The budget 5G smartphone market has been booming as of late, all thanks to chipsets like the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 and the Dimensity 6400. On paper, both chips target affordable smartphones, but our benchmark testing reveals a slightly higher disparity in performance. We pitted the Motorola G57 Power against the Tecno Pova Slim 5G to see which chipset offers better value. Here's a full benchmark breakdown.
Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 vs Dimensity 6400: AnTuTu Score
AnTuTu Benchmark | Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 | Dimensity 6400 |
|---|---|---|
AnTuTu Score | 805,947 | 544,835* |
CPU | 320,362 | 238,287 |
GPU | 115,629 | 0 (Failed) |
Memory | 147,096 | 125,393 |
UX | 222,860 | 181,155 |
Before we begin, as we noted in our standalone Dimensity 6400 benchmarks guide, the GPU portion of the chipset's AnTuTu test failed. However, even if we were to add a theoretical score based on its tier, the final benchmark would likely sit around the 600,000 mark.
The difference between the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 and Dimensity 6400 is stark. The Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 scored 805,947, outclassing the Dimensity 6400. In the CPU department alone, the Snapdragon chip holds a massive 34% lead (320,362 vs 238,287), indicating that for general usage, loading times and system fluidity, it's in a higher tier altogether.
Memory and UX are closely tied, with the Dimensity 6400 falling slightly short with a 20,000-40,000 point difference. While we cannot measure the difference in graphical power, the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 on the Moto G57 Power is bound to defeat the Dimensity 6400, as the latter doesn't really boast a powerful GPU. Overall, it's clear that the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 is a better choice.
The vast gap in performance has to do with both the processors being seven months apart from each other. The Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 uses TSMC's 4nm process, whereas the Dimensity 6400 is built on a 6nm process. Besides, the core architecture of both the processors is vastly different, with the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 utilising faster cores.
Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 vs Dimensity 6400: Geekbench Score
Geekbench 6 CPU | Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 | Dimensity 6400 |
|---|---|---|
Single-core | 1,013 | 764 |
Multi-core | 2,876 | 1,978 |
Things become even clearer in Geekbench scores. The Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 dominates the Dimensity counterpart by being 32% faster in single-core, posting 1,013 points (vs 764 points). Similarly, the gap widens even more in multi-core with a 45% difference (2,876 vs 1,978), meaning the 6s Gen 4 is better equipped to handle multitasking and background processing.
The Dimensity 6400's score of 1,978 suggests the processor is an entry-level one, while the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 approaches the mid-range category. What hurts the Dimensity 6400 even more is that both the processors fall under a similar price bracket, i.e., in the sub-Rs 15,000 range.
Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 vs Dimensity 6400: CPU Throttling Test
CPU Throttling Test | Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 | Dimensity 6400 |
|---|---|---|
Maximum Score | 325,289 GIPS | 178,704 GIPS |
Average Score | 273,893 GIPS | 165,837 GIPS |
Throttling Percentage (Higher is better) | 81% | 88% |
This is the only area where the Dimensity 6400 on the Tecno Pova Slim "wins" but there's a catch. The Dimensity 6400 is more stable, maintaining 88% of its peak performance compared to Snapdragon's 81%. However, the raw performance difference is so large that it doesn't matter.
The Snapdragon 6s Gen 4's throttled performance of 325,289 GIPS exceeds Dimensity 6400's peak performance of 178,704 GIPS. Even when hot and throttling, the Snapdragon chip is nearly 50% faster than the Dimensity.
Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 vs Dimensity 6400: 3DMark Score
3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 | Dimensity 6400 |
|---|---|---|
Best Loop Score | 781 | 373 |
Stability | 99.2% | 99.5% |
Since the AnTuTu GPU test failed on the Dimensity, 3DMark gives us a definitive answer on gaming performance. The Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 is more than twice as fast in graphics rendering, with 781 points versus Dimensity 6400, which scores 373 points.
This means that while the Dimensity 6400 is capable of casual gaming and light 3D gaming, the 6s Gen 4 can handle modern shooters like CoD Mobile and BGMI at respectable, stable framerates. Both processors are pretty stable as well.
Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 vs Dimensity 6400: Speedometer 3.0 Score
In the web browsing benchmark, the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 scored 7.43 vs the Dimensity 6400's 5.88. This is 26% more, which translates to faster page loads and smoother scrolling on heavy websites.
Benchmarks Gallery
Verdict
Despite both the processors being marketed for the same budget segment, the Dimensity 6400 and Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 are not in the same class. The latter is clearly the winner, offering almost double the gaming performance. It's a true budget performance chipset.
The MediaTek Dimensity 6400 shows its age, but is still a very functional 5G chip. It prioritises stability and basic usability but struggles to compete on raw power. Therefore, if you have to choose between a phone with the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 and the Dimensity 6400, the Snapdragon device is undoubtedly the better investment.
