Samsung Electronics announced its first smartphone processor developed especially for 5G, the Exynos 980. The company said the new chip, expected to go into mass production later this year, will make 5G more accessible to a wider range of users.
Based on 8-nm FinFET process technology, the Exynos 980 is Samsung’s first artificial intelligence mobile processor with an integrated 5G modem. Rather than being coupled with a separate 5G modem, the 5G-enabled Exynos 980 helps reduce power consumption and increase the space efficiency within a device.
The modem supports 5G to 2G networks, providing a gigabit downlink speed in LTE and up to 2.55 Gbps in sub-6-GHz 5G. The modem also supports E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC), which combines 2CC LTE and 5G connectivity to maximize the download speed up to 3.55Gbps. In addition, the processor supports the new Wi-Fi 6 standard.
With powerful CPU and GPU on board, the Exynos 980 can run multiple apps, intricate UX designs and high-resolution graphic games effortlessly, Samsung said. It packs two of the latest high-performance Cortex-A77 CPU cores and four efficient Cortex-A55 cores. For realistic gaming and immersive mixed-reality experiences, the processor also comes with the top-of-the-line Mali-G76 GPU.
The neural processing unit features elevated performances of up to 2.7 times compared to its predecessor and is built into the Exynos 980 to provide new levels of on-device intelligence. With the NPU readily available on-chip, AI tasks are processed right from the device rather than off-loaded to a server, thereby providing better data privacy and security.For advanced photography, the Exynos 980 delivers resolution support for up to 108 megapixels. The image signal processor (ISP) supports up to five individual sensors and is able to process three concurrently for richer multi-camera experiences. Along with the NPU, the AI-powered camera is able to detect and understand scenes or objects, according to which the camera will then make optimal adjustments to its settings.
For an immersive multimedia experience, the Exynos 980’s multi-format codec supports encoding and decoding of 4K UHD video at 120 frames per second. HDR10+ support with dynamic mapping also offers more detailed and illuminant colors in video content.
