J K Shin, Samsung’s chief executive and head of mobile communications has once again confirmed the UK and US definitely will not be getting the Exynos 5 Octa eight-core variant of the Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone, but added that it doesn’t matter.
Ahead of the Galaxy S4 launch it was believed the new phone would be equipped with the company’s latest chip, which uses both a quad-core ARM Cortex-A15 cluster and a quad-core Cortex-A7 cluster in ARM’s big.Little configuration. The idea is a fine balance between high-end power and lower, more battery efficient speeds for less intensive use.
However, it was soon revealed the US would instead be getting a variant based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 quad-core chip. At launch, it was still maintained that the UK would see the Exynos version hitting stores, but shortly afterwards Samsung revealed Brits would be getting the Qualcomm model too.
For a time after that there was still some uncertainty over whether or not Samsung would offer the Exynos 5 Octa version as a 3G only option while the Qualcomm-powered edition would be the 4G capable model. But, at the end of March Samsung confirmed that the Exynos chip does have onboard LTE 4G support and that the UK would only be getting the Qualcomm version.
Speaking to CNET at an event in New York, Shin explained that users won’t notice the difference in speeds between the different processor models. He also added that Samsung deliberately chose two processors which would produce a similar experience for the end user.
But what’s the reasoning behind multiple chip types if both support 4G LTE? Shin implied that Samsung sourced both chip variants to ensure it can meet demand for the product.
‘We use multiple different sources,’ he said,’ It’s a sourcing issue.’
Benchmark tests published in recent weeks show that the Galaxy S4’s Exynos chip does clock up faster results than the Qualcomm 600 chip running on the HTC One and LG Optimus G Pro. However, it’s worth noting that the Exynos figures are not miles ahead of the Snapdragon 600, suggesting to us that Shin’s analysis is probably right.
With that said, he is still missing the point somewhat. One of the main grievances many potential Galaxy S4 buyers had with the Qualcomm reveal was not so much about pure muscle. Most seemed to be excited about the prospect of better battery efficiency, resulting in longer use on a single charge.
by pbriden via Featured Articles
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