Playstation 2 emulation performance
Before even getting into the games, virtually all modern emulators have graphics settings to configure — the most important being the graphics rendering API. OpenGL is the default on many emulators, but it’s a bit long in the tooth these days, whereas Vulkan is the future of Android gaming. As you’ll see in a moment, modern mobile GPUs see a decent performance boost from the Vulkan API, so we’ll be using that as our default wherever possible.
While we’re here, we also want to use the full power of these high-end GPUs to make the games look their best, so I opted for the 4x native resolution setting in NetherSX2 to render more pixels for a smoother image. For our games, I grabbed the beloved GTA: San Andreas and Need for Speed – Most Wanted and played five minutes of the same section across both handsets.
Dolphin emulation performance
NetherSX2 has already given us plenty of insight into how the two chips perform, but to confirm our results, I booted up the popular Dolphin emulator. For this test, I grabbed Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros on the Wii, made sure we were using the Vulkan API, and cranked up the graphics to output 1080p (3x native) with 2x AA enabled to smooth out those jagged edges.
Which chip should you pick for emulation?
Between benchmarks and our real-world tests, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite is undisputedly the performance champ at the moment, whether in the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or dedicated gaming phones like the ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro. When it comes to running demanding emulators, it’s the chip that maintains the steadiest frame rates across the games and emulators I tested here, especially if you’re sticking with OpenGL.
Which chip and phone you should pick for emulation depends on how you intend to play your games. If you’re after handheld gaming to get you through that public transport commute, pick the Dimensity 9400. Its lower temperatures and superb battery life make it perhaps the better pick despite the occasional frame rate dip. Just make sure you tick the Vulkan API. It’s just unfortunate that US consumers will struggle to get their hands on the MediaTek-powered OPPO Find X8 Pro or vivo X200 Pro.
