14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung didn't save all of its product unveilings for the Unpacked 5 event and as has launched two new mobile processors in anticipation, in the form of the Exynos 5422 and Exynos 5260.
Earlier in February, we told you Samsung was looking to increase shipments in its AP (Application processor) department. Sammy launched the Exynos platform in an attempt to deal with supply issues and boost profits.
However, Samsung is experiencing fierce competition from Qualcomm, which are becoming more and more widespread due to increasingly lowered prices. In Barcelona, most chip makers including Qualcomm, MediaTek and Intel launched new chips aimed to be implemented in mobile devices.
So as promised, today Samsung introduced new 32-bit Exynos chips aimed at smartphones and tablets with six-and eight CPU cores (via AusDroid). Unlike the three chip-makers mentioned above, we didn't see any 64-bit processor come out of the Korean's tech giant goodie box.
The two new chips were teased as being part of the Exynos Infinity family few days before the official launch.
But first thing’s first, Samsung’s eight-core Exynos 5 Octa 5422 chip has been designed for implementation in high-end smartphones and tablets, while the six-core Exynos 5 Hexa 5260 chip will be powering mid-range phones.
Both chips are capable of sustaining 4K video, an option that will certainly become useful once standard in mobile display resolution is increased in the following months. The Infinity duo is built upon the big.LITTLE HMP (Heterogeneous Multi Processing) architecture from ARM.
The Octa-core chip uses four 2.1GHz Cortex A15 cores and four 1.5GHz Cortex A7 cores, while the hexa-core counterpart offers two 1.7GHz ARM Cortex A15 cores and four 1.3GHz ARM Cortex A7 cores.
The 5422 has been produced using the 28nm manufacturing processing, thus offering 10% power reduction, compared to the previous 32nm process. Samsung says the new chip is also 34% faster than its predecessors.
The four high-power cores are meant to be used for intensive tasks related to productive work, while the other four low-power ones will be in charge of the usual tasks, including placing phones calls, sending texts and playing music.
The chip will enter production later this quarter, while the 5260 is currently in production. On its Twitter page, Samsung said the new chips should help “innovation and performance come together” and provide the means to tap into new “possibilities and discovery.”
Note that the new chips can supports 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution displays, up to 16MP cameras and come equipped with a technology that will reduce screen power consumption.
Interestingly enough, Exynos processors aren't that common in smartphones, but some of Samsung’s new batch of tablets comes bundling the chip architecture. Anyway, Samsung might be choosing to push their own chip architecture more heavily in order to increase its grasp of the AP market.
