Most smartphone users might be fully aware if their phones have quad-core or octa-core processors, but how well do they know about the actual hardware present inside their devices. To answer that, let us walk you through a couple of terms that you can give you a clearer picture about your phone’s processing hardware.
What Is A Chipset SoC?
SoC is an abbreviation for system on a chip, and it is an integrated circuit that combines all the primary components of a computer into a single chip. In short, the processor, graphics chip, memory controller and other components are present in a single chip, hence its known as SoC for short. Since smartphones are compact, it makes sense to integrate all of the components inside a single package since it will be able to deliver more power and efficiency at the same time. This also saves handset manufactures a ton of money because they do not have to implement the CPU, GPU, or other components separately.
What Architecture Are These Chipsets Made On?
Today, the majority of mobile devices, tablets, wireless routers, digital media players, hand-held gaming consoles and several computer peripherals are powered by an ARM microprocessor. Just like Intel and AMD, which provide processors for the desktop and laptop market, ARM is a 32-bit microprocessor that are used in several mobile electronics because of its two main perks; low-cost and low power consumption. When compared to ARM processors, Intel and AMD use a completely different architecture and have remained with the x86 architecture.
The ARM architecture is licensable, which is why you will see chipsets made by companies like Apple, Samsung, and Huawei featuring ARM processors. Most currently, these processors are based on the ARMv8 architecture. While using the architecture, companies are able to design their own chips since they play nicely with their own software.
So which chipsets are the most powerful ones fitted in smartphones at this current time? Let us take a look.
Fastest Smartphone Chipsets to Date Right Now
- Apple A9X (present in iPad Pro and uses a tri-core processor and is made on TSMC’s/Samsung’s 14nm FinFET manufacturing process)
- NVIDIA Tegra X1
- Apple A9 (present in both iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus and uses a dual-core processor and is made on TSMC’s/Samsung’s 14nm FinFET manufacturing process)
- Exynos 7420 (chipset produced by Samsung and is made on the 14nm FinFET manufacturing process)
- Snapdragon 810 (chipset produced by Qualcomm and is made on the 20nm process)
- Snapdragon 808
- MediaTek Helio X10 or MT6795 (high-performing chipset designed to be present in price/performance smartphones)
Which Smartphone Chipsets Are We Going to See In The Future?
- Apple A10 (made on TSMS’s 10nm FinFET manufacturing process)
- Exynos 8890 (will be the first chipset belonging to Samsung to feature its custom ARMv8 cores)
- Snapdragon 820 (a chipset developed by Qualcomm and will feature its own custom cores)
- Kirin 950 (Huawei’s own developed chipset which will feature ARM’s Cortex-A72 cores)
- Helio X20 (world’s first 10-core processor made by MediaTek and will be running ARM’s Cortex-A72 cores)
- Helio X30 (the chipset that will supersede Helio X20 in terms of performance)
Keep in mind that these are only the high-end mobile chipset options that have been listed here. Expect that a lot of SoCs targeting the lower end smartphone market are also going to be found in handsets very soon. As for the above-mentioned chipsets, we can expect to see them in powerful mobile devices during 2016.
fairly basic, but still a good article
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It depends on the demand of users, an average mobile users who spend time in Web surfing, music, games and videos on YouTube, Daily motion and vimeo so basic quad core processor and 1.5 GB ram is enough for these tasks but cell phone must belongs to a reputed brand
if only cores matter then why apple is still on dual core and qmobile has reached octa core processors?
in my view manufacture design and quality have a huge impact on performance
I already mentioned that the mobile phone must belongs to the reputed brand you didn’t get the message ?
okay!
Samsung is a reputed brand. So, the octa or 6 core S6 is in comptetion with dual core iPhone 6s. who wins, you know.
Now you can say that apple has an edge that they design their own software to run best on their own hardware and many other things.
The point I wanted to state was that only cores is not that makes a good phone. Processor must be good quality, used with other good quality and optimised ICs (RAM, ROM, and whole electric and digital design) and also optimized software!
Doesn’t matter which smartphone you buy, it will either have a Qualcomm, or MediaTek or Spreadtrum chipset. Kirin is only found in Huawei phones while Samsung has only lent its chipsets to Meizu. Brand of the phone has nothing to do with the quality of the chipset. Quality of the chipset depends on how well if has been designed.
Hey Dude I have both of them Galaxy E5 and iphone 6, I never compare iphone with the samsung because they both have different economy system and iphone is far better than any android option but my galaxy is smoothly running and I don’t see any lag issue on it because of geniun brand
really A10 on 10nm node??
Yes it will be. TSMC and Samsung are racing to see which company can provide substantial yields of 10nm FinFET chips. But I am pretty sure TSMC will get all the orders from Apple.
nobody mentioned the helio p10 … :/
Helio P10 is a mid-ranged chipset not a high-end one. There are several mid-ranged chipsets present in smartphones right now but we decided to place the popular and powerful ones
k den
It also about the Operating System’s Architecture that how well it adopts to and utilizes the capacity of the Chipsets, I have seen Samsung phones working faster than Sony phones even though with a difference of a whole GB of RAM. Software plays a very important role as well in extracting the performance from all the available cores.