The best smartphone processors power the premium flagship smartphones and the top gaming phones in the market. They are the top dogs in the game and are what is required to satisfy everyone who wants the best possible performance in a smartphone.
Beyond the matter of performance, the best smartphone processors are also the most capable in many other ways. They deliver the best camera images, enable the most capable AI capabilities, best mobile data and Wi-Fi connectivity, and pretty much provide the top features that you can ask for in a smartphone.
Of the available chipmakers, Apple and Qualcomm are the most favored by the US market. They are both American companies, after all, so that should not be a surprise. Smartphones powered by Apple and Qualcomm chips are the most popular in the United States.
The below list of the best smartphone processors of 2024 was compiled from a detailed look at benchmark results from test platforms GeekBench 6, AnTuTu 10, and 3DMark.
Table of Contents
MediaTek Dimensity 9400
The Dimensity 9400 from MediaTek is undisputedly the best smartphone processor of 2024, leaving the competition from Qualcomm, Apple, and others in the dust. It is interesting how, once upon a time, MediaTek chipsets were snubbed by most people and treated as inferior. And truth be told, initially, they were.
But the Chinese chipmaker has stepped up their game and are making some of the best smartphone processors around today. Despite that, the U.S. market is not quite responsive to MediaTek chipsets, so there are not many smartphones targeted at the U.S that use the Dimensity 9400 and other MediaTek chips.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
The Snapdragon 8 Elite is the latest and most powerful smartphone processor from U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm. It will power some of the most premium flagship smartphones released in 2025.
Apple A18 Pro
In third place is Apple’s A18 Pro, the chipset that powers the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Apple A18
The A18 is the slightly less capable sibling of the A18 Pro and it is the chip inside the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models.
Dimensity 9300 Plus
MediaTek’s Dimensity 9300 Plus was the best smartphone processors from MediaTek from the second quarter of 2024 till the 3rd quarter of 2024. It has now been replaced by the Dimensity 9400.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 was released in 2023 and was the best smartphone processor from Qualcomm for much of 2023 until the arrival of the 8 Elite. This is the chipset at work inside Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the US version of the S24 Plus and S24.
Apple A17 Pro
The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max are the two smartphones with the A17 Pro inside.
Dimensity 9300
MediaTek’s Dimensity 9300 was released in November 2023 and was the top smartphone processors from the company till the arrival of the 9300 Plus in May 2024.
Apple A16 Bionic
It might come to you as a surprise that a processor from 2022 is still one of the 10 best smartphone processors in 2024. This chip is what powers the Apple iPhone 14 series.
Samsung Exynos 2400
The Exynos 2400, produced by Samsung, makes the list, just barely, bringing up the rear. This is the smartphone processor found in the international variant of the Samsung Galaxy S24 and the S24 Plus. While Samsung argues that it has comparative performance to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 used in the US variant of the S24 and S24 Plus, benchmark test results tell us that the Apple A17 Pro, Dimensity 9300 and A16 Bionic all sit between the two in terms of performance.
Last Words
In all, 4 of the 10 best smartphone processors in 2024 are from Apple. Isn’t that crazy? Perhaps it is time that Apple starts allowing other phone makers to license their chips for use? Will that ever happen, knowing Apple?
Anyway, the takeaway from the above list is that any model from the iPhone 14, iPhone 15, and iPhone 16 series, is more powerful and more capable than most smartphones released this year. Some of these older iPhone models are available at great deals with sweet discounted prices.
But for now, the Dimensity 9400 from MediaTek is the most powerful smartphone processor in the market today.
However, note that the differences in the benchmark test scores for the Dimensity 9400 and Snapdragon 8 Elite are not significant enough that you would experience any difference in real life usage. As such, it probably will make no difference whether you buy a Snapdragon 8 Elite phone or a Dimensity 9400 phone. You’d still be getting too features and performance.
If you are resident in the U.S., you won’t find many options using the Dimensity 9400 either, so it is a phone with a Snapdragon 8 Elite almost all the way. That or an iPhone with an Apple chipset.