MediaTek on Tuesday expanded its Helio
system-on-chip (SoC) series with the
launch of the deca-core Helio X20 for
smartphones and tablets. The Taiwan-
based chipmaker launched the first Helio
SoC at MWC this year, the Helio X10 . Th
company confirmed that the Helio X20
with 10 processing cores will begin
sampling in Q3 and can be expected to
be available in consumer products by
end of this year.
MediaTek claims that its new Helio X20 i
the 'world's first mobile processor with
tri-cluster CPU architecture' and features
10-cores. The Helio X20 is MediaTek's
answer to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800
series, which has been used on the
majority of flagships launched this year,
with the exception of Samsung's Galaxy
S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge that use the
South Korean firm's own Exynos 7 serie
of SoCs.
The tri-cluster CPU architecture consists
of three processor clusters, with the
company claiming that each is designed
to more efficiently handle different types
of workloads. The MediaTek Helio X20
packs one cluster of two ARM Cortex-A7
cores (clocked at 2.5GHz for extreme
performance), and two clusters of four
ARM Cortex-A53 cores (one cluster
clocked at 2GHz for medium loads, one
clocked at 1.4GHz for light activities).
MediaTek's dedicated Helio X20 page
explains, "It can delegate simple tasks to
one cluster of cores, while directing
more-complex (and more-power-hungry
tasks to the other clusters. If the
smartphone is doing only simple tasks -
such as sending text messages or
running the calculator - on one cluster,
the other clusters can power down, and
therefore drive smoother performance
and extended battery life."
The new Helio X20 SoC features support
for smartphone/ tablet displays with a
refresh rate of 120Hz; and also brings
support for 32-megapixel single camera
with 24fps and 25-megapixel with 30fps
packs 3D depth engine built into
hardware; includes new de-noise and
demosaic hardware for improved image
quality; supports 10-bit colour depth,
and also supports both HEVC and VP9
HW decoding. It also features an
embedded ARM Cortex-M4 processor,
which is a low power sensor processor
supporting always-on apps such as MP
playback and voice activation.
Commenting on the announcement,
Jeffrey Ju, Senior Vice President of
MediaTek said, "By leading with mobile
CPU architecture and multimedia
innovation, MediaTek continues to push
the envelope of power efficiency and
peak performance. We are excited to see
device manufacturers raise the bar - in
camera, display, audio and other
consumer features. MediaTek has been
adding innovative multimedia features to
our platforms since the very beginning,
enhancing the overall computing and
multimedia experience as part of our
strategy to put leading technology into
the hands of everyone."
http://m.gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/mediatek-helio-x20-launched-first-deca-core-soc-for-smartphones-and-tablets-691763
