Realtek RTD1315C / RTD1325. Review and Comparison VS all SoCs

Today we present the comparison and analysis of the new SoC Realtek RTD1315C / RTD1325 vs. the rest of SoCs on the market. A very interesting processor.

The new SoC Realtek RTD1315C / RTD1325 is a Quad Core with ARM Cortex-A55 cores and a Mali-G57 GPU for graphics. The Realtek RTD1315C is designed for TV-Sticks formats and the Realtek RTD1325 for TV-Boxes with more ports. In the video section, it stands out for supporting native decoding of codecs such as AV1 with 4K@60fps support, and also includes support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos technologies. As a system we have Google TV 12 with Chromecast 4K and we have DRM certificates to view payment platforms such as Netflix, Max, Prime Video and the like.

Let’s see how it performs against other manufacturers such as Amlogic, Allwinner, Nvidia or Rockchip.

Realtek RTD1315C / RTD1325 Specifications

The new Realtek RTD1315C / RTD1325 SoC is manufactured in 12 nm, has a maximum power consumption of 3 W and features eight ARM Cortex-A55 cores with speed up to 1.7 GHz and Mali G57 MC1 GPU up to 850 MHz. It has native connection for HDMI 2.1 up to 4K@60fps video resolutions, USB 2.0 support and internal storage up to eMMC 5.1.

CPU

In the Realtek RTD1315C we have eight ARM Cortex-A55 cores, capable of reaching 1.7 GHz, a rather limited speed. The manufacturing process is only 12 nm, which places it in the mid/low performance range.

GPU, VPU and Multimedia

For the graphics section there is a Mali-G57 MC1 GPU that goes up to 850 MHz that can be compatible with Vulkan, but it depends on the firmware. In this SoC as we have seen, it supports AV1 codec and supports Dolby Vision/Atmos format and HDR 10 with resolutions up to 4K@60fps. It allows HDMI 2.1 video output. This SoC allows support for services with DRM for paid streaming, it is compatible with Netflix on Hailstorm compliant assemblers.

• Render: The system supports Android user environment in 4K resolution.
• Certificates: DRM / Netflix / Dolby Vision / Dolby Atmos.
• HDMI: Game mode / Auto refresh change.

Android System

The system that we found the device we used in our analysis is based on Android 12 (API 31), the kernel that controls the system is the kernel 5.4.232, a fairly modern version.

• Firmware: Compatible only with 32 bit apps due to firmware limitations, ABI armeabi-v8a is not supported

Performance test

We run several performance tests with Realtek RTD1315C SoCs and compare them against processors such as Nvidia Shield TV, Mediatek, Rockchip, Amlogic and previous generation Allwinner processors.

Test Hardware

For testing we will use a box with SoC Realtek RTD1315C, 2 GB of RAM DDR4 and 16 GB of storage eMMc 5.1. As a system we have Google TV 12 and we have a BT remote control to be able to use Google Assistant by voice. It has Chromecast 4K and all DRM certificates to view content from streaming apps with Dolby Vision and Atmos.

• The RockTek GB1 can be purchased on Amazon or AliExpress only for $59 with shipping included.

Geekbench

A test that gives us some high values in raw power, we can see the performance of the CPU in mono core and multi core thanks to its tests. As we can see, the results leave it slightly better than the AMLogic S905X4 in mono core and multi core.

3DMark

This quintessential graphics performance test with a pretty solid continuity in terms of results, which helps us when comparing GPU performance historically. As we can see, the ARM Mali-G57 GPU performs slightly better than the S905X4.

PCMark

This test allows us to get an idea of the power in terms of desktop apps of this chip, performing tasks such as browsing, video editing, handling text or audio files. The result is influenced by the overall hardware components. As we can see, the data leaves it at a similar level to the S905X4.

VPU and Sound

We test the video playback on the Realtek RTD1315C, we check the formats supported by the integrated VPU. As we can see, the results are good with h.265, VP9 and AV1 codecs up to 4K@60fps resolutions. We have good performance with 10bit color formats, we also have HDR, Dolby Vision and Atmos support. This is a SoC that does offer very good image quality in video playback, something we have already seen in ZIDOO equipment.

• HDR: Dolby Vision / HDR 10 support.
• Sound: Supports Dolby Atmos / DTS Core sound.
• HDMI: Game mode / Auto Framerate / HDMI-CEC

Video and audio test results

• SW = does not have hardware acceleration and may have some occasional skipping on very large files.

Conclusions

As we can see, this Realtek RTD1315C SoC is an interesting option if we are interested in image quality in video playback. The overall power is sufficient to use streaming apps and move smoothly within the Google TV 12 environment, although it remains to be seen the level of updates that we have in the long run.

This processor works well in terms of video playback, as we have seen it supports AV1 codec up to 4K@60fps HDR resolutions and we also have Dolby Vision / Atmos support. It also has support for DRM certificates and in the assembler we have tested it supports Netflix with its official app.

As we can see, the Realtek RTD1315C is a processor that offers good image quality and is compatible with modern codecs. An interesting option if we prioritize video/audio quality over power.