache size. The higher these specifications are, the more powerful your CPU will be.

• Frequency
  3.50 GHz 1.80 GHz
• CPU Cores
  8 8
• Turbo (1 Core)
  No turbo 3.20 GHz
• CPU Threads
  8 8
• Turbo (8 Cores)
  No turbo 2.42 GHz
• Hyperthreading
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No
• Core architecture
  hybrid (big.LITTLE) hybrid (Prime / big.LITTLE)
• A core
  4x Avalanche 1x Kryo 585 Prime
• B core
  4x Blizzard 3x Kryo 585 Gold
• C core
  -- 4x Kryo 585 Silver

Common specifications for integrated graphics cards in Apple M2 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 along with supported interfaces and connection options. This block has no effect on the final efficiency of the CPU.

• GPU name
  Apple M2 (8 Core) Qualcomm Adreno 650
• GPU frequency
  3.50 GHz 0.25 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  No turbo 0.67 GHz
• Execution units
  128 2
• Shader
  0 512
• Max. GPU Memory
  16 GB --
• Max. displays
  3 1
• Generation
  2 6
• DirectX Version
  12.0
• Technology
  5 nm 7 nm
• Release date
  Q1/2022 Q4/2019

Let's compare the support of video codecs between Apple M2 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 870. Hardware support of video decoding by embedded graphics cards directly affects the speed and quality of rendering videos.

• h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• h264
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VP9
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VP8
  Decode Decode / Encode
• AV1
  Decode No
• AVC
  Decode Decode
• VC-1
  Decode Decode
• JPEG
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode

To choose the best model between Apple M2 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 you need to pay special attention to memory type, clock frequency, multi-channel features, and PCIe version. The higher these numbers are, the better your CPU will be. Keep in mind that the maximum memory and frequency may also depend on the model of the motherboard.

• Memory type
  LPDDR5-5500 LPDDR4X-4266LPDDR5-5500
• Max. Memory
  16 GB 16 GB
• ECC
  No No
• Memory channels
  2 4
• PCIe version
  4.0

AES-NI encryption support for CPUs Apple M2 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 870.

• AES-NI
  Yes No

Let's find out what TDP value would be better for Apple M2 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 870? The Thermal Design Power (TDP) indicates the maximum amount of heat that should be dissipated by the chip cooling system. However, the value of TDP gives only a rough indication of the real power consumption of the CPU.

• TDP (PL1)
  15 W 10 W
• TDP up
  20 W --
• TDP down
  10 W --

Here you can find a comparison of 2nd and 3rd level cache sizes for Apple M2 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 CPUs along with a list of ISA extensions.

• Instruction set (ISA)
  ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
• Virtualization
  None None
• ISA extensions
  Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
• L2-Cache
  16.00 MB 2.00 MB
• L3-Cache
  -- 3.00 MB
• Architecture
  M2 Kryo 585
• Technology
  5 nm 7 nm
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• Release date
  Q1/2022 Q2/2021
• Part Number
  -- SM8250-AC

List of devices based on Apple M2 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 870.

• Used in
  Apple MacBook Air 14 (2022) Unknown