If you’re spending time poring over Android telephone spec sheets when deciding which telephone to purchase, then you realize there are principally two processors to search for: the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon chip—proper now, that will be the Snapdragon 865 or barely quicker 865+—and all the things else. Smartphone processors transfer so quick that even the earlier yr’s flagship processor’s speeds are outdated information.
That’s modified this yr. Along with the high-end Snapdragon 865 that powers flagships like Samsung’s Galaxy S20 and the Snapdragon 865+ for even higher-end gaming phones, Qualcomm can be promoting the Snapdragon 765 and 765G chips, which raises the center tier considerably. While mid-range telephones have sometimes run Snapdragon 6 and 7 Series chips, the 765 is a special animal.
The LG Velvet 5G seems to be like a premium telephone on the skin however isn’t powered by the newest Qualcomm silicon.
For one, it has an built-in 5G modem. For one other, it’s considerably cheaper than the 5G-enabled Snapdragon 865, so 765-based telephones gained’t price anyplace close to the four-figure costs flagship telephones command. In truth, the primary Sanpdragon 765G telephone to launch within the U.S. is the LG Velvet and it costs $599, significantly lower than the crop of high-end 5G telephones from Samsung and Oneplus that launched earlier within the yr.
But how does it measure as much as these telephones? I just lately received my palms on the LG Velvet and ran it by a battery of exams and got here away very impressed. While it’s nonetheless bested by the Snapdragon 865, correctly, the hole isn’t practically as broad because the earlier mid-range processor, and it might make a telephone just like the Pixel 3a really feel remarkably quick. Let’s dive in.
First, let’s set a baseline. The predecessor to the Snapdragon 765G is the 730, with a 2.2 GHz Kryo 470 Octa-core CPU. It’s a special kind of chip for a less expensive class of telephone (largely as a result of it doesn’t have 5G), but it surely’s roughly much like the 765’s 2.3 GHz Kryo 475 CPU. I don’t personal a telephone that makes use of this chip, however a smattering of exams on NotebookCheck offers a good suggestion of what to anticipate:
Snapdragon 730
- Geekbench 5 Single: 542
- Geekbench 5 Multi: 1647
- Speedometer 2.0: 32.8
- PCMark Work 2.0: 7494
To begin my testing, I turned to the LG V60 with a Snapdragon 865 processor to maintain it within the LG household in addition to the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which has the identical chip however far more RAM (8GB vs 12GB). All telephones had been up to date and restarted, and I ran the identical exams as above: Geekbench 5’s CPU exams, PCMark’s Work 2.0 Performance exams, and Browserbench’s Speedometer 2.0 take a look at (over Chrome), which measures the responsiveness of Web functions.
LG V60
- Geekbench 5 Single: 907
- Geekbench 5 Multi: 3332
- PCMark Work 2.0: 10432
- Speedometer 2.0: 74.1
Galaxy S20 Ultra
- Geekbench 5 Single: 893
- Geekbench 5 Multi: 3156
- PCMark Work 2.0: 12350
- Speedometer 2.0: 67.2
Those are actually actually good scores, as you must anticipate from telephones that price this a lot. Even although the V60 is considerably cheaper than the S20 Ultra ($950 vs $1,400), the Snapdragon 865 chip inside each of them performs higher than most Android telephones you should purchase at any value.
The Asus ROG Phone 3 has a lot energy, it comes with a clip-on fan to maintain it cool.
Next up is the Asus ROG Phone 3, which is the newest decked-out gaming telephone with the entire efficiency bells and whistles, together with a barely quicker Snapdragon 865+ processor. I had oddly low outcomes from Speedometer 2.0 with this telephone so I’m not together with them, however total, the 865+ is as marketed: a bit of quicker than the usual 865. Asus additionally has a battery-sucking efficiency ‘X Mode’ that cranks the chip even greater:
Asus ROG Phone 3
- Geekbench 5 Single (Regular): 974
- Geekbench 5 Single (X Mode): 983
- Geekbench 5 Multi (Regular): 3321
- Geekbench 5 Multi (X Mode): 3192
- PCMark Work 2.0 (Regular): 12415
- PCMark Work 2.0 (X Mode): 14538
Finally, I grabbed two of final yr’s flagships, the Galaxy S10+ and Pixel 4 XL to check the older Snapdragon 855.
Pixel 4 XL
- Geekbench 5 Single: 635
- Geekbench 5 Multi: 2529
- PCMark Work 2.0: 10717
- Speedometer 2.0: 26.7
Galaxy S10+
- Geekbench 5 Single: 741
- Geekbench 5 Multi: 2712
- PCMark Work 2.0: 9616
- Speedometer 2.0: 26.8
To spherical issues out, I ran the Galaxy S9 with the Snapdragon 845 by the identical exams:
Galaxy S9
- Geekbench Single: 415
- Geekbench 5 Multi: 1912
- PCMark Work 2.0: 8293
- Speedometer 2.0: 25.2
I anticipated the Snapdragon 765G within the LG Velvet to be roughly much like the Snapdragon 730, however the 765G is definitely a great deal faster and never all that far off from the 855. It significantly struggled with the PCMark Work 2.0 rating, however that would have extra to do with LG than the chip itself for the reason that V60 additionally significantly trails the Galaxy S20 Ultra in that take a look at.
I used to be most impressed with the Speedometer rating. Android telephones have lengthy lagged Apple’s iPhones with its net efficiency scores—the iPhone SE, for instance, clocked a 166 in Speedometer 2.0—however the Velvet exhibits spectacular good points for a mid-range chip. That’s virtually double the scores I received with the Snapdragon 845 and 855, Qualcomm’s earlier two flagships.
LG Velvet
- Geekbench 5 Single: 610
- Geekbench 5 Multi: 1944
- PCMark Work 2.0: 7734
- Speedometer 2.0: 51.5
That’s an all-around enchancment over the Snapdragon 730 and 845, and never far off the 855, which remains to be being bought in thousand-dollar telephones. Yes, the 765G is slower than the 865 in benchmarks, correctly, however when you think about the value distinction between the Velvet and different 5G telephones such because the Galaxy S20 Ultra and the OnePlus 8, the Snapdragon 765G processor ought to deliver some thrilling releases later this yr at much more enticing value factors. (Though to be honest, LG’s telephones are on the mercy of carriers, which are inclined to inflate MSRPs to make reductions look extra attractive.) Battery life will have to be examined as nicely, however preliminary impressions are robust.
For instance, the recently launched OnePlus Nord, which isn’t releasing within the U.S., is priced at 399 Euros or round $450 in U.S. {dollars}. That’s even cheaper than the Velvet and an incredible worth for a 5G handset. And whenever you issue within the speeds it will possibly ship, OnePlus’s premium Android phones—which price twice as a lot—don’t appear fairly so premium anymore. I’ve solely been utilizing the Velvet for a number of days, however nothing about it feels sluggish or laggy, and it’s practically not possible to inform the distinction between it and the V60 in day-to-day utilization.
There’s even speak that Google is likely to be utilizing the Snapdragon 765 or 765G within the upcoming Pixel 5 as an alternative of the 865, which makes a whole lot of sense to me. Google has at all times had a tough time competing with the Galaxies and that iPhones of the world, however with a cheaper price because of the 765 processor, that would change. The Snapdragon 765 opens up a world of alternative for Android OEMs and shoppers alike and for the primary time shortly, the way forward for telephones that aren’t working probably the most highly effective Qualcomm chips could be very promising.
Mid-range cameras and shows have been catching as much as their premium counterparts for years, and now the 765 seems to be to deliver efficiency nearer to the higher-end of Android as nicely. Premium telephone costs may not be falling anytime quickly, however with the Snapdragon 765, we would not really need to purchase them anymore.
Update 7/31: This article has been up to date to repair a typo within the URL and so as to add clarification all through.