Apple's iPhone 12 chip crushed by Samsung's AMD-fuelled Exynos processor

Last year, Samsung partnered up with AMD to incorporate its custom AMD Radeon Graphics into its upcoming SoCs for mobile apps; principally, this would allow Samsung to use AMD’s RDNA graphics architecture.

A new report suggests that this new partnership is paying dividends. Benchmark tests reportedly show that a new Samsung Exynos processor with AMD GPUs smokes Apple's A14 Bionic chip in pure graphics power. It could signal a new era of Samsung-based hardware that raises the bar, usurping Apple's premium chipsets, as the best-in-class. 

• Breaking: Twitter's community driven fact-checking pilot is yet another misstep for the platform
• Sony Alpha 1 revealed: New 50.1-megapixel full-frame camera packs eight times more processing power

According to the ITHome report, the Exynos SoC with an AMD GPU, easily eclipses the A14 Bionic found inside the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

The comparison of the chipsets uses a tri-fector of benchmark tests – specifically, the GFXBench tests that measure mobile and desktop performance in a true cross-API benchmark testing scenario. In terms of graphics performance, the AMD-powered Exynos chip far surpassed Apple's A14 Bionic on each synthetic benchmark.

On the GFXBench Manhattan 3.1, it scored 181.8fps compared to the A14 Bionic’s 120fps; across the Aztec Normal, it scored approximately 138fps vs. 80fps; finally, the GFXBench Aztec High School test scored the Exynos SoC at 58fps vs the Apple Bionic 14’s, 31fps. Indeed, it's a real schooling on pure graphics prowess from the AMD-driven Exynos chip.

Of course, the A14 Bionic is one of the most capable SoCs on the market, outclassing most Snapdragon chipsets on Geekbench 5 scores, as T3 covered in detail last year. It’s therefore a testament to the potential of this new chipset; if it holds to be true, it could show that the RDNA-architecture-led AMD GPUs will lead to big performance gains.

There’s no confirmation on a release date; however, trusted tipster, Ice Universe, hints that the new era of GPUs will land in mid-to-late 2021. It brings into focus T3's coverage of the ever-elusive, and hotly-tipped, Samsung Galaxy Note 21. Likely the last of the Galaxy Note models, and somewhere adrift in the waves of reports around Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 3, both of these models would be well-placed to utilize this new breed of Exynos SoCs with AMD GPUs to take care of graphics. 

All said and done, it's an exciting road ahead for mobiles in 2021, and begs the question as to how Apple might respond: maybe it bites back with an improved chip later in the year, or charges on with the A14 Bionic. Only time will tell. 

Source: Pocketnow