Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 960 Review: Benchmark Performance and Specs
The Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 960 is a mobile processor that was launched in November 2016 and announced by the device maker of several smartphone brands. This chip features Four 2.36GHz Cortex A73 Four 1.84GHz Cortex A53 cores. The SoC is designed in-house by Huawei HiSilicon and manufactured by TSMC using a 16 nm process technology. The Kirin 960 integrates the Mali T628 MP4 GPU running at 1037 MHz and supports 4GB of LPDDR4 memory. It can be configured with the company’s Huawei HiSilicon modem, offering peak download speeds of up to 50 Mbps.
Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 960: Benchmark Performance
In terms of AnTuTu performance, the Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 960 scores over 178533 points. In the Geekbench test, it records 400 points in the single-core test and 1529 points in the multi-core test. It also achieved a combined score of 2809 on Passmark. Additionally, it holds a solid 3DMark score, which is a benchmark designed to measure the graphics performance of smartphones and tablets. The average Kirin 960 score is around . This positions it comparably with other mobile chipsets, such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 and the Samsung Exynos 9609, in the ranking.
| Benchmark | Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 960 Score |
|---|---|
| AnTuTu | 178533 |
| Geekbench (Multi Core) | 1529 |
| Geekbench (Single Core) | 400 |
| Passmark | 2809 |
Equivalent List for Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 960
The Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 960 is equal to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 670 in benchmark scores.
Compared to the Mediatek, it is a similar value to the Helio P23 in terms of CPU performance.
| Equivalent Model to Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 960 | Antutu Score |
|---|---|
| Samsung Exynos 9611 | 180933 |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 | 179822 |
| Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 960 | 178533 |
| Samsung Exynos 9609 | 177176 |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 | 176653 |
Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 960 Gaming Performance
The gaming performance test for Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 960 on PUBG Mobile shows a result of 55 FPS. When handling demanding games like COD, the chip operates at frame rates of 49 FPS. Other benchmarks include popular choices among mobile gamers such as Genshin Impact, Mobile Legends, Fortnite, and War Thunder. Its Mali T628 MP4 class graphics processor is capable of boosting up to 1037 MHz, ensuring improved peak performance and highly responsive gameplay. This SoC supports a high-powered Huawei HiSilicon modem for a fast gaming experience. Speeds of up to up to 50 Mbps allow for seamless streaming from the cloud, while global support enables gamers around the world to engage in battles simultaneously in real time.
| Games | Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 960 frame rates | Graphics settings |
|---|---|---|
| PUBG: Mobile | 55 FPS | |
| PUBG: New State | 42 FPS | |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | 49 FPS | |
| Fortnite | 23 FPS | |
| Genshin Impact | 27 FPS | |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | 53 FPS |
Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 960 Specification
| Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 960 Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Designed by | Huawei HiSilicon |
| Model | Kirin 960 |
| Manufacturer | TSMC |
| Launch date | November 2016 |
| Architecture | ARMv8-A |
| Bit width | 64-bit support |
| Architecture | Octa-core: 4x 2.36GHz Cortex A73 + 4x 1.84GHz Cortex A53 |
| Number of Cores / Threads | 8 |
| Clock Speed | up to 2.36 GHz |
| Big | Four 2.36GHz Cortex A73 |
| Mid | Four 1.84GHz Cortex A53 |
| Level 1 Cache | 64 KB |
| Level 2 Cache | 4 MB |
| Transistor Count | 4 Million |
| Integrated GPU | Mali T628 MP4 |
| GPU Cores | 8 |
| GPU frequency | 1037 MHz |
| Shading units | 16 |
| Total shaders | 128 |
| Vulkan | 1.3 |
| OpenCL | 2 |
| AI processor (machine learning) | No |
| Max display resolution | 2560 x 1600 |
| Max camera resolution | 2x 16MP |
| Video capture | 4K at 30FPS |
| Video playback | 4K at 30FPS |
| Video codecs | H.264, H.265, VP8, VP9 |
| Audio codecs | AIFF, CAF, MP3, MP4, WAV |
| Max Memory | 4GB |
| RAM Type | LPDDR4 |
| Maximum bandwidth | 28.8 Gbps |
| Bus | 2x 32 Bit |
| Storage | eMMC 5.1, UFS 2.1 |
| Technology Process | 16 nm |
| Wattage (peak TDP) | 5W |
| Features | Huawei HiSilicon modem up to 50 Mbps |
| 4G Modes | LTE Cat. 12 |
| 5G support | No |
| Wi-Fi version | 5 |
| Bluetooth version | 4.2 |
| Navigation | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo |