Samsung Exynos 2500 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: Benchmarks and Specs

The Snapdragon-Exynos battle has always been one-sided, with Snapdragon crushing its Exynos counterparts in almost every area. And that difference cannot be larger than it is now with Samsung's latest flagship processor, the Exynos 2500 and Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. We put both the processors through their paces to see which comes out on top, and unsurprisingly, one completely blew the other out of the water. Here's how the Exynos 2500 compares to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

Samsung Exynos 2500 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: AnTuTu Score

Starting with the most common tests of all, the AnTuTu benchmark, the Exynos 2500 in the Galaxy Z Flip 7 scored 1,777,598 points. In contrast, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in the Realme GT 8 Pro achieved a massive 3,999,541 points. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is nearly 125% faster and in its own league than the Exynos 2500. While the Exynos isn't a "slow" processor per se, it's no match for the obliterating speeds of Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which almost manages to break the 4-million point barrier.

The difference is due to Qualcomm's custom Nuvia-made 3rd Gen Oryon cores, which are not only clocked much faster but are also more powerful. The ARMv9.2, although fast, is no match for Snapdragon's Oryon prowess. Also, while the Snapdragon does throttle (which we will get to in a bit), the Exynos 2500 throttles the worst due to its poor thermal management, which is one of the primary reasons why it scores so much less, despite having two more cores than the 8 Elite Gen 5.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 crushes the Exynos 2500 across everything. It scores almost double in CPU (560,671 vs 1,146,058), triple in GPU (552,187 vs 1,462,197) and similarly, extremely high in both Memory and UX, suggesting it's a much better all-around processor.

Exynos 2500 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: Geekbench Score

The Exynos 2500 decimation continues in Geekbench, with the Exynos 2500 scoring 1,751 and 5,432 points in single/multi-core, while the Snapdragon surpasses the same scoring more than double with a single core score of 3,696 and more than three times in multi-core at 11,113 points.

The CPU performance difference is night and day. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 flexes its Oryon muscles, providing 2x faster speeds. The overall speeds have always been a point of contention for Exynos, and with its poor scores, the Exynos 2500 struggles to even compete with Qualcomm's and MediaTek's sub-flagship counterparts at this point. Some of the examples are the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and Dimensity 8400.

Samsung Exynos 2500 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: CPU Throttling Test

Now, to evaluate the sustained CPU performance, we ran the 15-minute CPU throttling test. Surprisingly, while the peak GIPS scores were close, with Exynos hitting 399,204 and Snapdragon's 411,230, the stability tells a different story. The Exynos 2500 throttled to just 45% of its max performance, while the 8 Elite Gen 5 maintained 70% stability.

The average score of 329,806 GIPS on the Snapdragon suggests it delivers better sustained performance, while the Exynos 2500 falters at 213,973 GIPS. That said, the Exynos does have the tendency to struggle with a minimum score of 136,922 GIPS, while the Snapdragon still delivers close to median performance with a minimum score of 268,944 GIPS.

The difference in performance could also be due to the lack of good thermals in the Galaxy Z Flip 7, while the Realme GT8 Pro features a large VC chamber.

Exynos 2500 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: 3DMark Scores

Snapdragon continues to reign supreme in 3DMArk Wild Life Extreme with an impressive peak score of 7,388 points, nearly double the Exynos 2500's 4,372 score. However, both chips struggle with stability. The Snapdragon drops to 33.9% losing significant performance over time, likely due to extreme heat generated by its high peak core clock. The Exynos 2500 was slightly more stable at 41.1%, but its absolute performance was still lower at every stage.

In Ray Tracing, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 obliterates the Exynos 2500, scoring a whopping 13,111 points (vs 6,383), a 2x lead in graphics capability. In the Steel Nomad test, where lighting and shadows are tested, the 8 Elite Gen 5 comes on top again with 2,974 points (vs 1,956 on Exynos 2500). Similarly, it also scores a better average FPS of 22.04 FPS (vs 14.50 FPS on Exynos 2500).

Exynos 2500 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: Speedometer Score

Finally, in Speedometer, which evaluates browser responsiveness, we saw an interesting reversal. The Exynos 2500 scored 21 points, whereas the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 scored 17.5 points. Despite the raw power deficit in other areas, the Exynos 2500 weirdly appears to be slightly more responsive in lightweight web browsing.

Benchmark Gallery

Exynos 2500 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: Specs and Comparison

Verdict

To sum it up, there is no comparison between the Exynos 2500 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in terms of raw power. The 8 Elite Gen 5 is in a different league, posting scores two times higher in almost every major benchmark. The Exynos 2500 seems to be heavily constrained due to its bad thermal management and the Z Flip 7's form factor.

Samsung's 3nm GAA process also has a fair share of blame to take. The processor throttles and has lower peak speeds. However, for daily tasks, the Exynos 2500 is still capable. But, if you are a gamer or power user looking for flagship performance, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the better processor.