Can a Snapdragon processor use Mali graphics?

It can, but it will not. Mali GPU is much bigger in size than the Adreno GPU used by qualcomm and hence delivers a smaller performance per unit area, leading to higher cost for the same performance. Further, Qualcomm has an in-house GPU team, outsourcing GPU's isn't even worth considering. read more

A Qualcomm Snapdragon processor is an ARM CPU. It does what any other CPU is capable of doing. It runs OSes, does computation (mostly Int with some FP) and is used in various devices, from I/O, to tablets, to phones, to some low power computers, to various other embedded devices. read more

The other major difference is that the Exynos chips make use of Mali graphics processor whereas the Snapdragon uses Adreno GPU. This is a major factor in determining the speed of the processors. The Snapdragon processors are fast when it comes to running graphics rich content whereas the Exynos chipset fires up the apps quickly. read more

Snapdragon 835 (Adreno 540) will still be a better choice than Snapdragon 820/821 (Adreno 530). But I can assure you to that if you plan to use a Snapdragon 820/821 device for next 2-3 years, it won’t disappoint you. Before purchasing a device, the CPU and GPU performance shouldn’t be your only concern. read more