DIFFERENT TYPES OF MOBILE PHONE PROCESSORS

The performance of your smartphone is influenced by many factors, including the operating system, manufacturer, and wireless carrier. But there's one essential and often-overlooked element that's largely responsible for the speed, efficiency, and battery life of your smartphone—the processor.

PROCESSOR

 The processor is the central hub of your smartphone. It receives and executes every command, performing billions of calculations per second. The effectiveness of the processor directly affects every application you run, whether it's the camera, the music player, or just a simple email program. The ability of the processor to coordinate efficient communication between all its components—the modem, graphics, and multimedia engines—is essential to smooth operation.

ARM ( Advanced RISC Machine)

ARM is a company which makes processors. An ARM processor is one of a family of CPUs based on the RISC (reduced instruction set computer) architecture developed by Advanced RISC Machines (ARM). ARM makes 32-bit and 64-bit RISC multi-core processors. RISC processors are designed to perform a smaller number of types of computer instructions so that they can operate at a higher speed, performing more millions of instructions per second. ARM processors are extensively used in consumer electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, multimedia players and other mobile devices, such as wearables. Because of their reduced instruction set, they require fewer transistors, which enables a smaller die size for the integrated circuitry (IC). The ARM processor’s smaller size, reduced complexity and lower power consumption makes them suitable for increasingly miniaturized devices.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROCESSORS
  

1) QUALCOMM SNAPDRAGON

 Qualcomm Technologies is a US based company. Qualcomm is actively involved in technology related to semiconductor designing for mobile devices, tracking devices, satellite phones, Virtual Reality, wireless charging, communications etc. Qualcomm is now known for its Snapdragon brand which is responsible for releasing mobile processors and LTE modems. Qualcomm Snapdragon processors are known for its performance. The processor handles multitasking very well and can handle heavy and intensive processing which is especially good for gaming. The presence of inbuilt Adreno graphics match the performance of processor. Snapdragon processors also produce less heat compared to other processors. Generally Snapdragon processors are costlier than other processors.

 Starting from 2005, Snapdragon went through a lot of series – S1, S2, S3, S4, S200, S400, S600, S800, S801, S805, S808, S810, S820, S821, S835, S845.

2) SAMSUNG EXYNOS

Exynos is a brand of Samsung Electronics which makes processors based on ARM architecture.

Some of the processors in the series are Exynos 7 Dual, Exynos 7420, Exynos 7 Octa 7580, Exynos 7 Octa 7870, Exynos 8 Octa 8895, Exynos 9 octa 9810.

Exynos 8 Octa 8895 is the  from Exynos. The processor is equipped with Octa Core on 64-bit ARM architecture with Mali GPU. The processor is capable of running at 2.3 GHz speed with support for 3D gaming, 4K UHD resolution support. The chips are 10 nm technology. The processor is used in Galaxy S8 and S8+ processor. (Some models of S8 and S8+ use Snapdragon 835 processor).

3) APPLE MOBILE PROCESSORS

 Apple do not manufacture any microprocessors. Instead, they make contracts with processor manufacturing companies mainly Samsung and TSMC for making custom built processors that suits their design and performance expectations. For e.g., A9 14nm processor was built by Samsung, while the A9 16nm version was built by TSMC.

Apple A series is designed for processors to be used on iPhone, iPad, iPad Touch and Apple TV. Some of the processors in the series are A4, A5, A5X, A6, A6X, A7, A8, A8X, A9, A9X and A10.

Apple S series is designed for processors to be used on Apple Watch. Some of the processes in the series are Apple S1, Apple S1P and Apple S2. The current version Apple S2 is a dual core processor with built in GPS used in Apple Watch Series 2. The processor is manufactured by Samsung under contract from Apple.

Apple A10 Fusion is the latest processor which is used in iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. A10 is a Quad Core built on 16 nm FinFET process capable of running at 2.4GHz speeds and a Hexa Core PowerVR GPU. Compared to its predecessor A9, A10 is twice faster and improve graphics processing by 50%. The processor is manufactured by TSMC.

Apple W series is used in headphones for wireless audio connectivity. The series is currently in Apple W1 which is used in wireless headphones and AirPods.

Apple T series is designed to use in TouchID sensors in MacBook Pro. The only version released till now is Apple T1.

4) NVIDIA TEGRA

Nvidia Corporation is an American based company technology company which specialize in making processing units for graphics, gaming units and mobile devices. Nvidia develops chips for smartphones, tablets and mobile devices under the brand Tegra. 

Tegra processors are built on 64 bit ARM architecture. Tegra till now have gone through Tegra 1, Tegra 3, Tegra 4, Tegra 4i, Tegra K1, Tegra X1, Tegra P1.

Nvidia Tegra is considered the best when it comes to mobile gaming. The Graphics processing is among the best among all mobile processors. For mobile gaming, Tegra is the best. Tegra have a poor record with heat generation and battery performance. Hopefully, that should improve with the upcoming models. Tegra processors are costlier than other processors.

5) MEDIATEK

 MediaTek is a Taiwanese semiconductor company providing chips for mobile devices, HDTV’s and other electronic devices. MediaTek processors are built on 64 bit ARM architecture. The latest MediaTek processor supports up to 3 GHz speed. They come in variety of cores such as Dual Core (2 core), Quad Core (4 core), Hexa Core (6 core) and Deca Core (10 core).

Latest processors from MediaTek come with lot of cores. When combined with enough RAM, you can expect easy multi-tasking with good processing power. The PowerVR GPU of MediaTek is better than most of the processors. MediaTek produce less heat than Qualcomm and other processors. MediaTek processors are cheaper and so is the best option for budget devices with good performance.

Some of the Mediatek processors are  Helio X20, Helio X25, Helio X27, Helio X30 etc.

6) HISILICON

HiSilicon is a Chinese company specializing in semiconductor technology. The company is owned by Huawei. The company creates chips based on ARM architecture. The company is the largest domestic integrated circuit designer in China.

Some of the processors released by HiSilicon are K3V1, K3V2, K3V2E, Kirin 620, Kirin 650, Kirin 910, Kirin 920, Kirin 930, Kirin 950, Kirin 960.

Kirin 960 is built on 64-bit ARM architecture on 16 nm FinFET technology. The processor is Quad core capable of going up to 2.4GHz. This is also the first processor with Mali-G71 MP8 GPU. The processor made great improvement in making sure the battery last longer. There is also a lot of improvement in high LTE download and upload speeds.

7) INTEL

Intel is an American multinational company synonymous with PC and microprocessors. Atom is the brand name given for the low power consuming and low cost 32 and 64 bit chips manufactured for using in smartphones and tablet devices. Intel processors are based on X86 architecture which is powerful than ARM, but consume more power compared to ARM architecture. Though Atom processors in the beginning supported only Windows, it now supports all major mobile operating systems.

Intel Atom processors are in Atom X5 and X7 series. These chips are 64 bit Quad core processors in 14 nanometer size with speeds up to 1.6 GHz that can be scaled up to 2.4 Ghz.

Intel also released Intel Core M microprocessors which are ultra low-voltage designed for ultra-thin notebooks, mobile devices and 2 in 1 convertibles. The processor consume less 4.5 watts or less power making it ideal for long battery life. These are dual core processors with speeds around 1.5Ghz which can be scaled to 3.2 GHz speeds. Intel Core M processors offer 40% boost in CPU and graphics performance than previous versions.