Difference Between Apple A9 and Samsung Exynos 8 Octa 8890

Main Difference – Apple A9 vs  Samsung Exynos 8 Octa 8890

The main difference between Apple A9 and Samsung Exynos 8 Octa 8890 is, Apple A9 has exceptional single processor performance whereas Samsung Exynos 8 Octa 8890 has better multi-processor performance. Apple has been ahead on many aspects in the design and performance of the chip when compared with the Samsung’s Exynos 7 octa chipset. So Samsung is trying to catch up with Apple with the release of the Exynos 8 octa chip which is expected to power the next Samsung flagship handset. Let us take a closer look at both the chips and closely observe what they have to offer.

Apple A9 processor Review – Features and Specifications

The Apple A9 comes with a lot of features that power its own devices in a great way. When a device is released, Apple often doesn’t release all the important technical details of the device like the processors specs, hardware specs and the RAM capacity. This is evident when Apple’s latest devices, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s plus were released. Details like 3D touch were elaborated, but Apple failed to reveal key hardware specs that would give us an idea of the performance of the device.

Performance

When compared with the Apple A9’s predecessor, the Apple A8, the new chipset is said to offer a performance boost of 70% as well as a GPU enhancement by 90 %, which is impressive. As Apple A8 processor received an upgrade thanks to two additional cluster cores on the GPU, Apple A9 GPU too has received an upgrade; Apple A9 comes with a dual-core CPU and a new, 6-cluster GPU.

Cores

If we take a closer look at the processors of the Apple A9, it is powered by two cores which clock a speed of 1.8 GHz. The Apple A9 has also been manufactured using 14nm Fin FET. This technology is also referred to as the Transistor Architecture. The notable feature of the Apple A9 processor is that it is sticking to minimum processors when the world of other smart devices is packing in more and more cores to improve multi-core performance. If we take a look at the recent few years, the cores on the chipsets of other competing brands have seen a significant improvement. The Media Tek processor is offering 10 cores whereas the industry average of the available cores is almost eight now.

There is also another variant known as the A9X, which has been designed to power the iPad Pro. This processor is also claimed by Apple to be 80 percent faster on the CPU and twice as fast on the GPU.

Hardware – Software Integration

Apple has always been able to equal the performance aspect of its devices using optimized integration process between the hardware and the software. The iOS 9 and the A9 processor work in tandem to perform this task. This is the reason why Apple is ahead of other smart devices when comparing single processor performance with other leading chipsets. From the time Apple started designing its own chipsets, it has always been able to stay ahead of its competition thanks to this integration; the CPU and GPU performances have been always of superior quality and efficiency.

GPU

The GPUs are able to perform in a more efficient manner thanks to the PowerVR GPU and the design of the GPU, which improves the efficiency of the chipset itself. These two features enhance the power of the GPU as well enabling the device to produce great graphics. As the display has not seen a resolution upgrade, the improvements are mainly targeted at games and applications.

M9 Co-processor

The M9 co-processor is able to operate independently without the user of the device pressing a button.  This is especially useful when using Siri, which is able to execute tasks only by a command which is produced by sound.

Exynos 8 Octa 8890 Review – Features and Specifications

The smartphone market is competitive as ever. Smartphone manufacturers are trying hard to differentiate themselves from the competition and the System on Chip is seeing great improvements in the process. The new square chip will define performance in a new way according to Samsung.

Performance and Efficiency

According to the Korean giant Samsung Electronics,  the performance of Exynos 8 Octa 8890  has improved by 30 % and the power efficiency has seen an improvement by 10%. 

Technology

The processor has used 14 nm Fin FET technology in order to produce this premium processor. This is also Samsung’s first 64 bit ARM v8 architecture designed CPU.

Cores

The chipset is powered by eight cores. Four cores are the ARM Cortex A53, and the other four are custom processors which are custom. According to Samsung, this processor is claimed to possess the  highest performance and efficiency in a processor,  produced up-to-date.

Integration                                                                    

The Exynos 8 Octa is claimed by Samsung to be the first SoC, which comes with an application processor and a modem on one chip. With the use of carrier aggregation, the Exynos 8 Octa can support download speeds of up to 600 Mbps using LTE 12 and Cat 12/13 modem and upload speeds of up to 150 Mbps thanks to Cat 13.

GPU

The graphics end of the processor, it is powered by ARM-designed GPU, Mali-T880.

Release

This new System on Chip can be expected to be released next year with the Galaxy S7.

Difference Between Apple A9 and Samsung Exynos 8 octa 8890

Performance and Core Architecture

Apple A9 uses the third generation 64 bit architecture which comes with a 70 % faster CPU and a 90 % faster GPU.

Samsung Exynos 8 octa will come with a 30 % improvement and will also come with cores powered by first generation 64 bit architecture.

Apple introduces its first generation of 64-bit cores in 2012 with the A7 chip. Only now Samsung has been able to catch up with Apple ‘s core standard.

Core Performance

Apple A9 has better single core performance, and the Chipset comes with only two cores.

Samsung Exynos 8 octa produces better performance on multi-core processing and comes with 8 cores.

A notable feature is Apple A9 single core performance is faster than not only the Exynos 8 octa chipset but also some Intel processors.

GPU

Apple A9 accompanies an ARM designed GPU called Mali-T880.

Samsung Exynos 8 octa comes with a PowerVR GPU.

Integration

Apple A9 has its hardware and software integrated to provide performance which is optimum.

Samsung Exynos 8 octa has its processor and modem integrated into one.

Image Courtesy:

“Apple A9 APL0898” by Henriok – Own work. (CC0) via Commons

“Samsung Unveils the Latest Application Processor…” Samsung Tomorrow (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) via Flickr

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