Samsung has just announced its latest Exynos 980, just one month after the Exynos 9825 launch and with which it shares 5G connectivity . The main difference is that this is optional in the Exynos 9825, while it is integrated as standard in the Exynos 980.
Based on 8 nm FinFet lithography (such as the Exynos 9820 ), the Exynos 980 is committed to two Cortex A77 cores and six other Cortex A55 , unlike the latest processors of the brand, which assembled with 2 + 2 + 4 clusters.
The first with integrated Samsung 5G
The latest Exynos 9825, included in the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series already included support for 5G via the brand’s modem, but it had to be incorporated separately, with worse energy efficiency and additional use of space inside the phone. That is the main advantage of the new Exynos 980: now the 5G comes standard.
This Exynos 980 is compatible with networks from 2G to 5G , reaching connectivity of up to 2.55 Gbps in 5G networks below 6 GHz and increasing up to 3.55 Gbps through E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity : combining the LTE and 5G connectivity.
There are also eight cores, although this time Samsung has changed its combination. These are two of the latest Cortex A77 cores running at 2.2 Ghz for intensive tasks and another six Cortex A55 cores at 1.8 GHz for the low performing tasks. The GPU is Mali-G76 MP5.
More neural power
In addition to 5G connectivity, neural power is another advantage of Exynos 980. According to Samsung, the performance of its NPU is 2.7 times better than its predecessor, mainly boosted by improvements in the Cortex A77 architecture of its cores for performance.
Conveniently, the Exynos 980 adds support for main camera with up to 108 megapixels, just in time for the brand’s Isocell Bright HMX sensor. Here is a comparison of the latest Exynos chipsets:
| Specs/Chipsets | EXYNOS 980 | EXYNOS 9825 | EXYNOS 9820 |
|---|---|---|---|
| BUILDING | 8nm FinFET | 7nm EUV | 8nm LPP FinFET |
| CPU | 2 x Cortex A77 at 2.2 GHz 6 x Cortex A55 at 1.8 GHz |
2 custom cores 2 x Cortex A75 for balanced performance 2 x Cortex A55 for savings |
2 custom cores 2 x Cortex A75 for balanced performance 2 x Cortex A55 for savings |
| GPU | Mali-G76 MP5 | Mali G76 MP12 | Mali G76 MP12 |
| NPU | Integrated | Integrated | Integrated |
| RAM | LPDDR4x | LPDDR4x | LPDDR4x |
| SCREEN | WQHD + (3360×1440) | WQUXGA (3840×2400) 4K UHD (4096×2160) |
WQUXGA (3840×2400) 4K UHD (4096×2160) |
| CAMERA | One lens: 108Mp Dual: 20 MP + 20 MP |
Rear: 22 MP Front: 22 MP Dual: 16 MP + 16 MP |
Rear: 22MP, Front 22 MP Dual: 16 MP + 16 MP |
| VIDEO | 4K UHD 120 fps with HEVC codecs (H.265), H.264, VP9 | 8K 30 fps or 4K UHD 150 fps with 10-bit HEVC codecs (H.265), H.264, VP9 | 8K 30fps or 4K UHD 150fps with 10-bit HEVC (H.265), H.264, VP9 codecs |
| STORAGE | UFS 2.1 eMMC 5.1 |
UFS 3.0 UFS 2.1 |
UFS 3.0 UFS 2.1 |
| CONNECTIVITY | 5G NR Sub-6GHz LTE Category 16, category 18 |
LTE Category 20, 2 Gbps 5G optional with Exynos Modem 5100 |
LTE Category 20, 2 Gbps |
Samsung announces that it will begin large-scale production of the Exynos 980 by the end of the year . It is soon therefore too early to speculate the first device to feature this chipset, although given the specification it is more likely to end at the top of the mid-range, perhaps in some Galaxy A of 2020.
