The Mali-450, especially when paired with ancient 28nm process nodes (e.g., in chips like the MediaTek MT6580 or Spreadtrum SC9832E), is a thermal nightmare by modern standards. The G31 MP2, despite being a "budget" chip, runs noticeably cooler.
In raw single-precision floating-point (FP32) compute power, a key metric for gaming performance, the Mali-450 MP2 has a slight edge. It achieves around , while the Mali-G31 MP2 delivers approximately 20.8 GFLOPS . However, the Mali-G31's performance density is 20% better than its predecessor for complex workloads.
There is no contest. The Mali-G31 MP2 is superior in every meaningful way—performance, features, efficiency, and software compatibility. The only reason to consider Mali-450 today is if you are repairing a retro device or working with a $10 IoT board that cannot run a modern OS. malig31 mp2 vs mali450 hot
: The Mali-G31 is commonly paired with newer CPUs like the Cortex-A55 , leading to a much smoother and "snappier" user experience in Android boxes and budget smartphones. Comparison Table Mali-G31 MP2 Architecture Bifrost (Modern) Utgard (Legacy) Max OpenGL ES Vulkan Support Yes (v1.2) Memory Compression Performance Tier Ultra-efficient Mainstream Legacy Budget 🚀 Why the Mali-G31 MP2 Wins
or undergoes severe thermal throttling during 4K streaming or gaming. This comprehensive analysis breaks down the architectural evolution, API support, decoding capabilities, and thermal profiles behind the Mali-G31 MP2 Go to product viewer dialog for this item. The Mali-450, especially when paired with ancient 28nm
: Some benchmarks suggest a performance gap of approximately 14% to 20% in favor of the Mali-G31 MP2 for basic rendering tasks. Software & API Support This is the most critical difference for modern users:
The Mali-450 was designed for process nodes (e.g., on the MediaTek MT6582 or MT6595). 28nm is leaky. As electrons flow through the circuit, resistance generates massive heat. The Mali-G31 MP2 is almost always paired with 12nm or 14nm chips (like the Unisoc SC9863A or MediaTek Helio G-series variants). 12nm is roughly 50% more energy efficient. The G31 simply leaks less power. It achieves around , while the Mali-G31 MP2
| Feature | Mali-G31 MP2 | Mali-450 MP4/MP6 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Valhall (Modern) | Utgard (Legacy) | | Cores | 2 (MP2) | 4 to 6 (MP4/MP6) | | Shader Cores | 1 Unified Core (2 Execution Engines) | 16 (Fixed function) | | API Support | OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.1, OpenCL 2.0 | OpenGL ES 2.0 (Some 3.1 via hacks) | | Pixel Rate | ~1.2 GPixel/s | ~2.8 GPixel/s | | Manufacturing | 12nm - 16nm | 28nm - 32nm |
You get more performance per milliwatt.