Which is better Qualcomm or MediaTek?

A hotly-debated and controversial topic in the tech sphere

This is not a simple question to answer because while comparing the two, a lot rides on the kind of smartphones we’re talking about, the price range of those smartphones, the chips that are embedded in those, etc. What most people on online forums don’t take into account while comparing the two is, comparing two chipsets with a similar performance level. For example, you can’t compare an entry-level chipset with a 5G enabled chipset and expect to unanimously declare a winner.

When we talk about CPU, both Qualcomm’s Snapdragon and MediaTek’s Dimensity are based on ARM architecture, which is designed primarily for low energy consumption. For example, a typical quad-core processor has 4 high-powered cores for high performance and two low-power cores for low energy consumption. So then if both use the same architecture, where lies the difference?

The main difference is that MediaTek doesn’t tinker with the architecture and Qualcomm does, which is why they’re able to optimize the smartphones that they come embedded in, for lower power consumption and slightly elevated performance. But, this comes at a great cost for Qualcomm because that instantly raises the cost of the smartphones that it comes embedded in and which at the same time doesn’t do too much to raise the overall performance of the phone when it comes to multitasking or gaming.

In fact, MediaTek’s mid-range series, the Helio G series is specifically made for smartphone users whose number one priority is gaming. Here, MediaTek fares better than Qualcomm. MediaTek believes in profit from volumes rather than getting bigger profits from selling lesser units. This is what has made the company a go-to chipset manufacturer for budget or mid-range handsets, while smartphones with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon are usually found in high-end phones.

Coming back to the main question at hand, there is no simple yes or no answer, it really depends on your usage and the money you’re willing to spend. If you don’t want to spend too much on fancy graphics but want a reliable smartphone that gets the job done you can go for a MediaTek-powered phone. And if you want a high-end smartphone with a processor that has a faster GPU, you can go for Qualcomm. Ultimately, if you really look at it from afar, both companies produce good quality and reliable chipsets which aren’t that drastic in their differences. So all I would say is, choose with your budget and usage in mind.