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Samsung yesterday announced its latest premium SoC, the Exynos 9 Series 9820, which will feature in their flagship devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S10 next year.
The Exynos 9820 features a fourth-generation custom CPU, 2.0-gigabits-per-second (Gbps) LTE Advanced Pro modem, and an enhanced neural processing unit (NPU) to bring new smart experiences to mobile devices.
It is based on the 8 nm LPP (Low Power Plus) FinFET process and is an evolution from the 10 nm Exynos 9810.
The new processor layout is a little different from last year, with something similar to the Kirin 980 with two ultimate processing power, two Cortex-A75 cores for performance and a third cluster of four Cortex-A55 units for efficiency.
The company said the new configuration has intelligent task scheduler to boost multi-core performance by 15% from the previous Exynos. The single-core results would be up to 20% and provide 40% power efficiency.
The LTE-Advanced Pro modem is another step towards 5G chipsets with 2 Gbps downlink speeds but this is not a 5G chipset yet.
The new Mali-G76 GPU should deliver a 40% performance boost or 35% power savings, allowing longer usage of VR and AR applications. The NPU is a separate unit that would make any AI processes about seven times faster. In practice, it should help the camera to adjust the settings to the surrounding or objects in focus to provide better information.
The new chip will be ready for mass production before the end of the year, and we will certainly see it in the Galaxy S10 which is typically launched at MWC in February.
Samsung Exynos 9820 vs HiSilicon Kirin 980 vs Snapdragon 845
So how does the new Exynos 9820 fair up against the competition? Below is a table of comparison specs, it is hard to get specifics of everything as the companies have no released all the data.
At this point, it is a bit unfair comparing the Snapdragon 845 to the others, but until the Snapdragon 8150 is released its the only comparison that can be done with Snapdragon.
This year is the first time Samsung has included a dedicated AI processor, but this could fall short on performance of the dual NPU in the Kirin 980.
At the moment the other main comparison worth noting is that Samsung has a dual custom Exynos performance cores running at unknown speeds but then drops down to Cortex-A75 for its middle cores. Whereas the Kirin 980 uses Cortex-A75 for both the performance and middle cores but just drops the clock speeds. As we don’t know the specification of the Exynos cores it would be difficult to compare processing power between the two chips, it could be that the Exynos cores are far more powerful and efficient than the Cortex-A75, and they don’t need to rely on the A75 performance for its middle cores.
On the graphics side of things, the Exynos appears to have a superior GPU using the Mali-G76 MP12 vs Mali-G76 MP10 in the Kirin 980.
| Exynos 9810 | Snapdragon 845 | HiSilicon Kirin 980 | Exynos 9820 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process | 2nd Gen 10nm FinFET | 2nd Gen 10nm FinFET | 7nm | 8 nm LPP (Low Power Plus) FinFET |
| CPU Cores | Octa-Core, 64-bit | Octa-Core, 64-bit | Octa-Core, 64-bit | Octa-Core, 64-bit |
| CPU | 4 x 2.9GHz Exynos M3 + 4 x 1.9GHz Cortex-A55 | 4 x 2.8GHz Kryo 385 + 4 x 1.7GHz Kryo 385 | 2x Cortex-A76 @ 2.6GHz 2x Cortex-A76 @ 1.92GHz 4x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz (4MB shared L3 cache) | 2x Custom CPU 2x Cortex-A75 4x Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | ARM Mali-G72 MP18 | Adreno 630 | Mali-G76 MP10 | ARM Mali G76 MP12 |
| NPU | No | Yes | Dual NPU | Yes |
| Display Resolution | 4K UHD (4096 x 2160) or WQUXGA (3840 x 2400) 60FPS | 4K UHD (4096 x 2160) 60FPS | 4K UHD (4096 x 2160) 60FPS? | 4K UHD (4096 x 2160) 60FPS |
| RAM | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X Quad-channel 16-bit 1866 MHz | LPDDR4X @ 2133MHz | LPDDR4x |
| Storage | UFS 2.1, & SD 3.0 | UFS 2.1, & SD 3.0 | UFS 2.1? | UFS 2.1/3.0 |
| ISP | Dual ISP | Dual ISP | Dual ISP | Dual ISP |
| Camera | 24MP Single, 16MP+16MP Dual | 32MP Single, 16MP Dual | ? | Rear: 22MP Front: 22MP Dual: 16MP+16MP |
| Video Recording | Up to 4K @ 120FPS | Up to 4K @ 60FPS | ? | 8K@30fps, 4K@150fps |
| Video Playback & Codecs | MFC, Up to 4K @ 120FPS; 10-bit HEVC (H.265), H.264, VP9 | Up to 4K @ 60FPS; 10bit HDR, H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC), VP9 | ? | 2160p60 HEVC & H.264 Decode 2160p30 Encode HDR10 |
| Audio | Unknown chip with 32bit/384kHz quality | Qualcomm Aqstic, Qualcomm aptX HD with 384kHz/32bit quality | ? | ? |
| Modem | LTE Cat. 18 6CA 1.2Gbps Download; LTE Cat. 18 2CA 200 Mbps Upload | X20 LTE Cat. 18 1.2Gbps Download; LTE Cat. 13 150Mbps Upload | LTE Cat 21 1.4Gbps down / 200Mbps up | LTE-A Cat.20 8CA (2Gbps download) Cat.20 3CA (316Mbps upload) |
| Wi-Fi | Dual-Band Wi-Fi ac/b/g/n with MU-MIMO | Wi-Fi ad, Multi-gigabit Wi-Fi ac/b/g/n with MU-MIMO | Hi1103 WiFi chip supports 1732Mbps with Wi-Fi and, Multi-gigabit Wi-Fi ac/b/g/n with MU-MIMO | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Global Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou | GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, SBAS | Dual frequency GPS / A-GPS / GLONASS / BDS | GPS / A-GPS / GLONASS / BDS |
| Security | Samsung KNOX, Security Processing Unit, DRAM encryption | Qualcomm Secure Processing Unit, Qualcomm Processor Security, Qualcomm Mobile Security | ? | Samsung KNOX, Security Processing Unit, DRAM encryption |
| Charging | Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge, Fast Wireless Charging (Qi & PMA) | Quick Charge 4+ (USB PD Compatible) | SuperCharge 4.5V / 5A low-voltage fast charging | Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge, Fast Wireless Charging (Qi & PMA) |
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
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