Introduction

Entry-level 5G phones often ship with chips that trace their roots back years, even when the branding looks brand new. This Dimensity 6400 vs Dimensity 6500 vs Snapdragon 695 comparison uses verified NanoReview specification and benchmark data to explain how these three budget-class chips perform in CPU work, gaming, camera processing, and connectivity, and whether MediaTek’s newer naming actually beats Qualcomm’s much older Snapdragon 695.

1. Processor Overview

The Dimensity 6400, announced February 2025, is an 8-core chip built on TSMC’s 6nm process, pairing 2x Cortex-A76 cores at 2.5GHz with 6x Cortex-A55 efficiency cores at 2.0GHz, alongside a Mali-G57 MP2 GPU.

The Dimensity 6500, announced April 2026 and the newest chip in this comparison, uses the identical core layout and GPU as the Dimensity 6400 but with a slightly higher prime clock of 2.6GHz; the efficiency cores remain unchanged at 2.0GHz.

The Snapdragon 695, announced October 2021 and by far the oldest chip here, uses an 8-core layout on the same TSMC 6nm process: 2x Kryo 660 Gold (Cortex-A78-based) cores at 2.2GHz and 6x Kryo 660 Silver (Cortex-A55-based) cores at 1.8GHz, paired with an Adreno 619 GPU.

Despite being nearly four years older than the Dimensity 6400 and Dimensity 6500, the Snapdragon 695 uses Cortex-A78 performance cores, a newer core design than the Cortex-A76 cores both Dimensity chips rely on, which becomes relevant in the benchmark results below.

2. CPU Architecture & Processing Power

All three chips use the ARMv8.2-A instruction set. The Dimensity 6400 and Dimensity 6500 use Cortex-A76 performance cores, while the Snapdragon 695 uses Cortex-A78-based Kryo 660 Gold cores, a newer and generally more efficient core design despite the Snapdragon chip’s older release date.

In Geekbench 6 single-core, the Snapdragon 695 leads clearly with 905, about 11.3% higher than the Dimensity 6400 (803) and about 7.1% higher than the Dimensity 6500 (845). The Cortex-A78 core design advantage outweighs both Dimensity chips’ higher clock speeds in this test.

Multi-core is closer but still favors the newer chips modestly: the Dimensity 6500 leads with 2143, ahead of the Snapdragon 695 (2101, about 2.0% lower) and the Dimensity 6400 (2047, about 4.5% lower than the Dimensity 6500). Between the two Dimensity chips, the Dimensity 6500’s slightly higher clock speed gives it a real, if modest, multi-core edge over the Dimensity 6400.

3. GPU & Gaming Performance

The Snapdragon 695’s Adreno 619 has a notably higher theoretical FLOPS rating at 430.1 Gigaflops, more than three times either Dimensity chip’s Mali-G57 MP2, which is rated at 137.2 Gigaflops (Dimensity 6400) and 140.8 Gigaflops (Dimensity 6500). The Adreno 619 also has far more shading units (128 versus 32) despite sharing the same 2-pipeline count.

Geekbench 6 GPU Compute results are surprisingly close despite this large theoretical gap: the Dimensity 6500 actually leads at 1502, ahead of the Dimensity 6400 (1427, about 5.0% lower) and the Snapdragon 695 (1403, about 6.6% lower than the Dimensity 6500). The Dimensity 6400 also edges out the Snapdragon 695 here by about 1.7%, showing that the Adreno 619’s much larger theoretical Gigaflops rating does not translate directly into this specific compute benchmark.

3DMark data is limited and inconsistent across the three: the Dimensity 6400 discloses a Steel Nomad Light score of 148; the Dimensity 6500 has no 3DMark data disclosed at all, likely reflecting its very recent announcement; and the Snapdragon 695 discloses a Wild Life Extreme score of 360, a different sub-test that cannot be directly compared to the Dimensity 6400’s result. Unusually, the Snapdragon 695 also has real-world gaming FPS data supplied by NanoReview, showing playable frame rates in titles like PUBG Mobile (66 FPS, Low settings) and Call of Duty: Mobile (60 FPS, Low settings) on a reference device; no equivalent gaming FPS table is supplied for either Dimensity chip.

4. Manufacturing Process & Efficiency

All three chips share the same TSMC 6nm process node, so node size is not a differentiator here. TDP is only disclosed for the Snapdragon 695, at 4W; no TDP figure is supplied for either Dimensity chip.

NanoReview’s battery-life sub-scores are close: the Snapdragon 695 scores highest at 88, just ahead of both Dimensity chips, which are tied at 87. NanoReview’s overall composite score also slightly favors the Snapdragon 695 (33) over both Dimensity chips (32 each).

5. RAM, Memory & Storage Support

All three chips use LPDDR4X memory at 2133MHz with virtually identical bandwidth (17.07Gb/s for both Dimensity chips, 17Gb/s for the Snapdragon 695) and the same 12GB maximum RAM support. Memory configuration is effectively tied across all three.

Storage support slightly favors the Snapdragon 695, which supports both eMMC 5.1 and UFS 2.2, giving device makers a lower-cost fallback option. Both Dimensity chips support UFS 2.2 only, a newer standard on its own but without the eMMC 5.1 flexibility the Snapdragon 695 offers.

6. AI & NPU Capabilities

Both Dimensity chips confirm an NPU is present but do not name it or disclose a TOPS figure. The Snapdragon 695 uses a named Hexagon 686 NPU, also without a disclosed TOPS figure. Because none of the three chips has a quantified AI performance rating, no numeric ranking can be made in this category, though the Snapdragon 695 is the only one with a specifically named AI accelerator.

7. ISP, Camera & Video Capabilities

Camera resolution is identical across all three: a maximum of 108MP for the primary sensor plus 2x 16MP secondary sensors. Video capability differs in an interesting way: both Dimensity chips support 2K at 30FPS for capture and playback, a higher resolution ceiling, while the Snapdragon 695 is limited to 1080p at 60FPS, a lower resolution but double the frame rate. Codec support favors the Snapdragon 695 slightly, adding VP8 alongside H.264, H.265, and VP9; both Dimensity chips support H.264, H.265, and VP9 only.

8. Display Support

All three chips support an identical maximum display resolution of 2520 x 1080, so there is no differentiation in this category.

9. Modem, 5G & Connectivity

The Dimensity 6400 discloses the fastest 5G download speed at 3300 Mbps, though no upload figure is supplied for it. The Snapdragon 695, via its Snapdragon X51 modem, discloses both a download speed of 2500 Mbps and an upload speed of 1500 Mbps, giving it the only complete disclosed 5G speed profile of the three. No 5G speed figures at all are disclosed for the Dimensity 6500.

Wi-Fi 5 is common to all three, an older standard reflecting their budget positioning. Bluetooth favors both Dimensity chips, which share the newer 5.4 version, ahead of the Snapdragon 695’s 5.2. GNSS support is broadest on the Snapdragon 695, which adds SBAS alongside GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, and NAVIC; both Dimensity chips include the same list minus SBAS. These are theoretical maximums; real-world network speeds depend on carrier infrastructure and will not always reach these ceilings.

10. Benchmark Comparison

All benchmark figures below use AnTuTu 11 and Geekbench 6, so comparisons are apples-to-apples where data exists.

AnTuTu 11 Total:

• Snapdragon 695: 592,015
• Dimensity 6400: 581,041 (Snapdragon 695 leads by about 1.9%)
• Dimensity 6500: 569,563 (Snapdragon 695 leads by about 3.9%, and the Dimensity 6400 leads the Dimensity 6500 by about 2.0%)

Geekbench 6 Single-Core: Snapdragon 695 leads clearly with 905, ahead of the Dimensity 6500 (845, about 7.1% lower) and Dimensity 6400 (803, about 11.3% lower than the Snapdragon 695).

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core: Dimensity 6500 leads with 2143, ahead of the Snapdragon 695 (2101, about 2.0% lower) and Dimensity 6400 (2047, about 4.5% lower than the Dimensity 6500).

Geekbench 6 GPU Compute: Dimensity 6500 leads at 1502, ahead of the Dimensity 6400 (1427, about 5.0% lower) and Snapdragon 695 (1403, about 6.6% lower than the Dimensity 6500).

3DMark: Not directly comparable. The Dimensity 6400 discloses Steel Nomad Light (148); the Snapdragon 695 discloses the different Wild Life Extreme test (360); no 3DMark data is disclosed for the Dimensity 6500.

PCMark 3.0: Only disclosed for the Dimensity 6400 (10,960) and Snapdragon 695 (9,496); the Dimensity 6400 leads by about 15.4%. Not disclosed for the Dimensity 6500.

The overall picture is mixed: the Snapdragon 695 wins the composite AnTuTu score and single-core speed despite being nearly four years older, the Dimensity 6500 wins multi-core and GPU Compute, and the Dimensity 6400 wins PCMark, the one benchmark where it has data to compare against the Snapdragon 695.

11. Real-World Performance

Everyday users should notice snappier single-core responsiveness on the Snapdragon 695, despite its age, thanks to its Cortex-A78-based core design.

Multitaskers benefit modestly more from the Dimensity 6500’s slight multi-core edge, though all three chips are closely matched in this category.

Gamers get the most concrete data from the Snapdragon 695, the only chip with disclosed real-world gaming FPS figures; the Dimensity 6500 posts the highest Geekbench GPU Compute score, but without matching real-world gaming data to confirm how that translates into actual play.

Content creators face a trade-off: both Dimensity chips offer higher-resolution 2K video, while the Snapdragon 695 offers double the frame rate at 1080p.

AI users get a named NPU only from the Snapdragon 695 (Hexagon 686), though no TOPS figure is disclosed for any of the three.

Connectivity-focused users should note the Dimensity 6400 has the fastest disclosed 5G download speed, but the Snapdragon 695 is the only chip with both download and upload figures supplied.

Storage-conscious buyers get more flexibility from the Snapdragon 695’s eMMC 5.1 fallback support, useful for keeping device costs down.

12. Strengths & Weaknesses

MediaTek Dimensity 6400

• Strengths: Highest disclosed 5G download speed (3300 Mbps); highest PCMark score of the two chips with data; higher-resolution 2K video versus the Snapdragon 695’s 1080p; newest Bluetooth version tied with the Dimensity 6500 (5.4).
• Weaknesses: Lowest Geekbench single-core score of the three; no disclosed TDP or gaming FPS data; trails the Snapdragon 695 in AnTuTu total score despite being newer.

MediaTek Dimensity 6500

• Strengths: Highest Geekbench multi-core and GPU Compute scores; newest chip in the comparison; matches the Dimensity 6400’s Bluetooth 5.4 and 2K video support.
• Weaknesses: Lowest AnTuTu 11 total score of the three; no disclosed 3DMark, PCMark, TDP, or 5G speed data at all, reflecting its very recent announcement; lowest Geekbench single-core score behind the Snapdragon 695.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 695

• Strengths: Highest AnTuTu 11 total score; highest Geekbench single-core score by a clear margin; only chip with disclosed TDP (4W), full 5G speed figures, and real-world gaming FPS data; highest NanoReview composite score (33).
• Weaknesses: Lowest Geekbench GPU Compute score of the three; limited to 1080p/60FPS video versus the Dimensity chips’ 2K/30FPS; oldest Bluetooth version (5.2) and Wi-Fi generation shared with both rivals.

13. Best Processor For Different Users

• Best for Gaming: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 (only chip with confirmed real-world FPS data)
• Best for AI: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 (only named NPU)
• Best for Efficiency: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 (only disclosed TDP, highest battery-life score)
• Best for Camera Processing: MediaTek chips for resolution, Snapdragon 695 for frame rate
• Best for Connectivity: MediaTek Dimensity 6400 (download speed) and Snapdragon 695 (complete speed data)
• Best for Balanced Performance: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695

Final Verdict

This Dimensity 6400 vs Dimensity 6500 vs Snapdragon 695 comparison is a useful reminder that release date alone does not determine which chip performs best. The Snapdragon 695, despite being announced nearly four years before either Dimensity chip, still leads the composite AnTuTu score and single-core speed, and the supplied data does not support automatically favoring the Primary Processor, the Dimensity 6400.

Final Verdict

1. Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 — Best Overall It leads AnTuTu 11 total score, Geekbench single-core, and is the only chip with disclosed TDP, complete 5G speed figures, and real-world gaming FPS data, giving it the most thoroughly documented and best-rounded profile despite its age.

2. MediaTek Dimensity 6400 — Best For Connectivity and Video Resolution It has the fastest disclosed 5G download speed and higher-resolution 2K video support, along with the highest PCMark score among the chips that report it, but trails the Snapdragon 695 in overall AnTuTu score and single-core speed.

3. MediaTek Dimensity 6500 — Best For Multi-Core and GPU Compute It leads Geekbench multi-core and GPU Compute, reflecting its slightly higher clock speeds, but as the newest and least-tested chip here, it lacks disclosed 3DMark, PCMark, TDP, and 5G speed data, and posts the lowest AnTuTu total of the three.

Best for Gaming: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 Best for AI: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 Best for Efficiency: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 Best Balanced Choice: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695

Bottom Line: Despite being the oldest chip in this comparison by nearly four years, the Snapdragon 695 remains the strongest all-round performer based on the supplied data, leading AnTuTu total score and single-core speed while offering the most complete specification disclosure of the three. The Dimensity 6400 and Dimensity 6500 offer modest multi-core and GPU Compute advantages along with higher-resolution video, but MediaTek’s continued reuse of the same underlying Cortex-A76/Mali-G57 platform across multiple chip generations, a pattern widely noted by users in this segment, means neither newer Dimensity chip delivers a clear, decisive upgrade over the older Snapdragon alternative.