Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 vs Dimensity 1080: The Battle For The Upper Midrange Heats Up

The new midrange smartphone market can often be confusing, even for tech enthusiasts and industry experts. However, we believe our readers, like you, deserve some clarity. In this article, we will thoroughly compare the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 vs. Dimensity 1080 SoCs.

The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, introduced in May 2022, represents the older of the two SoCs in this contest. This upper midrange System-on-Chip from Qualcomm carries the torch of its predecessor, the Snapdragon 780G, albeit with a name change to align with Qualcomm's new vision for its upper midrange offerings.

Despite its modern features, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 hasn't gotten much acceptance among phone manufacturers.  It can only be spotted in a select few smartphones. These include devices like the Xiaomi 13 Lite, Honor 90 5G, HTC U23 Pro, and Motorola RAZR 40.

On the flip side, we have the Dimensity 1080, a fresh System-on-Chip from MediaTek designed to solidify MediaTek's position in the upper midrange market. This capable SoC has successfully garnered the attention of numerous smartphone manufacturers.

The Dimensity 1080 can be found powering devices such as the Doogee V30T, Doogee V31 GT, Doogee V Max, Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G, Samsung Galaxy A34 5G, Realme 10 Pro+ 5G, Infinix Zero 5G 2023, and many more.

Now that we have set the stage, let's get into the comprehensive comparison between the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 and the Dimensity 1080.

(Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 vs Dimensity 1080 - Specs comparison table)

Performance of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 vs Dimensity 1080

Although the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 is marginally older, it stands as the more technologically advanced System-on-Chip (SoC). It is constructed upon the sophisticated ARMv9 architecture and incorporates more contemporary CPU cores.

Consequently, in all CPU-related activities, the 7 Gen 1 reigns as the more potent SoC. While the performance gap between these two SoCs isn't vast, the 7 Gen 1 maintains a slight edge, which justifies its victory in this regard.

CPU performance: Snapdragon 7 Gen 1

Gaming Performance of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 vs Dimensity 1080

The same story is repeated when it comes to gaming. The 7 Gen 1 pulls further ahead due to its far superior Adreno 644 GPU. In addition, Qualcomm ensures that game developers optimize their games to run better on Snapdragon SoCs which further increases the advantages enjoyed by this SoC

Gaming: Snapdragon 7 Gen 1

Camera and Video capability

In terms of photography capabilities, both SoCs are evenly matched, supporting a maximum camera resolution of 200MP. The story remains consistent when it comes to video, with both SoCs capable of recording and playing back 4K videos at 30fps.

However, it's worth noting that the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 holds a slight advantage in image and video processing quality. Apart from this distinction, they are essentially on the same level in these aspects.

Camera and video: Tie 

RAM and Storage

Both SoC support LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 internal storage. This is an absolute tie as well.

RAM and Storage: Tie

Network Connectivity

The 7 Gen 1 retakes a well-deserved lead here. This is because it uses the Snapdragon X62 5G modem which supports LTE Cat. 24 and Sub-6GHz/mmWave 5G. The Dimensity 1080 comes second here with a slower LTE Cat 18 and slower 5G connection.

Network Connectivity: Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 

Battery life

The 7 Gen 1 SoC is built on a cooler and more efficient 4nm process whilst the Dimensity 1080 is built on a less efficient 6nm process. This means that the 7 Gen 1 would have a better battery life.

Conclusion

The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 may have tied with Dimensity in areas like photography, videography, RAM, and Storage, however, it is still the superior SoC here. It boasts better performance, gaming, network connectivity, and a superior battery life.

The Dimensity 1080 may have come out in second place, but that doesn't make it a bad SoC. In reality, it is a solid SoC, but it's not just as good as the 7 Gen 1.