Kirin 9000s: Huawei’s new SoC leaves a trail of confusion in its wake.
Huawei is back and they have somehow managed to find a way around the restrictions that have held them down for so long. However, their Kirin 9000s SoC poses more questions than it answers.
Huawei has reintroduced itself to the market with a new System-on-Chip (SoC) known as the Huawei Kirin 9000s. This SoC, seemingly positioned as Huawei's flagship, has garnered significant attention on the internet.
While it has not yet received an official announcement, the Kirin 9000s has already been featured in the Huawei Mate 60 Pro.
The Huawei Kirin 9000s holds considerable significance because, for the past two years, Huawei has faced substantial setbacks due to US sanctions. Therefore, witnessing their resurgence in the market is a notable development.
Key Specifications of the Huawei Kirin 9000s
At the moment, there are two conflicting spec sheets. One of them is from AnTuTu and the other is from GeekBench.
Kirin 9000s specs (AnTuTu)
| Category | Specs |
|---|---|
CPU cores | 6x ARM Cortex A78AE (2.62GHz) |
4x ARM Cortex A510 (2.15GHz) | |
2x ARM Cortex A34 (1.53GHz) | |
GPU | Maleoon 910 GPU |
Fab | 7nm SMIC |
RAM | LPDDR4x/LPDDR5 |
Storage | UFS 3.1 |
Kirin 9000s specs (GeekBench)
| Category | Specs |
|---|---|
CPU Cores | 1x Prime Custom Core (2.62GHz) |
3x Big Custom Cores (2.15GHz) | |
4x Cortex A510 (1.53GHz) | |
GPU | Maleoon 910 GPU |
Fab | 7nm SMIC |
RAM | LPDDR4x/LPDDR5 |
Storage | UFS 3.1 |
Performance review of the Huawei Kirin 9000s
The Kirin 9000s has sparked confusion among industry experts and tech enthusiasts, primarily due to conflicting reports emanating from two prominent benchmarking authorities, (AnTuTu and GeekBench).
AnTuTu
AnTuTu's assessment suggests that the Kirin 9000s is a 12-core SoC comprising 6 Cortex A78AE cores, 4 Cortex A510 cores, and 2 Cortex A34 cores. This configuration implies that the Cortex A78AE CPU cores will handle resource-intensive tasks, while the A510 and A34 cores will focus on optimizing the SoC's power efficiency.
GeekBench
On the contrary, GeekBench, through its website, posits that the Kirin 9000s is an octa-core SoC with 1 Prime Custom Core core at 2.6GHz, 3 Big Custom Cores at 2.15GHz, and 4 Cortex A510 cores at 1.53GHz. This interpretation suggests that the Cortex A720 cores are responsible for handling demanding applications, while the A510 cores contribute to enhancing battery efficiency.
While AnTuTu has refrained from testing the GPU, they have assigned the Kirin 9000s a noteworthy CPU score of 279,6777, placing it on par with the Snapdragon 888+. Similarly, GeekBench has bestowed upon the Kirin 9000s a score of 1323/3630, a rating that also aligns with the performance of the Snapdragon 888+.
Similar SoCs within the same performance bracket include:
- Apple A14 Bionic
- Dimensity 8200
- Snapdragon 888+
- Snapdragon 888
- Kirin 9000s
- Tensor G2
- Dimensity 8100
The Maleoon 910 GPU
The Maleoon 910 GPU is based on an entirely novel custom architecture, developed by Huawei. Consequently, it has displayed a notable degree of incompatibility with numerous benchmark assessments. Nevertheless, certain industry insiders believe that its performance can be likened to that of the Adreno 660 GPU.
Huawei’s silence
Despite the uproar generated by this confusion, Huawei has been quiet, probably preferring to announce the full details on the launch day, and because of that, we have to wait patiently.