Mobile Processors: What You Should Know

The processor is one of the main part of smartphone. But what is it that makes one processor faster than another? The clock speed (GHz) or the number of cores is not everything. There are many other things you can read in specifications table of smartphones.

SoC (System-on-Chip) consists of several components. It includes the central processor (CPU), graphics processor (GPU), LTE modem, multimedia processor and processor for safety signals. Such a variety of features make it very difficult to talk about “the fastest mobile processor”.

Comparison of the fastest mobile processors

We will see measurements of GPU and CPU and will tell you what Android devices have faster processors.

ARM architecture CPU: The common denominator in mobile processors?

The trick is not in the sequence of chips, but mainly in its composition. Samsung Galaxy S4 successfully applied design ARM big.LITTLE. This was the union of two groups of different processors within a single processor. The first group of cores (Big-Cluster) has four high-performance cores, meanwhile, the second group called LITTLE-Cluster has four parallel cores less power.

LITTLE- Cluster is responsible for tasks in the background, while the big-cluster is activated only with minor tasks because of their high energy consumption.

The speed of the four cores makes the user feel that your smartphone is ready whenever you need. Big.LITTLE type processors become the standard for many smartphones, even mid-range devices.

Our measurements have shown that Exynos 8890 is fastest mobile processor. Despite not provide maximum CPU performance, it is perfect for playing games that demand high quality graphics, which places it on par with Nvidia Tegra X1.

GPU: Are there big differences for games?

With Nvidia Tegra X1, the manufacturer NVidia provides the graphics processor (GPU) to market fastest smartphones. The list of compatible games is growing daily. Nvidia has a wide range of games in Play Store with its GPU support.

Android devices with Nvidia GPU:

• Nvidia Shield Tablet
• HTC / Google Nexus 9
• Nvidia Shield (Android TV)
• Google Pixel C

You can see the difference between a slow or fast GPU when playing a very recent game in a pretty old smartphone.

According to benchmark 3DMark, Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in its American version with Snapdragon have the fastest GPU among Android devices. OnePlus 3 is a good alternative for those looking for a similar performance for gaming. My final recommendation is Google Pixel C, for those who do not want to stay without good graphic quality.

Snapdragon 820 and 821

Snapdragon 820 quad core is faster than Snapdragon 810 with eight cores. Its secret lies in its recently updated Hexagon processor and optimization of machine learning algorithms. This brings improvements in performance of camera and increases the amount of photos.

Google Pixel is one of the first devices that use its new features. The chip does not bring many surprises as comparative analyzes, even though its performance in video games is quite good with quality ranging common features such as pictures.

Samsungs Exynos 8

Samsung has added its second victory with Exynos 8890, being the fastest mobile processor to date. However, processor is not the only reason the Galaxy phones are so fast. UFS type flash memory, which patent is unique to Samsung, makes the charging time is shorter. Moreover, this technology is already used outside the Galaxy series, mainly in OnePlus 3 and Google Pixel.

MediaTek Helio X30

MediaTek has become a serious competitor to Qualcomm and Samsung. Helio X30 has not yet officially hit the market, so we do not know its specifications, but expect good results.

Conclusion

Galaxy S7 smartphones with Snapdragon 820 or Exynos 8890 are equally fast. Huawei Honor devices and their HISILICON processors are also great for everyday tasks, but less suitable for gaming due to the high consumption of resources.

However, in addition to the processor, Flash (internal) memory plays a decisive role in the speed of performance smartphone. So, smartphones like Google Pixel, OnePlus 3, Samsung Galaxy S6 and later, as well as Huawei and Honor, offer the best possible performance.

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Atom processors from Intel – not the most popular solutions on the market. However, the number of devices based on them is growing steadily. These chips are easily found on desktop PCs, laptops, tablets and even smartphones.

Of course, their performance leaves much to be desired. Besides confused model names. For example – Z3745. What a valuable man in the street can learn from such a character set?

So do not be surprised by the corporation plans to organize a large-scale rebranding. Platform capabilities expand, “names” will become clearer.

Atom processors from Intel 2015

Intel will adopt the method used to promote a series of Core. The future generation of Atom receives readable suffixes: X3, X5, and X7.

The X3 will be designed for entry-level devices – phones and budget “tablet.” Specifications X5 will serve as an ideal basis for devices “middle class”.

Option X7, respectively, offer exceptional performance, suitable for the creation of a “flagship”.

When the Atom line change in this manner – not reported. But if the above happens, users will be easier to navigate the updates to Intel.

Source: nextpowerup

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Apple and Samsung is not always waged a fierce competitive struggle and the judiciary. There was a time when he himself Steve Jobs wanted iPhone processor manufacturer for the South Korean giant began precisely because he considered it the best in the business. Since then, much has changed: once in Cupertino found that Samsung blatantly copies the design of iOS-devices, the friendly relations between the two corporations come to an end.

Nevertheless, something has remained unchanged. Apple did not wrap up an affiliate program with Samsung, which successfully provides iPhone quality chips for several years. The point here is, you guessed it, not in mutual trust and respect. Until recently, Apple had no choice , since no other processor manufacturer could not meet her needs.

But according to the portal Fudzilla, this year the “apple” the company intends to completely abandon its direct competitor services and will not enter into an agreement with him on the production of chips for the next generation A8 iPhone. Samsung responsibilities fall on the shoulders of Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer TSMC, which will be the sole partner of Apple in this direction.

In addition, a new iPhone again be LTE-chip of Qualcomm solutions instead integrated into the processor A8, as expected. So that a significant increase in battery life of the smartphone should not wait – Apple is not going to reduce the number of chips in the device to optimize its energy consumption.

Last week, well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities said that Apple will not update iPad mini this year and leave the current model with the A7 processor and display Retina. Release the so-called iPad Pro, he also called unlikely, so the new processors are likely to receive only “Senior» iPad and iPhone.

Prior to this, sources reported that in Cupertino want as quickly as possible free from Samsung in terms of production of processors, but at the moment capacities TSMC lacked for production of chips for the iPhone and iPad. It seems that the problem is either already solved or will be solved soon.

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Resource DigiTimes citing Taiwanese industry sources reported that the family of processors Intel Haswell-E, which will include an 8-core models will be presented in the third quarter of 2014. In this case, the forecast data, by the end of 2014 the share of processors Ivy Bridge-E and Haswell-E in supplying Intel will not exceed 5%.

The new family of processors Haswell-E will replace the current model Ivy Bridge-E. At the same time with the new chip processor giant will release a chipset Intel X99. Motherboard chipset Intel X99, which are needed for processors Intel Haswell-E, will be able to offer native support for USB 3.0 and up to 10 SATA 6 Gb / s.

Haswell-E processors will be released on 22-nanometer process technology, PCI Express 3.0 support and a 4-channel memory type DDR4-2133. At the same family as the high-performance model will index X, the more accessible and the index K. The cost of the flagship model will be about $ 1,000. She can boast technology support Hyper-Threading – 16 virtual cores.

DigiTimes also claims that in the second half of 2014 Intel will release updated processors Haswell Refresh, which are intended to justify the delay desktop chips Broadwell. Deliveries processors Haswell Refresh will begin in May 2014, and the official announcement will take place at Computex 2014 in June. At the same time supply the accompanying chipset Intel Z97 and H97 will begin in March and April, so the appearance of motherboards based on them, which will also support CPU Haswell first generation, do not wait until April.

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Over the past six months lineup of processors ARM architecture has changed significantly, the update affected not only the top, but the lower price segment. Some manufacturers have lost their influence on the market, while others, on the contrary, have a chance to become famous. More changes will bring in 2014, which will mark the beginning of an era of 64-bit ARM-processors.

First off from the race

Mobile processors ARM – one of the fastest growing markets. Number of players on it compared to x86 processors just rolls. Companies turn intercept palm championship, trying to stand out if you do not speed, but at least reasonable price.

Far from all companies manage to sustain such a high long race pace of innovation. For example, Texas Instruments, recently controlled the lower price segment of tablet PCs, refused to release processors OMAP5 and smoothly passes on the production of chips for the automotive industry.

But the holy place is never empty, so no long queue wanting to take the place of Texas Instruments on the market. Read about the generations of ARM (from ARM9 to Cortex-A15) can be in the article “CPU ARM: architectural features, differences and perspectives” . On the evolution of chips Apple A-series, Samsung Exynos, NVIDIA Tegra and Qualcomm Snapdragon discussed in detail in the article “CPU ARM: manufacturers and models” .

At this time we will talk about the latest chips Apple, Quallcomm and MediaTek, describe the second-tier manufacturers (Broadcom, Allwinner, Fuzhou Rockchip, AMLogic, Marvell, Action Semiconductor and Freescale), as well as speculate about three promising cores ARM: midrange Sortex-A53 , flagship Sortex-A57 and energy efficient Cortex-M3.

Apple’s false start

The fact that it was Apple released the first 64-bit ARM-based processor for smartphones and tablets, is a bit surprising. The key difference chip A7 – theoretical support 4 GB of RAM, whereas in practice, iPhone 5S, iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display its only 1 GB. And it is hardly even a year later RAM iOS-devices more than doubles.

Nevertheless, Apple A7 chip was at times more powerful than its predecessor (A6), and all thanks to the two processor cores ARMv8 Cyclone with a frequency of 1.3-1.4 GHz and graphics accelerator PowerVR G6430. A7 produces still the company Samsung, though before rumors of a possible collaboration with Apple Taiwanese contract semiconductor manufacturer TSMC.

Architecture Cyclone, as well as last year’s Swift (ARMv7) – own development Apple, which is not the answer to the reference ARM Cortex-A15, and on the Cortex-A57. Graphical same core PowerVR G6430 – the first representative of the long-awaited series of Rogue Imagination Technologies.

Qualcomm: four flagship year

Throughout 2013, Qualcomm alternately introduced four high CPU ARM, each of which was something innovative. Perhaps no other manufacturer ARM-chips that would be beyond the power, but not in vain because Qualcomm called «Intel mobile world.”

Earlier this year, Qualcomm has released a flagship while Snapdragon processor 600 (quad-core Krait 300, Adreno 320 graphics), which became the basis of smartphones HTC One, LG Optimus G Pro and Oppo Find 5. By the summer podospel new flagship Snapdragon 800 (quad-core Krait 400, Adreno 330 graphics) smartphone Sony Xperia Z1, LG G2 and Nexus 5, as well as tablets Asus PadFone Infinity new Nokia Lumia and 2520.

In autumn, was introduced another novelty Qualcomm – Snapdragon 805 future flagship quad-core Krait 450 and hitherto unprecedented graphics Adreno 420. And did not have time to settle down the hype surrounding Snapdragon 805, as was the announcement of mid-level, but still revolutionary Snapdragon 410. This chip opens its 64-bit solutions Qualcomm and is based on the architecture of ARM Cortex-A53. It remains only to guess whether translated Qualcomm Krait own architecture to 64-bit or completely trust in reference solutions company ARM Limited.

ARM Cortex-A53 and Cortex-A57: give 64 bits!

The youngest of the reference 64-bit architectures ARM Limited – Cortex-A53 – performance comparable to the good old Cortex-A9. That is based on it will be mostly entry-level chips with up to four cores. Cortex-A53 has a multimedia coprocessor NEON, supports hardware virtualization and is backward compatible with 32-bit architecture ARMv7.

Older ARM Cortex-A57 performance by about a third faster than the current leader – Cortex-A15. Chips of this architecture will have up to sixteen cores, but it will likely server solutions. In addition, ARM Limited offers combine Cortex-A57 and Cortex-A53 scheme big.LITTLE, but only two cores each species.

MediaTek: not quality

Just a few years the company has gone from MediaTek producer ultrabudgetary processors for Chinese iPhone clones to one of the most influential players in the semiconductor market. It was she who took the vacant after the departure of Texas Instruments in TOP5 chipmakers, along with Samsung, Apple, Qualcomm and NVIDIA.

So, that MediaTek has created the first true eight-ARM-based processor – MT6592. Recall that the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa made under the scheme big.LITTLE, that is, at the same time can work only four of its core. Another thing is that the processor cores (ARM Cortex-A7), and graphics (Mali-450) at the MT6592 comparatively weak, and the number of threads is unlikely to parallelize at least one Android-application. But from a marketing standpoint move certainly correct. The first “real Eight” smartphone should become THL T100.

In place of last year’s budget single and dual-core chips MediaTek architecture Cortex-A9 have new, more energy-efficient processors MT6572 and MT6589 (two and four cores respectively). Energoappetit managed to reduce by switching to architecture ARM Cortex-A7 and 28 nm process technology. In MT6572 chip integrated graphics core Mali-400MP, and MT6589 – PowerVR SGX544MP. By the way, have MediaTek and 8000 series of ARM chips without built-in 3G, focused on tablet PCs.

Broadcom and Marvell: exclusives for Samsung

Company Broadcom and Marvell, in fact, became the sole supplier ARM-processors for smartphones and tablets Samsung entry level. Thus, a single-core chip Broadcom BCM21553 Thunderbird (single core ARM11, graphics Video Core IV) in the last year used in Android-smartphone Samsung Galaxy Y and “badafone» Wave Y.

And this year the foundation smartphone Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 and Mega 5.8 became SoC Broadcom BCM21654 (two core Cortex-A9, graphics VideoCore IV). There are a range of Broadcom and quad-core Cortex-A7 – model BCM23550. The first smartphone based on it will be Xolo Q1000 Opus.

In turn, the tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 3 applies chip Marvell Armada PXA986. By the way, it is Marvell in 2006 bought out the production of processors Intel XScale. Most often, this company chips found in network attached storage (NAS). The model also contains two PXA986 core Cortex-A9 and graphics Vivante GC1000 +.

Allwinner, Fuzhou Rockchip and AMLogic: three sisters under the window

Market-oriented policies of companies Allwinner, Fuzhou Rockchip and AMLogic very similar: they are rather slowly embracing new technology, but hang on their ARM-based processors are very favorable price tags. That is why chips “three sisters” are often found in Chinese Tablet PC manufacturers, as well as Ukrainian and Russian brands that are essentially the same.

Thus, the company now offers a dual-core Allwinner chip A20 (Cortex-A7, Mali-400MP) and quad-A31 (Cortex-A7, PowerVR SGX544MP), and also announced an eight-A80 Octa. Fortunately, overheated and inhibitory single core Allwinner Boxchip A10 remained in the past.

In turn, the company Fuzhou Rockchip, find success with CPU RK3188, planned for 2014 transition to architecture ARM Cortex-A12 (energy efficient successor Cortex-A9). It was on her schedule and Mali-T624 will build a brand new chip RK3288.

The company plans AMLogic and does “Napoleon”: quad-core chip firing M802 (Cortex-A9, Mali-450), she is working on models M9 (64-bit architecture and graphics series ARMv8 Mali-700).

Freescale and Action Semiconductor: in oblivion

In 2004, the semiconductor division of Motorola separated into a separate company called Freescale. Since then, the core business are Freescale chips for the automotive industry. Latest ARM-processors are models of i.MX6 Dual and i.MX6 Quad (two and four core Cortex-A9, respectively, graphics Vivante GC2000). However, widespread popularity they do not enjoy even the Chinese Tablet PC manufacturers. Comes to mind except that the tablet Ampe A10.

Things are going a little better from the Chinese company Action Semiconductor. Its entire range is reduced to two chips: ATM7029 (four core Cortex-A9, graphics Vivante GC1000) and ATM7019 (architecture MIPS). Yes, the MIPS processor architecture operating system Android, starting with version 4.0, also supports.

What will the coming year?

In 2014, the market of ARM processors should be a new, but well-known player – the company AMD. Lower power x86 processors to a sufficiently low level AMD have failed, so she began working with ARM Limited.

In early 2014 we will see new flagship Samsung Exynos chips and NVIDIA Tegra. But, the main question – whether the company with its Intel Atom chips to press the ARM in the smartphone market, as it has already done with tablet PCs. If this happens, ARM Limited and its licensees will be hard times. They have to go back to basics – producing chips ARM Cortex-M3 with ultra low power consumption.

Cortex-M3 architecture still remains a “dark horse.” It is these processors are often used in wearable computers: smart watches and bracelets. For example, the basis Pebble Smartwatch is 80 MHz chip STM32F2 from Swiss company STMicroelectronics.

CPU ARM Cortex-M3 yet simple and cheap, but it is only a matter of time. With the development of industry wearable computers they will gradually grow into new opportunities.

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Qualcomm has announced the release of a new mobile Snapdragon processor 410, which is designed for emerging markets, mostly – China.

This chip is an integrated system-on-chip. It is produced at rates 28 nanometrovgo process. It supports 64-bit computing, high-speed communication standard 4G LTE, a configuration with two or three SIM-cards, camera modules with resolutions up to 13 megapixels. Device can play video in Full HD resolution. Responsible for processing graphics core Adreno 306. In addition, 410 Snapdragon chipset supports wireless interfaces Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC, system geopositioning GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou, FM-radio.

Novelty can be used to create mobile-based operating systems Android, Windows Phone and Firefox OS. Deliveries chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 will begin in the first half of 2014, and finished commercial devices based on it will go on sale in the second half.

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When Apple adds some new functions into their devices, its main competitors are watching with interest how this or that innovation will be perceived by buyers. If the gadget is really good demand, they take on the novelty weapons and rework it to your products, activating the so-called “copying” the car . Many of the technologies that Apple uses in the iPhone and iPad, existed before (the same fingerprint reader), but for some reason, “trend”, it is considered only after its appearance in the iOS-devices .

So with the 64-bit processor, which the corporation has equipped iPhone 5s, iPad Air and iPad mini second generation. Although after the presentation of the new iPhone, many said that the chip A7 – nothing more than a marketing ploy Apple, one fact was clear: soon 64-bit processors will appear in smartphones and Android, and Windows Phone. But few could have predicted when it will happen.

The answer to this question recently gave portal DigiTimes, which, citing its own sources of the largest suppliers of processors reported that Qualcomm, Nvidia and Broadcom are planning to introduce a 64-bit quad-core processors in the first half of next year. Most likely, the new chips will be announced at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). It will be held in January 2014 in Las Vegas.

One manufacturer – the company MediaTek – is not going to follow the general “trend” and continue to develop eight-processor. Such a chip is already being used in the smartphone Huawei G750. Not entirely clear why low-cost mobile device processor is needed with so many cores, but the leadership of the Chinese corporation probably know better.

Given that the same from Samsung Galaxy S4 equipped with a processor from Qualcomm, and HTC One – chip production Nvidia, soon most Android-devices will switch to 64-bit architecture. Unlike CPU iPhone 5s, again, will be in the amount of cores. In this senseless race Apple is not involved and is unlikely to be soon.

Even now, you will notice that many of the applications and games on the iPhone 5s are loaded much faster than previous generations of smartphone Apple. Of course, the actions the company has added work program developers , who now have to support just two architecture – 32-bit and 64-bit, but that is no reason for a rapid escape from the App Store.

No doubt, Apple continues to set the trend. Yes, sometimes the company borrows something from their competitors, but usually everything is just the opposite. Apple acts as a “test pilot”, which the other smartphone makers unwittingly (and someone intentionally) is used to “break-in” new technologies.

Well, wait a fingerprint reader in the Galaxy S5 ?

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According to the resource DigiTimes , which refers to sources of information in the channel suppliers, slow transition from the Ivy Bridge processor family at Haswell chips impact on Intel’s original plan for 2014. Now Ivy Bridge remains as a mass platform for laptops, and the new phase-out schedules of these processors are not yet defined.

According to the source, currently based notebook Ivy Bridge processors are more popular solutions than devices based on chips Haswell. The average retail price of the laptop is below $ 675. This situation is the result of the mid-range model and Ultrabooks suffer from weak demand.

As the demand for Ivy Bridge processors are still quite high, Intel is forced to reconsider the cancellation of this platform. However, such a move adversely affect the sales of processors Haswell, which replaced the next year should come next-generation solutions Broadwell. It is reported that Intel has already started to make adjustments in the plans for the delivery of different processors in 2014, to avoid problems with inventory.

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Although the new generation Mac Pro will be available only in December , continue to appear on the Web performance test results of new computers, carried out with the help of the popular utility Geekbench. This time, the basis of the results of the program experts have found information on the version of “Proshka” with a six-core processor, which will certainly interest those who want to buy this machine as soon as it will appear in retail stores.

According to the publication MacRumors, Mac Pro, equipped with a six-core processor Intel Xeon E5-1650 v2 with a frequency of 3.5 GHz, has demonstrated a significant increase in performance compared to its predecessor. If the score is six-core Mac Pro 2012 in Geekbench benchmark is 14,000, then the new generation, he has passed for 18,000. Computer, seen during the tests, uses for his work OS X Maverick version of 13A4023, which is not final.

The first tests of 12-core Mac Pro appeared during the Worldwide Developers Conference WWDC in June of this year – then his account was 23 901. A model of an eight benchmarks found only in September. Almost as much as it was at the 12-core Mac Pro last year.

How is the performance of an eight-core version was higher than the 12-core? The fact is that for the last test was used utility Geekbench 2.4.3 and benchmarks younger models that came later, were carried out with the help of an updated program Geekbench 3.1.2. Therefore, to compare these results with each other simply inappropriate.

Productivity gains of six-core Mac Pro has provided not only a new processor Intel Xeon E5, but two graphics chips AMD FirePro. The computer comes with 16 GB of DDR3 memory and PCIe flash drive capacity of 256 GB. Price new is four thousand dollars in the U.S. Apple store.

Analysts had expected the start of sales of new Mac Pro immediately after the presentation of iPad on October 22, but Apple has decided to postpone the official release as much until December. The exact dates Phil Schiller did not say, but computers must be in the shops before Christmas.

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A famous saying goes, if you can not beat someone – be on his side. It seems that Intel is going to solve the problem of the backlog in the market of mobile processors that way. During the conference, developers ARM TechCon partner Intel – the company Altera, made a very interesting statement. The fact that the new SoC Stratix 10, which will be produced at the facilities of Intel’s standards 14-nm Tri-Gate, include a 4-core 64-bit processor ARM Cortex-A53.

It is worth noting that such a statement has shocked many influential analysts of the technology industry, as Intel has always tried to put an end to the rule of ARM in the mobile market.

“This is great. Just imagine the most high-performance 64-bit processor made by Intel factories using advanced process technologies. It is hard to imagine a better outcome for the industry, “- said a leading analyst Nathan Brookwood at Insight 64.

It is believed that this is just the beginning and in the near future, the processor giant is planning to become a serious competitor TSMC and Samsung. Perhaps soon eternal rivals of Intel in the mobile market – NVIDIA and Qualcomm, will be its business partners. The question is, are NVIDIA and Qualcomm to cooperate with its direct competitor. Do not forget about Apple, which has been actively looking for dying the way from Samsung and can look in the direction of Intel in the event that the latter will make the best offer.

By the way, the beginning of chip production Stratix 10 scheduled for 2014.

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