diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-diff.c b/tools/perf/builtin-diff.c
index eec89567ae48..e8a1b16aa5f8 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-diff.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-diff.c
@@ -1378,8 +1378,8 @@ static int cycles_printf(struct hist_entry *he, struct hist_entry *pair,
 	end_line = map__srcline(he->ms.map, bi->sym->start + bi->end,
 				he->ms.sym);
 
-	if ((strncmp(start_line, SRCLINE_UNKNOWN, strlen(SRCLINE_UNKNOWN)) != 0) &&
-	    (strncmp(end_line, SRCLINE_UNKNOWN, strlen(SRCLINE_UNKNOWN)) != 0)) {
+	if (start_line != SRCLINE_UNKNOWN &&
+	    end_line != SRCLINE_UNKNOWN) {
 		scnprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "[%s -> %s] %4ld",
 			  start_line, end_line, block_he->diff.cycles);
 	} else {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/block-info.c b/tools/perf/util/block-info.c
index 08279b1b65e5..591fc1edd385 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/block-info.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/block-info.c
@@ -296,8 +296,8 @@ static int block_range_entry(struct perf_hpp_fmt *fmt, struct perf_hpp *hpp,
 	end_line = map__srcline(he->ms.map, bi->sym->start + bi->end,
 				he->ms.sym);
 
-	if ((strncmp(start_line, SRCLINE_UNKNOWN, strlen(SRCLINE_UNKNOWN)) != 0) &&
-	    (strncmp(end_line, SRCLINE_UNKNOWN, strlen(SRCLINE_UNKNOWN)) != 0)) {
+	if (start_line != SRCLINE_UNKNOWN &&
+	    end_line != SRCLINE_UNKNOWN) {
 		scnprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "[%s -> %s]",
 			  start_line, end_line);
 	} else {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/hist.c b/tools/perf/util/hist.c
index 0a10bcc6ec95..3dc8a4968beb 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/hist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/hist.c
@@ -484,7 +484,7 @@ static int hist_entry__init(struct hist_entry *he,
 			goto err_infos;
 	}
 
-	if (he->srcline && strcmp(he->srcline, SRCLINE_UNKNOWN)) {
+	if (he->srcline && he->srcline != SRCLINE_UNKNOWN) {
 		he->srcline = strdup(he->srcline);
 		if (he->srcline == NULL)
 			goto err_rawdata;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/map.c b/tools/perf/util/map.c
index c77e2fce6a37..f30d34903aa4 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/map.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/map.c
@@ -496,7 +496,7 @@ int map__fprintf_srcline(struct map *map, u64 addr, const char *prefix,
 
 	if (dso) {
 		char *srcline = map__srcline(map, addr, NULL);
-		if (strncmp(srcline, SRCLINE_UNKNOWN, strlen(SRCLINE_UNKNOWN)) != 0)
+		if (srcline != SRCLINE_UNKNOWN)
 			ret = fprintf(fp, "%s%s", prefix, srcline);
 		zfree_srcline(&srcline);
 	}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/sort.c b/tools/perf/util/sort.c
index 047c3606802f..6aa1c7f2b444 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/sort.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/sort.c
@@ -643,7 +643,7 @@ static char *hist_entry__get_srcfile(struct hist_entry *e)
 
 	sf = __get_srcline(map__dso(map), map__rip_2objdump(map, e->ip),
 			 e->ms.sym, false, true, true, e->ip);
-	if (!strcmp(sf, SRCLINE_UNKNOWN))
+	if (sf == SRCLINE_UNKNOWN)
 		return no_srcfile;
 	p = strchr(sf, ':');
 	if (p && *sf) {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/srcline.c b/tools/perf/util/srcline.c
index b8e596528d7e..aec596a0b0bb 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/srcline.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/srcline.c
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@
 
 bool srcline_full_filename;
 
+char *srcline__unknown = (char *)"??:0";
+
 static const char *dso__name(struct dso *dso)
 {
 	const char *dso_name;
@@ -809,7 +811,7 @@ void zfree_srcline(char **srcline)
 	if (*srcline == NULL)
 		return;
 
-	if (strcmp(*srcline, SRCLINE_UNKNOWN))
+	if (*srcline != SRCLINE_UNKNOWN)
 		free(*srcline);
 
 	*srcline = NULL;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/srcline.h b/tools/perf/util/srcline.h
index a15c7db9058e..167645bcff07 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/srcline.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/srcline.h
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@ char *srcline__tree_find(struct rb_root_cached *tree, u64 addr);
 /* delete all srclines within the tree */
 void srcline__tree_delete(struct rb_root_cached *tree);
 
-#define SRCLINE_UNKNOWN  ((char *) "??:0")
+extern char *srcline__unknown;
+#define SRCLINE_UNKNOWN srcline__unknown
 
 struct inline_list {
 	struct symbol		*symbol;