Samsung’s Exynos 980 is perhaps the only chipset from the company that has been zealously adopted by several smartphone makers. We already have several phones with Exynos 980 chipset, and many others are expected to join the fray.
Why is Exynos 980 popular? It’s because Samsung could timely introduce a mid-range chipset with an integrated dual-mode 5G modem that OEMs could use to market their first set of Dual Mode 5G phones.
Qualcomm, Mediatek, and Huawei subsequently introduced Snapdragon 765G and Dimensity 1000, and Kirin 820, respectively. The Exynos 980 will be competing against these SoCs.
Snapdragon 765G vs Exynos 980: Which is more powerful?
The arch-rival for Exynos 980 is obviously Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765. The Exynos 980 is manufactured on a slightly lesser power-efficient process but has the advantage of employing the latest Cortex-A77 cores.
Benchmark scores online peg Exynos 980 to be slightly better performing, but as we have iterated time and again, most popular Benchmark tools like AnTuTu do not reflect real-world performance.
The real-world performance from both chipsets should be really close, but yes, the Snapdragon 765G is expected to emerge as the more popular option of the two.
Also Read: Best Snapdragon 765 and Snapdragon 765G phones in 2020
| Chipset | Snapdragon 765G | Exynos 980 |
| CPU cores | 1x Cortex-A76 @ 2.4GHz 1x Cortex-A76 @ 2.2GHz 6x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz |
2x Cortex-A77 @ 2.2GHz 6x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz |
| Process | 7nm | 8nm |
| GPU | Adreno 620 | Mali G76MP5 |
| NPU | Hexagon 696 HVX + Tensor |
Integrated NPU |
| Memory | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X |
| ISP/ Camera | Main: 192MP or 36MP with ZSL Dual: 22MP with ZSL |
Main: 108MP Dual: 20MP+20MP |
| Encode/ Decode |
2160p30, 1080p120 H.264 & H.265, 10-bit HDR pipelines |
10bit 4K120 encode & decode H.265/HEVC, H.264, VP9 |
| Connectivity | Integrated 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 | Integrated 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Also Read: Dual-mode 5G is not the same as Dual SIM 5G
Best Phones with Exynos 980 Chipset In 2020
Here we have listed currently available and upcoming options.
1. Vivo S6 5G
Vivo S6 5G is very similar to the Vivo V17 in terms of hardware. This one, however, is powered by Exynos 980 and has a rather simple U-shaped notch. The S6 is currently restricted to China.
Software is Android 10-based Funtouch OS 10, which adds quite a few refinements to the Funtouch OS 9. The Vivo S6 5G has a 6.44-inch AMOLED screen, LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 2.1 storage. The generous 4500mAh battery is aided by 33W fast charging.
Vivo S6 5G price and specifications
2. Samsung Galaxy A71 5G
The 5G variant of Galaxy A71 (review) is . The Galaxy A71 5G is driven by Exynos 980 and is slightly heavier, even when the battery capacity remains unchanged.
The camera hardware and other specs are similar to the 4G variant. Highlights include Bluetooth 5.0, Android 10-based OneUI 2.0, 32MP selfie camera, quad rear cameras, 3.5mm audio jack, and 25W fast charging.
Samsung Galaxy A71 5G price and specifications
3. Vivo X30 Pro and Vivo X30
Vivo X30 Pro and Vivo X30 were the first dual-mode 5G-ready phones launched by Vivo in 2020. The Exynos 980 chip on the X30 and X30 Pro is assisted by LPDDR4x RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage.
The X30 Pro and X30 are more similar than different. The Pro variant get an extra 13MP telephoto camera. Vivo uses an HDR10-compliant 6.44-inch AMOLED display with an in-display fingerprint reader underneath. Other highlights include 4350mAh battery, 33W fast charging, Bluetooth 5.0, and a punch-hole for the selfie camera.
Vivo X30 Pro price and specifications
Vivo X30 price and specifications
4. Samsung Galaxy A51 5G
Samsung Galaxy A51 was one of the most ergonomic phones that we reviewed this year and its biggest shortcoming was its mediocre Exynos 9611 SoC. With the 5G variant of the phone, this major peeve point has been eliminated.
The Galaxy A51 5G will employ Exynos 980 instead which is comparatively a much better chipset. However, the 5G variant is also thicker and slightly heavier. The increased heft can be attributed to 5G paraphernalia and a bigger 4500mAh battery.
Samsung Galaxy A51 5G expected price and specifications
These are some of the available Exynos 980 as of today. As 5G phones become commonplace, we expect to see Exynos 980 to show up in more phones, primarily in affordable options from Samsung.
In samsung A51