The Kirin 970 claimed 1.92 trillion operations per second (TOPS). The A11 claimed 600 billion operations per second, or 0.6 TOPS. The Kirin 970 performs 3.2x as many TOPS as the A11.
According to Huawei's own benchmark tests using ResNet50 (image references per second) we have the following results:
Kirin 970 - 2,030 images per second. A1 - 1,458 images per second. The Kirin 970 performs 1.4x as many images as the A11.
The question I have is this: How can a processor that claims to have 3.2x the performance in TOPS only manage to get 1.4x the performance performing an actual task (image references)? A task that Huawei themselves picked to showcase their processor, so nobody can claim bias for the A11.
Speaking of custom design, the Pixel 2 has its own neural engine as well. But since they don't design their own SoC they had to "tack it on" to the Snapdragon. Which means it won't be integrated nearly as tightly as you'd see in the A11/A12. Basically, they are limited by the bandwidth between the SoC and the external neural engine. So while it has higher performance (3 TOPS), it's doubtful that performance can be sustained.
I'm really looking forward to see the performance of the A12 neural engine.
There is more to it than operations per second.
You picked one 'benchmark' from Huawei but about eight were presented officially. Of those, some saw the Kirin 970 firing way past the A11 but others were closer.
There are no real benchmarks for NPUs yet.
The real point of NPUs is what you can do with them as well as how fast and at what efficiency cost.
The Kirin970 was used to improve voice recognition, image stabilization, motion blur and recognition, system (hardware) efficiency, noise reduction etc. Mostly trained offline and made available to the NPU via upgrades.
As for the article, the 'home grown' versus 'off the shelf' argument doesn't really cut it nowadays. The only real difference is if you have a home grown chip that has no off the shelf equivalent.
The moment Apple opened up use of the NPU to outside developers it became a de-facto off the shelf solution too. Just like Qualcomm to a certain degree. Without forgetting Huawei of course who also co-designed their NPU and also opened it up to developers from the get-go (via standard APIs for Android and its own in-house API).
All of them are using state of the art technology to great effect.
I have very low confidence in anything that Huawei states as "fact", based on past and recent history of various PR statements, so "benchmark from Huawei" really needs to have an asterisk attached.
They cheat on benchmarks; that's a fact.
That is a valid criticism of the PR department.
It must be noted however that the so called performance mode will be opened up to users. It is somewhat similar to the performance throttling mess on iPhones and Apple's decision to put throttling behaviour in the hands of the user.
Huawei was found guilty of cheating on performance benchmarks as a marketing tactic for new products, and has been banned by Geekbench for that. This is not even "somewhat similar" to preventative software that Apple incorporated as default in its operating system to mitigate the complete loss of operation of a user's iPhone, due to an aged battery, with a lower performance mode for the the SoC.
All that Apple has done is to put the use and control of this software, with added analytics into the hands of the user.
"Some have asked me why this issue matters; if the hardware is clearly capable of performance like this, why should Huawei and HiSilicon not be able to present it that way? The higher performance results that 3DMark, GFXBench, and now Geekbench show are not indicative of the performance consumers get with their devices on real applications. The entire goal of benchmarks and reviews is to try to convey the experience a buyer would get for a smartphone, or anything else for that matter.
If Huawei wanted one of its devices to offer this level of performance in games and other applications, it could do so, but at the expense of other traits. Skin temperature, battery life, and device lifespan could all be impacted – something that would definitely affect the reviews and reception of a smartphone. Hence, the practice of cheating in an attempt to have the best of both".
Ok. I'll change it. It wasn't 'somewhat' similar. It was massively similar.
Apple released an update that reduced the performance of many phones and failed to adequately communicate the change to users. After a major media backlash it came out with a statement and promised to return performance to users - if they wished - via a software switch.
Can you see any similarity now?
No, I can't see the similarities, as the context is completely different, which you are obviously ignoring.
I would add, that with iOS 12, everybody is getting a free performance upgrade from the 5s on, which is especially notable with the iPhone 6's, based on anecdotal evidence,
I noticed that my iPhone 7 Plus even seems to be snappier, thanks to the efforts of Apple's iOS team and iOS 12.
Would that 5 year old Android devices do as well.
The similarities are there. You just choose to ignore them.
"Would that 5 year old Android devices do as well"
And you speak about context?
I feel safe (very safe) in saying that very few Android phones are purchased with the idea of being used for 5 years and that given the choice, most Android users would (and do) choose to pay less for the phone at the outset and upgrade after two or three years and enjoy the benefits of new hardware as well as software. In fact, I am sure most iPhone users feel the same. It's just that the initial outlay for the phone makes a two year upgrade cycle complicated for many. I would add that anyone using a 5 year old iPhone isn't doing so voluntarily. There are likely limiting factors in play (mostly economical).
I have had two phones in the period my wife has had the iPhone 6. Financially, I am still up on tbe deal and have a FAR better phone. No 'snappy' iOS update will even begin to change that reality. Much less seeing as many had to suffer probably the buggiest iOS release cycle ever in iOS11, along with battery gate.
I would add that anyone using a 5 year old iPhone isn't doing so voluntarily. There are likely limiting factors in play (mostly economical).
This strikes me as an odd frame of reference. I don't think anyone would choose to use an iPhone that isn't the current model if they could upgrade without paying, but it hardly makes sense to say that anyone using an iPhone older than a year is doing so "involuntarily" simply because stuff costs money. They've simply made a judgement as a consumer, that $700 in their pocket, or spent on something else, is worth more to them than an updated iPhone.
The exact same is true for Android users of older handsets. They're choosing (directly or indirectly by lack of attention) not to upgrade because they don't see a good enough value proposition in doing so.
I would add that anyone using a 5 year old iPhone isn't doing so voluntarily. There are likely limiting factors in play (mostly economical).
This strikes me as an odd frame of reference. I don't think anyone would choose to use an iPhone that isn't the current model if they could upgrade without paying, but it hardly makes sense to say that anyone using an iPhone older than a year is doing so "involuntarily" simply because stuff costs money. They've simply made a judgement as a consumer, that $700 in their pocket, or spent on something else, is worth more to them than an updated iPhone.
The exact same is true for Android users of older handsets. They're choosing (directly or indirectly by lack of attention) not to upgrade because they don't see a good enough value proposition in doing so.
That's what I meant. Anyone currently using a five year old phone (Android or iPhone). I didn't mean 'older than a year'.
I think it's reasonable to assume that anyone with a very old handset would prefer a newer one but there could be factors that rule an upgrade out. Cost is clearly one factor. Stubbornness is another. A few people here have claimed that they will hang onto their SEs as long as they possibly can if Apple doesn't refresh the line, for example.
My wife is in a similar situation now. She isn't hanging onto to her iPhone 6 'voluntarily'. She would love to change it. In fact she has a long list of issues with it. It's not that she doesn't want to upgrade. She does, and could, at the drop of a hat. She just thinks the new phones are overpriced and doesn't want an 'old' model. She says she doesn't want an Android phone either, so the situation means she will stick with the iPhone 6 for a while longer. In that sense, the situation is involuntary.
Will she be able to get through another year? I very much doubt it, so we will have to revisit the options when she decides the iPhone 6 is more trouble than it is worth and see if her opinion has changed on the available options.
I would add that anyone using a 5 year old iPhone isn't doing so voluntarily. There are likely limiting factors in play (mostly economical).
This strikes me as an odd frame of reference. I don't think anyone would choose to use an iPhone that isn't the current model if they could upgrade without paying, but it hardly makes sense to say that anyone using an iPhone older than a year is doing so "involuntarily" simply because stuff costs money. They've simply made a judgement as a consumer, that $700 in their pocket, or spent on something else, is worth more to them than an updated iPhone.
The exact same is true for Android users of older handsets. They're choosing (directly or indirectly by lack of attention) not to upgrade because they don't see a good enough value proposition in doing so.
That's what I meant. Anyone currently using a five year old phone (Android or iPhone). I didn't mean 'older than a year'.
I think it's reasonable to assume that anyone with a very old handset would prefer a newer one but there could be factors that rule an upgrade out. Cost is clearly one factor. Stubbornness is another. A few people here have claimed that they will hang onto their SEs as long as they possibly can if Apple doesn't refresh the line, for example.
My wife is in a similar situation now. She isn't hanging onto to her iPhone 6 'voluntarily'. She would love to change it. In fact she has a long list of issues with it. It's not that she doesn't want to upgrade. She does, and could, at the drop of a hat. She just thinks the new phones are overpriced and doesn't want an 'old' model. She says she doesn't want an Android phone either, so the situation means she will stick with the iPhone 6 for a while longer. In that sense, the situation is involuntary.
Will she be able to get through another year? I very much doubt it, so we will have to revisit the options when she decides the iPhone 6 is more trouble than it is worth and see if her opinion has changed on the available options.
Well, at least have your wife's iPhone upgraded to iOS 12.
I would add that anyone using a 5 year old iPhone isn't doing so voluntarily. There are likely limiting factors in play (mostly economical).
This strikes me as an odd frame of reference. I don't think anyone would choose to use an iPhone that isn't the current model if they could upgrade without paying, but it hardly makes sense to say that anyone using an iPhone older than a year is doing so "involuntarily" simply because stuff costs money. They've simply made a judgement as a consumer, that $700 in their pocket, or spent on something else, is worth more to them than an updated iPhone.
The exact same is true for Android users of older handsets. They're choosing (directly or indirectly by lack of attention) not to upgrade because they don't see a good enough value proposition in doing so.
That's what I meant. Anyone currently using a five year old phone (Android or iPhone). I didn't mean 'older than a year'.
I think it's reasonable to assume that anyone with a very old handset would prefer a newer one but there could be factors that rule an upgrade out. Cost is clearly one factor. Stubbornness is another. A few people here have claimed that they will hang onto their SEs as long as they possibly can if Apple doesn't refresh the line, for example.
My wife is in a similar situation now. She isn't hanging onto to her iPhone 6 'voluntarily'. She would love to change it. In fact she has a long list of issues with it. It's not that she doesn't want to upgrade. She does, and could, at the drop of a hat. She just thinks the new phones are overpriced and doesn't want an 'old' model. She says she doesn't want an Android phone either, so the situation means she will stick with the iPhone 6 for a while longer. In that sense, the situation is involuntary.
Will she be able to get through another year? I very much doubt it, so we will have to revisit the options when she decides the iPhone 6 is more trouble than it is worth and see if her opinion has changed on the available options.
I don't think you're using "voluntary" in the way that most people understand the term. It's not involuntary if you're refusing to spend the money required. Doubly so if you can readily afford it. You've made a very conscious choice there.
I would add that anyone using a 5 year old iPhone isn't doing so voluntarily. There are likely limiting factors in play (mostly economical).
This strikes me as an odd frame of reference. I don't think anyone would choose to use an iPhone that isn't the current model if they could upgrade without paying, but it hardly makes sense to say that anyone using an iPhone older than a year is doing so "involuntarily" simply because stuff costs money. They've simply made a judgement as a consumer, that $700 in their pocket, or spent on something else, is worth more to them than an updated iPhone.
The exact same is true for Android users of older handsets. They're choosing (directly or indirectly by lack of attention) not to upgrade because they don't see a good enough value proposition in doing so.
That's what I meant. Anyone currently using a five year old phone (Android or iPhone). I didn't mean 'older than a year'.
I think it's reasonable to assume that anyone with a very old handset would prefer a newer one but there could be factors that rule an upgrade out. Cost is clearly one factor. Stubbornness is another. A few people here have claimed that they will hang onto their SEs as long as they possibly can if Apple doesn't refresh the line, for example.
My wife is in a similar situation now. She isn't hanging onto to her iPhone 6 'voluntarily'. She would love to change it. In fact she has a long list of issues with it. It's not that she doesn't want to upgrade. She does, and could, at the drop of a hat. She just thinks the new phones are overpriced and doesn't want an 'old' model. She says she doesn't want an Android phone either, so the situation means she will stick with the iPhone 6 for a while longer. In that sense, the situation is involuntary.
Will she be able to get through another year? I very much doubt it, so we will have to revisit the options when she decides the iPhone 6 is more trouble than it is worth and see if her opinion has changed on the available options.
I don't think you're using "voluntary" in the way that most people understand the term. It's not involuntary if you're refusing to spend the money required. Doubly so if you can readily afford it. You've made a very conscious choice there.
Yeah, it's a question of interpretation but that was the way I meant it.
I would add that anyone using a 5 year old iPhone isn't doing so voluntarily. There are likely limiting factors in play (mostly economical).
This strikes me as an odd frame of reference. I don't think anyone would choose to use an iPhone that isn't the current model if they could upgrade without paying, but it hardly makes sense to say that anyone using an iPhone older than a year is doing so "involuntarily" simply because stuff costs money. They've simply made a judgement as a consumer, that $700 in their pocket, or spent on something else, is worth more to them than an updated iPhone.
The exact same is true for Android users of older handsets. They're choosing (directly or indirectly by lack of attention) not to upgrade because they don't see a good enough value proposition in doing so.
That's what I meant. Anyone currently using a five year old phone (Android or iPhone). I didn't mean 'older than a year'.
I think it's reasonable to assume that anyone with a very old handset would prefer a newer one but there could be factors that rule an upgrade out. Cost is clearly one factor. Stubbornness is another. A few people here have claimed that they will hang onto their SEs as long as they possibly can if Apple doesn't refresh the line, for example.
My wife is in a similar situation now. She isn't hanging onto to her iPhone 6 'voluntarily'. She would love to change it. In fact she has a long list of issues with it. It's not that she doesn't want to upgrade. She does, and could, at the drop of a hat. She just thinks the new phones are overpriced and doesn't want an 'old' model. She says she doesn't want an Android phone either, so the situation means she will stick with the iPhone 6 for a while longer. In that sense, the situation is involuntary.
Will she be able to get through another year? I very much doubt it, so we will have to revisit the options when she decides the iPhone 6 is more trouble than it is worth and see if her opinion has changed on the available options.
Well, at least have your wife's iPhone upgraded to iOS 12.
I'll wait a little to see if iOS 12 is free of any nasties but will probably upgrade it at some point.
Comments
"Would that 5 year old Android devices do as well"
And you speak about context?
I feel safe (very safe) in saying that very few Android phones are purchased with the idea of being used for 5 years and that given the choice, most Android users would (and do) choose to pay less for the phone at the outset and upgrade after two or three years and enjoy the benefits of new hardware as well as software. In fact, I am sure most iPhone users feel the same. It's just that the initial outlay for the phone makes a two year upgrade cycle complicated for many. I would add that anyone using a 5 year old iPhone isn't doing so voluntarily. There are likely limiting factors in play (mostly economical).
I have had two phones in the period my wife has had the iPhone 6. Financially, I am still up on tbe deal and have a FAR better phone. No 'snappy' iOS update will even begin to change that reality. Much less seeing as many had to suffer probably the buggiest iOS release cycle ever in iOS11, along with battery gate.
The exact same is true for Android users of older handsets. They're choosing (directly or indirectly by lack of attention) not to upgrade because they don't see a good enough value proposition in doing so.
I think it's reasonable to assume that anyone with a very old handset would prefer a newer one but there could be factors that rule an upgrade out. Cost is clearly one factor. Stubbornness is another. A few people here have claimed that they will hang onto their SEs as long as they possibly can if Apple doesn't refresh the line, for example.
My wife is in a similar situation now. She isn't hanging onto to her iPhone 6 'voluntarily'. She would love to change it. In fact she has a long list of issues with it. It's not that she doesn't want to upgrade. She does, and could, at the drop of a hat. She just thinks the new phones are overpriced and doesn't want an 'old' model. She says she doesn't want an Android phone either, so the situation means she will stick with the iPhone 6 for a while longer. In that sense, the situation is involuntary.
Will she be able to get through another year? I very much doubt it, so we will have to revisit the options when she decides the iPhone 6 is more trouble than it is worth and see if her opinion has changed on the available options.