Samsung Electronics announced the availability of its latest application processor for high-end smartphones, the Exynos 7 Series 9610. Built on Samsung’s 10-nm FinFET process, the chip enables premium features such as deep learning-based image processing and slow motion video recording at 480 frames per second.
Samsung said the processor "delivers on added power and speed" and will be available in mass production from the second half of this year. The CPU is comprised of four Cortex-A73 cores running at 2.3 GHz and four 1.6GHz Cortex-A53 cores to load apps quickly and run multiple tasks simultaneously. The GPU is a second-generation Bifrost-based ARM Mali-G72 that supports more realistic and immersive graphics on mobile devices, Samsung said.
The vision and image processing is coupled with a neural network engine for more intelligent face detection, as well as single camera out-focusing and augmented low-light images. The advanced face detection feature enables the camera to recognize faces that are either not facing forward or partially covered with objects like hair or a hat. With smart depth sensing, bokeh or out-focused portraits also can be taken with a single camera. Through merging multiple frames, vision and image processing enhances the signal-to-noise ratio and brightness that can improve pictures taken in low-light environments.
The Exynos 9610 also allows for 480fps slow-motion support in full HD. Even using a conventional two-stack image sensor, the Exynos 9610 is able to encode slow-motion video, thanks to its image signal processor with improved performance and more-than-doubled mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) speed. In addition, the processor uses a premium multi-format codec that allows encoding and decoding up to 4K 120fps.
Always-on sensing applications that require instant feedback, such as gesture recognition or context awareness, are enabled by an embedded Cortex-M4F-based low-power sensor hub, which manages the sensors in real-time without waking the main processor.The new processor also comes with a LTE modem supporting Cat.12 tri-carrier aggregation at up to 600 Mbps for downlink and Cat.13 dual-carrier aggregation on the uplink at up to 150 Mbps. The processor is also packed with 802.11ac 2x2 MIMO Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 and FM radio support. In addition, it embeds a quad-mode Global Navigation Satellite System receiver that includes GPS, Glonass, BeiDou and Galileo.
