Samsung is adding two new processors to its Exynos family. The Samsung Exynos 5422 is an updated, faster version of the Exynos 5420 octa-core processor, while the new Exynos 5260 is the company’s first hexa-core chip (and likely the processor used in the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo).
Both chips use ARM’s big.LITTLE technology to pair high performance ARM Cortex-A15 CPU cores with lower-power Cortex-A7 cores in order to balance performance and battery life.
Unlike some of Samsung’s earlier big.LITTLE chips, though, the new processors use heterogenous multi-processing (HMP) tech so that you can fire all the CPU cores at once. That means the octa-core Exynos 5422 really works as an 8-core chip when necessary, but it can use 4 cores or fewer to save power at other times.
The Exynos 5422 features 4 ARM Cortex-A15 CPU cores with a top clock speed of 2.1 GHz and 4 Cortex-A7 cores that top out at 1.5 GHz, which is a bit faster than the 1.8 GHz and 1.3 GHz speeds offered by the older Exynos 5420. Like its predecessor, the new chip uses ARM Mali-T628 MP6 graphics.
Samsung’s Exynos 5260 hexa-core chip uses 2 ARM Cortex-A15 CPU cores clocked at 1.7 GHz and 4 ARM Cortex-A7 cores at 1.3 GHz.
While the 6-core chip doesn’t have quite as much power as Samsung’s octa-core processors, the company says that thanks to HMP technology it can determine the right number of CPU cores to fire up for different tasks, offering up to a 42 percent boost over Samsung Exynos dual-core chips.
The hexa-core chip can handle display resolutions up to 2560 x 1600 pixels and supports 1080p video playback at 60 frames per second.
Samsung says the Exynos 5422, meanwhile, supports 4K ultra HD video playback.
While the Galaxy Note 3 Neo appears to be the first device to ship with Samsung’s new 6-core CPU, it looks like the Galaxy S5 smartphone may be the first model to feature the Exynos 5422 octa-core chip… but only in select markets. Most versions of that phone will likely ship with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor.
“The Exynos 5422 features 4 ARM Cortex-A7 CPU cores with a top clock speed of 2.1 GHz and 4 Cortex-A7 cores that top out at 1.5 GHz,”
Sorry, so 4 A7s at 2.1GHz, then another 4 A7s at 1.5… for power saving… typo? 😛
the 5422 should be the chip used in the new ARM Chromebook, or maybe they could release the 11″ with the 5260 and the 13″ with the 5422.
or maybe the Exynos Infinity they teased is their 64bit chip and the new ARM Chromebook could use that.
or maybe im just stretching here
Agreed, I would definitely be interested in a 5422-toting Sammy Chromebook as a replacement to my XE303.
i would be happy if both the rumoured 11 and 13″ versions got the 5422, but i wouldnt mind if the 11 got the 5260 and the 13″ got the 5422