In Huawei and Honor smartphones, you’ll find Kirin Processors instead of MediaTek or Snapdragon chips.
So, what are Kirin Processors, and how good they actually are?
Let’s find out.
For those of you that have no idea what Kirin is, it is a series of Mobile SOCs by HiSilicon Technologies. And HiSilicon is a subsidiary of Huawei. So now it makes sense why Huawei uses Kirin Processors in their phones, right?
Just like Qualcomm Snapdragon and MediaTek, HiSilicon Kirin chips are based on ARM’s architecture. They directly implement ARM’s CPU Designs (Cortex CPUs) and GPU Designs (Mali GPUs) in their SOCs.
If you’re wondering how well does it competes with other Mobile SOCs, make sure to check our Full List of Mobile SOCs.
To test and rank mobile chips, we consider dozens of factors while putting the emphasis on real-world performance and user experience. After the tests, we rank the processors and give them a score which is known as Centurion Mark.
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Kirin Processors Ranking
Kirin Processors Ranking
Here are the ranking and Centurion Mark of Kirin chips.
This table shows the same data as the above image.
Rank | Processor Name | Centurion Mark |
#1 | Kirin 9000 | 152 |
#2 | Kirin 9000E | 151 |
#3 | Kirin 990 5G | 144 |
#4 | Kirin 990 4G | 143 |
#5 | Kirin 990E 5G | 143 |
#6 | Kirin 985 5G | 139 |
#7 | Kirin 980 | 137 |
#8 | Kirin 810 | 124 |
#9 | Kirin 970 | 121 |
#10 | Kirin 960 | 103 |
#11 | Kirin 710 | 98 |
#12 | Kirin 955 | 89 |
#13 | Kirin 950 | 88 |
#14 | Kirin 659 | 71 |
#15 | Kirin 658 | 71 |
#16 | Kirin 655 | 70 |
#17 | Kirin 650 | 70 |
#18 | Kirin 935 | 66 |
#19 | Kirin 930 | 65 |
#20 | Kirin 620 | 47 |
You can also check out our Mobile GPU performance tests to find out how well Kirin SOCs perform in Gaming.
Meaning of the above Score
Above 120
The processors deliver exceptional performance. Smartphone enthusiasts should pick a device from this range.
Between 90-120
Processors in this range have a pretty good performance. Go for this range when you’re picking a mid-range device.
Between 65-90
You can expect average performance. It is good for casual users but definitely not for power users. Target this range if you’re buying a low-end smartphone.
Between 55-65
The performance of these SOCs is below average but it is acceptable in the extreme low-end phones. But you should be prepared to face occasional lags and the user experience won’t be that great.
Below 55
The performance is sub-par and should be avoided unless you’re buying an extremely cheap phone with a price tag lower than $100.
What is Centurion Mark
What is Centurion Mark
Centurion Mark is a performance score that it is determined by finding out how well a SOC performs in real-world use case scenarios as well as through synthetic benchmarks. The User Experience plays a significant role in calculating the Centurion Mark.
We calculate Centurion Mark based on Overall Performance, Features, User Experience, and issues if any. If a SOC suffers from lags or overheating in real-world usage, we deduct its score but if it is well-optimized and performs well, we make sure to give it extra credits.
Factors that affect Centurion Mark
We use more than 20 different parameters to determine the Centurion Mark. Some parameters like the User Experience, CPU Performance, and GPU Performance have a big impact on the score while there are some other factors that only make a small difference (For example, Modem’s Max Download Speed). The following 5 parameters matter the most while calculating Centurion Mark:
- User Experience
- Real-World Performance
- Raw CPU Performance
- Raw GPU Performance
- Features and Technologies Present
Kirin 9000 Series
Kirin 9000 Series
Processor Name | GPU | Fabrication Process | CPU |
Kirin 9000 | Mali-G78 MP24 | TSMC 5nm FinFET | 1x Cortex-A77 at 3.13 GHz + 3x Cortex-A76 at 2.54 GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 at 2.05 GHz |
Kirin 9000E | Mali-G78 MP22 | TSMC 5nm FinFET | 1x Cortex-A77 at 3.13 GHz + 3x Cortex-A76 at 2.54 GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 at 2.05 GHz |
Kirin 900 Series
Kirin 900 Series
The Kirin 900 Series is HiSilicon’s flagship series made for their premium phones. The HiSilicon Kirin 980 is the best Kirin Processor as of now. The CPU performance of the Kirin 900 series is quite exceptional but it fails to leave its mark when it comes to GPU Performance.
The Kirin 990 5G is the first Kirin processor to be fabricated using TSMC’s 7nm+ EUV Process.
Processor Name | GPU | Fabrication Process | CPU | Memory | Devices |
Kirin 990 5G | Mali-G76 MP16 700 MHz | 7nm+ EUV FinFET | 2x Cortex-A76 at 2.86 GHz + 2x Cortex-A76 at 2.36 GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 at 1.95 GHz | Quad-Channel LPDDR4X | Huawei Mate 30 & 30 Pro 5G Variants |
Kirin 990 4G | Mali-G76 MP16 600 MHz | 7nm FinFET | 2x Cortex-A76 at 2.86 GHz + 2x Cortex-A76 at 2.09 GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 at 1.86 GHz | Quad-Channel LPDDR4X | Huawei Mate 30 & 30 Pro 4G Variants |
Kirin 990E 5G | Mali-G76 MP14 | 7nm+ EUV FinFET | 2x Cortex-A76 at 2.86 GHz + 2x Cortex-A76 at 2.36 GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 at 1.95 GHz | Quad-Channel LPDDR4X | |
Kirin 985 5G | Mali-G77 MP8 | 7nm FinFET | 1x Cortex-A76 at 2.58 GHz + 3x Cortex-A76 at 2.40 GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 at 1.84 GHz | Quad-Channel LPDDR4X | |
Kirin 980 | Mali-G76 MP10 | 7nm FinFET | 4x Cortex-A76 at 2.6 GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 at 1.8 GHz | Quad-Channel LPDDR4X | Huawei Mate 20 Pro, Huawei Mate 20, Huawei Mate X, Honor Magic 2, Honor View 20 |
Kirin 970 | Mali-G72 MP12 | 10nm FinFET | 4x Cortex-A73 @ 2.36 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.8 GHz | Quad-Channel LPDDR4X | Honor Play, Huawei Mate 10, Huawei Mate 10 Pro, Honor 10, Huawei Nova 3, Huawei P20, Huawei P20 Pro |
Kirin 960 | Mali-G71 MP8 | 16nm FinFET | 4x Cortex-A73 @ 2.36 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.8 GHz | Dual-Channel LPDDR4 | Huawei Mate 9, Huawei P10, Huawei P10 Plus, Honor 8 Pro, Honor 9 |
Kirin 955 | Mali-T880 MP4 | 16nm FinFET | 4x Cortex-A72 @ 2.5 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.8 GHz | Dual-Channel LPDDR4 | Huawei P9, Huawei P9 Plus, Honor Note 8 |
Kirin 950 | Mali-T880 MP4 | 16nm FinFET | 4x Cortex-A72 @ 2.3 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.8 GHz | Dual-Channel LPDDR4 | Huawei Mate 8, Huawei Honor 8, Huawei Honor Magic |
Kirin 935 | Mali-T628 MP4 | 28 nm HPC | 4x Cortex-A53 @ 2.2 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz | Dual-Channel LPDDR3 | Huawei P8 MAX, Honor 7, Huawei Mate S |
Kirin 930 | Mali-T628 MP4 | 28 nm HPC | 4x Cortex-A53 @ 2.0 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz | Dual-Channel LPDDR3 | Huawei P8 |
Kirin 800 Series
Kirin 800 Series
The Kirin 810 was announced in 2019 and it is the first SOC of this series. It is comparable to the Snapdragon 730 in performance.
Processor Name | GPU | Fabrication Process | CPU | Memory | Devices |
Kirin 810 | Mali-G52 MP6 | 7nm FinFET | 2x Cortex-A76 @ 2.27 GHz + 6x Cortex-A55 @ 1.88 GHz | Dual-Channel LPDDR4 | Honor 9X and 9X Pro |
Kirin 700 Series
Kirin 700 Series
There is only one SOC in the Kirin 700 series and that is the HiSilicon Kirin 710. This series is meant for the upper mid-range devices. The Kirin 710 is pretty close to Snapdragon 660 in terms of performance but is weaker than 660 in Gaming Performance.
Processor Name | GPU | Fabrication Process | CPU | Memory | Devices |
Kirin 710 | Mali-G51 MP4 | 12nm FinFET | 4x Cortex-A73 @ 2.2 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.7 GHz | Dual-Channel LPDDR4 | Huawei Nova 3i, Honor 10 Lite, Huawei Mate 20 Lite, Huawei Y9 |
Kirin 600 Series
Kirin 600 Series
The Kirin 600 Series is meant for mid-range and low-end devices. The SOCs in this series are pretty average in terms of performance.
Processor Name | GPU | Fabrication Process | CPU | Memory | Devices |
Kirin 659 | Mali-T830 MP2 | 16nm FinFET | 4x Cortex-A53 @ 2.36 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.7 GHz | Dual-Channel LPDDR3 | Honor 7X, Huawei P20 Lite, Honor 9 Lite, Huawei Nova 2, Huawei Nova 2 Plus |
Kirin 658 | Mali-T830 MP2 | 16nm FinFET | 4x Cortex-A53 @ 2.35 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.7 GHz | Dual-Channel LPDDR3 | Huawei P10 Lite |
Kirin 655 | Mali-T830 MP2 | 16nm FinFET | 4x Cortex-A53 @ 2.12 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.7 GHz | Dual-Channel LPDDR3 | Huawei Mate 9 Lite, Honor 6X, Honor 8 Lite |
Kirin 650 | Mali-T830 MP2 | 16nm FinFET | 4x Cortex-A53 @ 2.0 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.7 GHz | Dual-Channel LPDDR3 | Huawei P9 Lite, Honor 5C |
Kirin 620 | Mali-450 MP4 | 28nm | 8x Cortex-A53 @ 1.2 GHz | Single-Channel LPDDR3 | Huawei P8 Lite, Honor 4X, Honor 4C, Honor Holly 3 |
Further Reading
Further Reading
We have rankings for other Mobile SOCs as well. Check out the following links for more information: