Samsung devices in the US, such as the Galaxy S20 FE, use Qualcomm modems to connect to mobile networks. But the company's new Exynos chip can now go into the fast-paced waves of millimeters.
The launch of the Samsung Galaxy S21 did not happen until Thursday, but that did not stop South Korea's largest technology company from launching new products that could be tied to the event. It includes a processor called the Exynos 2100, which was delivered by Samsung on Tuesday during a press conference.
The new 5-nanometer chip features an eight-core CPU consisting of the Arm Cortex X1 core, with a clock speed of 2.9GHz, a three-cores Cortex A78 cores and four cores powered by the Cortex-A55. Samsung says the new CPU should deliver "more than 30% performance in multicore performance" than before. There is also the Arm Mali-G78 GPU for graphic enhancement by “more than 40%” as well as advanced functionality when handling deep tasks such as artificial intelligence.
The processor image processor (ISP) is on the rise and is now able to handle up to 200 megapixels resolutions. It is able to connect up to six lenses and process four "simultaneous feeds," allowing features such as improved zoom performance and better image quality when making an ultrawide shot.
In addition to full functionality, the Exynos 2100 also has an integrated 5G modem that includes low-band support with midband 5G (also known as sub-6GHz 5G) and a high frequency 5G form known as millimeter-wave. Samsung claims that its chip can handle 5.1Gbps download speed over a low 5G band and download speeds of up to 7.35Gbps over mmWave.
By comparison, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 chipset, which also has an integrated 5G modem, is capable of downloading up to 7.5Gbps data and uploading data as fast as 3Gbps.
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Samsung has a new portable mobile processor, the Exynos 2100.
Samsung
Although Samsung has not officially announced that the new Exynos processor will power the Galaxy S21, there are widespread rumors that it will be available in other models, at least overseas. Samsung has used its Exynos line with its international brands in places like South Korea, and US models acquire Qualcomm processors, a trend expected to continue this year. San Diego-based Qualcomm unveiled the Spapdragon 888, its latest chipset, in December and said it would be on phones for the first quarter.
Benefits of integration
Smartphones require a lot of things to work, but the two most important components that make the phone a processor app, which acts as the device's brain, and a modem, which connects it to the mobile network. The first 5G devices required independent modems that worked alongside the main computer processor. That was because 5G technology was brand new, it was very difficult to integrate it with the brain. Combining a modem with a phone brain comes with many benefits, including better battery life and lower cost.
Just being able to build mmWave chips is remarkable, but integrating mmWave into Exynos was not an easy task for Samsung. Of the four major modem companies - Qualcomm, MediaTek, Samsung and Huawei - only Qualcomm has upgraded the mmWave mobile modem. And it only integrates 5G into the same chip and high-end smartphones with the Snapdragon 888. That has not yet appeared on any phones but is expected to enable the Galaxy S21 system in the US and elsewhere. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 765, released in late 2019, is integrated with 5G, but processor features have made it better suited for low-end devices.
MmWave provides fast speed with 5G signal, but technology is also annoying. Waves cannot travel long distances, and they are easily blocked by trees, buildings, glass windows, and even hand-held arms. To prevent signal interference, Qualcomm has developed horn modules on various parts of the phone. Samsung did not specify how to prevent mmWave problems, but may have taken the same approach to Qualcomm modules.
Verizon has been a major company pressing mmWave technology. Its first 5G waves focused on greater connectivity, before moving on to build its own broader but slower 5G network. AT&T and T-Mobile also have smaller mmWave networks, but have preferred their wider networks. And few carriers outside the US have built 5G mmWave networks.
The chip Exynos with mmWave "is very good news for consumers outside of North America, where Samsung uses Qualcomm chips," said Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart. But "it's a bit of a stretch, because mmWave is no longer widely distributed outside the US and no longer distributed within the US."
That could change, however. In December, the then president of Qualcomm, who will be acting CEO this summer, told CNET that mmWave is still being distributed in many locations around the world.
"Integration will be built everywhere," said Qualcomm's Cristiano Amon. "And we see it through mmWave happening in many places." Singapore and South Korea have joined the US and Japan in building the technology, and with 130 operators now investing in technology, he said.
Samsung says the new Exynos is now "mass production."
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