Smartphone users are constantly seeking better battery life, longevity, and performance; the race to find the processor leader becomes crucial. Understanding which chip delivers not only the speed but also the most consistent and efficient power usage can mean the difference between bragging rights and consistent daily performance. This showdown aims to find the performance champion of early 2025.
We’ve set up a head-to-head race to find the performance leader of early 2025. Competing are:
- Apple A18 Pro – iPhone 16 Pro Max
- Google Tensor G4 – Pixel 9 Pro XL
- Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy – Galaxy S25 Ultra
- Snapdragon 8 Elite – OnePlus 13
- Dimensity 9400 – Vivo X200 Pro
We’ll test daily performance, gaming, and benchmarks. Each phone gets a 10-minute cooldown between rounds to keep things fair. To ensure consistent testing conditions, ambient room temperature is maintained at 22°C, battery levels are standardized to 80% before each test, and all devices are running their latest software updates.
Everyday Performance
Photo Editing (Snapseed, 26 edits):
- Snapdragon 8 Elite (both versions) finish first.
- Dimensity 9400 is just behind.
- A18 Pro takes 6 seconds.
- Tensor G4 finishes last at 8 seconds.
Advanced Editing (Lightroom, 100 photo export):
- Snapdragon 8 Elite (OnePlus) – 3m 29s.
- Dimensity 9400 and Snapdragon for Galaxy – close behind.
- A18 Pro – slower.
- Tensor G4 – more than 5 minutes slower.
Video Rendering (3-min 4K 30fps):
- A18 Pro wins at 24s.
- Snapdragon (OnePlus) and Dimensity follow closely.
- Snapdragon for Galaxy trails slightly.
- Tensor G4 takes over 2.5 minutes.
Heavy File Load (4M-cell Excel file):
- A18 Pro loads in 4s.
- Snapdragon for Galaxy: 6s.
- Snapdragon (OnePlus) and Dimensity: close behind.
- Tensor G4: last again.
Gaming Performance
Grid Legends:
- A18 Pro runs at 60 → 43 FPS.
- Snapdragon (OnePlus) shows heavy throttling, dropping to 34 FPS.
- Snapdragon for Galaxy stays coolest at 45°C.
- Tensor G4 doesn’t support this game.
Wuthering Waves (max settings):
- Dimensity 9400 stable: 61 → 58 FPS.
- Snapdragon for Galaxy drops to 42 FPS.
- A18 Pro stays competitive, just 1–2°C hotter.
Bloons TD (stress test):
- A18 Pro holds best (min 16 FPS).
- Snapdragon (OnePlus) throttles to 2 FPS.
- Temps similar across all, with iPhone coolest at 39°C.
Overall gaming win goes to A18 Pro.
In PUBG Mobile all phones stable 120FPS except google pixel which is capped at 60 FPS for some reasons.
Benchmark Scores
Antutu (overall):
- Dimensity 9400 leads with 2.5M+.
- Snapdragon for Galaxy also clears 2M.
- Tensor G4 last.
3D Mark (Wildlife Extreme):
- Snapdragon (OnePlus) tops initial run.
- Dimensity 9400 close.
- Snapdragon for Galaxy follows.
- A18 Pro lower.
- Tensor G4 weakest.
Geekbench 6 (single-core):
- A18 Pro strongest, crossing 30,000.
- Snapdragons and Dimensity close behind.
- Tensor last.
Geekbench 6 (multi-core):
- Snapdragon for Galaxy first.
- Snapdragon (OnePlus) second.
- Dimensity third.
- A18 Pro lower this round.
- Tensor last.
AI Benchmark:
- A18 Pro leads with 6,000+.
- Snapdragon for Galaxy second.
- Tensor G4 struggles despite AI branding.
GFX Benchmark (graphics):
- Snapdragon (OnePlus) – 43 FPS.
- Snapdragon for Galaxy – 39 FPS.
- Dimensity – 33 FPS.
- A18 Pro – 28 FPS.
- Tensor G4 – 19 FPS.
Final Results
- Tensor G4: consistently last, struggling in most categories.
- Dimensity 9400: stable performance with an excellent balance, making it the most stable.
- Snapdragon 8 Elite (OnePlus): delivers the strongest raw benchmarks but has throttling issues, thus the fastest burst performer.
- Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy: offers consistent performance and cooler temperatures, earning it the coolest label.
- Apple A18 Pro provides the best overall mix of performance, gaming stability, and efficiency, securing its position as the best all-rounder.
