Quad-core processor will rule this year’s smartphones – Part 2

The benefits are many, but distill into two overarching results: dramatically faster performance and better battery life. In other words, each core can work less to accomplish a task; and because tasks are split, each core requires a smaller battery contribution (at a lower voltage) than if fewer cores strained with heavier workloads apiece (requires higher voltage per core).

In a practical setting, quad-core processors promise to support sharp screen resolutions; load apps and render photos and Web pages faster; quickly and smoothly process HD video; and improve the quality of gameplay to bring it much closer to a desktop standard.

Just how much faster are they supposed to be? Nvidia has claimed that its Tegra 3 processor completes tasks up to five times faster than its Tegra 2 dual-core predecessor, and its chip for processing graphics (GPU) grew from 8 cores on the Tegra 2 version to 12 cores in Tegra 3.

Impressive as quintupling the phone’s speed is, at least in theory, it’s nothing compared with Nvidia’s plan for exponential increases with added cores. The following release, code-named Wayne, will promise speeds up to 10 times faster than Tegra 2. Logan, the processor after Wayne, will clock speeds 50 times faster than those dual-core phones we’re seeing now. In some senses, Tegra 3 is a small taste of your smartphone future, not just from Nvidia, but from all the chipmakers.

I should note here that Android phones will receive the bulk of these quad-core processors, though there’s a strong likelihood that the next iPhone will also be quad-core. Windows Phone devices are currently single-core, but according to Microsoft, process tasks differently.

The chipmakers and their partner manufacturers will all trend toward quad-core, and while the overall quality and appeal of the smartphone will drive sales, the first to bring their products to market will gain the distinct advantage.

In this case, as it was for dual-core smartphones, Nvidia could be the first to charge out ahead with the HTC Edge or LG X3. The LG Optimus 2X became the first globally available dual-core phone, the American version winning experts confidence. A spring release date is likely.

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Posted by Usman Khalid on Jan 28 2012. Filed under Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.