2023’s UNISOC 5G Processors: Are They Flying Under the Radar or Falling Short?

2023’s UNISOC 5G Processors: If you’ve previously used an Android smartphone, there’s a good possibility that it was powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon or MediaTek Dimensity processor. However, a third entity, UNISOC, has emerged as a slow-growing contender in the smartphone market recently with their UNISOC 5G SoC (System-on-a-Chip) for Android smartphones.

2023’s UNISOC 5G Processors: Are They Flying Under the Radar or Falling Short?

The UNISOC T820

Formerly known as Spreadtrum, UNISOC is a Shanghai-based Chinese fabless semiconductor company that manufactures Android smartphone chipsets. The validation of UNISOC chipsets has been successfully completed by over 260 carriers spanning 133 countries globally. Prominent clients that have procured their processors for their handsets include HONOR, RARE, vivo, Samsung, Motorola, Hisense, and ZTE.

Throughout this article, we shall assess the competitiveness of UNISOC’s four 5G smartphone processors in comparison to MediaTek and Qualcomm, the market leaders, from the perspective of their complete lineup.

Four notable 5G smartphone processors manufactured by UNISOC are the T820, T750, T760, and T770. One of these four processors can be classified as a Tier C processor, while the remaining three can be categorized as C+ processors.

Tier C: Processors with Low Performance

Processor	CPU Performance Cores	CPU Efficiency Cores	GPU	Node Process	Antutu Score
UNISOC T750	2x ARM Cortex A76	6x ARM Cortex A55	Mali-G57 MP2	TSMC 6nm	348,252
Dimensity 6100+, 6080 (formerly Dimensity 810)	2x ARM Cortex A76	6x ARM Cortex A55	Mali-G57 MC2	TSMC 6nm	406,644
Snapdragon 730 (4G)	2x ARM Cortex A76	6x ARM Cortex A55	Adreno 618	Samsung 8nm	320,228

Commencing with the UNISOC T750, the sole Tier C processor offered by UNISOC. 5G connectivity, two ARM Cortex A76 performance cores, and six ARM Cortex A55 efficiency cores are all standard features. The GPU utilized is the ARM Mali-G57 MP2, which exhibits performance comparable to that of the ARM Mali-G57 MC2 and the Qualcomm Adreno 618.

Comparable in performance to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 found in the Samsung Galaxy A71 (2019) and the MediaTek Dimensity 6080 found in devices such as the Redmi Note 13 5G and Redmi Note 11S 5G, the UNISOC T750 is comparable in nature. However, because it is produced using the more recent TSMC 6nm process, the UNISOC T750 outperforms the Snapdragon in a number of ways, including power efficiency and performance.

Released in May 2023, the UNISOC T750 is anticipated to be available on Android devices by the fourth quarter of 2023.

Tier C+: Superior processors for low performance

Processor	CPU Performance Cores	CPU Efficiency Cores	GPU	Node Process	Antutu Score
UNISOC T760	4x ARM Cortex A76	4x ARM Cortex A55	Mali-G57 MP4	TSMC 6nm	425,764
UNISOC T770 (formerly T7520)	4x ARM Cortex A76	4x ARM Cortex A55	Mali-G57 MP4	TSMC 6nm	419,246
UNISOC T820	4x ARM Cortex A76	4x ARM Cortex A55	Mali-G57 MP4	TSMC 6nm	486,833
Snapdragon 765, 765G, 768G	2x ARM Cortex A76	6x ARM Cortex A55	Adreno 620	Samsung 7nm	385,681
Snapdragon 855, 860 (4G)	4x ARM Cortex A76	4x ARM Cortex A55	Adreno 640	TSMC 7nm	598,379

The subsequent three tier C+ processors manufactured by UNISOC are the T820, T760, and T760, respectively. The CPU core configuration of all three devices is identical: 4 ARM Cortex A76 cores for performance and 4 ARM Cortex A55 cores for efficiency. This configuration is also shared by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 flagship mobile processor, which powers the OnePlus 7 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro (Redmi K20 Pro).

The GPU of these three UNISOC processors, however, distinguishes them from the Snapdragon 855. The T760, T770, and T820 are powered by the ARM Mali G57 MP4 GPU, which is considerably slower than the Snapdragon 855’s Adreno 640 but closer to the Snapdragon 765’s Adreno 620. Despite the underpowered GPU, the 4+4 CPU configuration enables UNISOC processors to remain competitive by offering an affordable CPU core configuration reminiscent of a flagship.

Devices such as the Hisense P50 5G, ZTE Blade A73 5G, and the recently released ZTE Nubia Neo 5G, the budget gaming smartphone from Nubia, contain the UNISOC T760, T770, and T820.

In summary, UNISOC processors are not devoid of utility; in fact, their price point is significantly undervalued. The limited range of 5G smartphone processors offered by UNISOC is insufficient to contend with the high-end processors developed by MediaTek and Qualcomm. In low-end Android smartphones, UNISOC processors continue to have a position owing to their “better than expected” performance and affordable price.

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