What are the differences in GPU performance between the Snapdragon and Exynos versions of the S23 Ultra

GPU Performance Overview

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2:
- The Snapdragon variant of the S23 Ultra features the Adreno 740 GPU, which has demonstrated exceptional performance in various benchmarks. For instance, it scored approximately 3,886 points in the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme test, showcasing a significant improvement over previous models, including the S22 Ultra with Exynos 2200[1][2].
- The Snapdragon version is reported to be about 30-35% faster than its predecessor in CPU tests and shows an 80-90% improvement in GPU performance compared to the S22 Ultra[3]. This chipset also maintains better thermal management during sustained workloads, resulting in less throttling during extended gaming sessions[2].

Exynos 2200:
- In contrast, the Exynos 2200 version, equipped with the Xclipse 920 GPU based on AMD's RDNA2 architecture, has not performed as well. It lags significantly behind the Snapdragon variant, scoring around 1,800 points in similar tests. This performance gap translates to roughly 50% less efficiency compared to the Snapdragon model[1][5].
- Users have reported that while the Exynos variant can handle regular tasks adequately, it struggles under heavy graphical loads and tends to throttle more severely than its Snapdragon counterpart[4][5].

Performance Stability and Thermal Management

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 not only excels in raw performance but also demonstrates superior stability during prolonged use. In testing scenarios, it showed a gradual decline in performance metrics rather than abrupt drops, which is often observed with the Exynos version. For example, after multiple runs of a graphics test, the Snapdragon variant maintained a higher average score compared to the Exynos model, which experienced significant frame rate drops under similar conditions[2][3].

Conclusion

In summary, the Galaxy S23 Ultra equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 offers markedly better GPU performance and stability compared to its Exynos 2200 counterpart. This difference is particularly pronounced in high-demand scenarios such as gaming or intensive graphical applications. As a result, users seeking optimal performance may prefer the Snapdragon version of the S23 Ultra for demanding tasks.