Given that there was a gap in performance and thermal throttling between the Snapdragon and Exynos versions of the S20 Ultra, we expect it to grow even larger between the 865+ and Exynos 990 models of the Note 20 Ultra , so we ran some benchmarks.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus vs Exynos 990 Note 20 Ultra performance benchmarks
| Benchmarks | Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Snapdragon 865+ score | Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Exynos 990 score |
|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu benchmark | 571,312 | 474,356 |
| GFXBench Car Chase on screen | 29 FPS | 24 FPS |
| Geekbench 5 single-core | 988 | 925 |
| Geekbench 5 multi-core | 3294 | 2773 |
As usual, the Exynos version of the Note 20 Ultra gives way to the Snapdragon model, but that’s also true for the S20 variants.
The phones are still very powerful enough to carry everything you throw at them, 12 GB RAM and all, yet the 865+ vs 865 advantage is not only in peak speed but also with additional image processing and newer memory or connectivity standards supported .
Snapdragon 865 vs 865 Plus vs Exynos 990 specs
| Snapdragon 865 | Snapdragon 865+ | Exynos 990 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Production process | TSMC 7nm N7P | TSMC 7nm N7P | 7nm EUV |
| Processor cores | 1x Kryo 585 (custom A77) @ 2.84 GHz
3x Kryo 585 @ 2.42GHz 4x @ 1.8 GHz |
1x Kryo 585 (custom A77) @ 3.1GHz 3x Kryo 585 @ 2.42GHz 4x @ 1.8 GHz |
2x Exynos [email protected]
2x Cortex [email protected] 4x Cortex A55 @ 2GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 650 at 587MHz | Adreno 650 on 645MHz | Mali-G77 MP11 |
| Modem | X55 5G modem (extension)
up to 7.5 Gbps more than 5G, and 3 Gbps download speeds on LTE |
X55 5G modem (extension) | Exynos 5123 (Category 24) Downloads up to 7.3Gbps (mmWave), 5.1Gbps (sub-6GHz), or 3Gbps (4G LTE), 8xCA Uploads: up to 422 Mbps |
| AI-mei processor | Yes, Hexagon 698 | Yes, Hexagon 698 | Yes, dual-core NPU |
| Video code | 8K HDR at 30 fps 4K HDR at 120 fps |
8K HDR at 30 fps 4K HDR at 120 fps |
8K HDR at 30 fps 4K HDR at 120 fps |
| Features supported | Display QHD + @ 144Hz or 4K @ 60Hz
up to 200MP single or 2x64MP dual camera up to 16 GB DDR5 Qualcomm FastConnect 6800: Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 6 |
Display QHD + @ 144Hz or 4K @ 60Hz
up to 200MP single or 2x64MP dual camera up to 16GB DDR5 Qualcomm FastConnect 6900: Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-fi 6E |
UFS 3.0 storage support for up to 2.9 GB / s speeds
Single-camera up to 108MP up to 16 GB DDR5 120Hz display refresh rate |
As you can see, there are three main areas where the Snapdragon 865+ spans the 865 – peak processing and graphics speed (the first mobile chip to break the 3GHz barrier), even more global 5G multiband connectivity, and support the latest Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E standards.
What is Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-fi 6E?
The Wi-Fi 6E in Snapdragon 865+ means that the Note 20 Ultra is capable of working on the 6 GHz band. It would work like the current WiFi 6 at 5 GHz, but with the way more channels do not interfere or overlap. According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, Wi-Fi can have 6E “14 additional 80 MHz channels and 7 additional 160 MHz channels, “reduction of interference and interference.
- Higher quality, lower power audio codec.
- Independent true wireless earbuds synchronization, and broadcast audio streams to multiple listeners in different languages.
- Multiple apps can interact with a Bluetooth Low Energy device at the same time, reducing latency and interference.
