Samsung is reportedly developing a “true octa-core” processor that will be able to use all eight cores at the same time, with the help of ARM’s big.LITTLE MP architecture. But will it be another marketing gimmick or a shining example of stunning performance?
It’s not a secret that the octa-core Exynos SoC Samsung uses in the Galaxy S4 isn’t really a true eight-core processor, as it can only have four cores enabled at any given time. But just like MediaTek, who recently unveiled a true octa-core chipset, Samsung could be working on a processor capable of using all eight cores at once, according to a report published by the Economic Daily.
Samsung’s current solution uses ARM’s big.LITTLE configuration, which puts four powerful cores and the same number of energy-efficient cores together, but only allows four of the cores to be active at the same time. There are no details on this new chip except that it is under development, but it will likely use the big.LITTLE MP configuration to have all eight cores active at the same time, and most likely power the company’s next flagship Galaxy S smartphone.
While the prospect of true eight-core chips sounds exciting, hopefully chipmakers are also focusing on improving per core performance, which is what ultimately decides how capable a processor is. Sadly, Samsung seems to be more interested in the marketing glitz words like octa-core can cook up, while continuing to bloat their software more and more with each new iteration and nullifying advances in processing power.
Source: Economic Daily