HSPA+ version = quad-core Exynos, LTE version = dual-core S4

[JayWill]

I had kind of forgotten about this particular story, but I wonder how THIS ISSUE may play a part in this whole debate.

It seems strange that Samsung would opt for a chip in their US variants that is having supply issues. Then again, maybe this is WHY Qualcomm is having supply issues.

If you want to dig into this further, check out Qualcomm's Q2 earnings call transcript and do a CNTL-F for "supply" to see responses directly from Qualcomm.

QUALCOMM Incorporated's CEO Discusses Q2 2012 Results - Earnings Call Transcript - Seeking Alpha

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Qualcomm is the first to have LTE built-in, so the demand is very high. This happens a lot when a new architecture is introduced.

 

[justlaxin13]

Ok so everyone "in the know" is saying that we really shouldn't fret over this because pragmatically, the S4 is just as good if not better in terms of usable speed when compared to the quad-core offerings. I have a few question/concerns about this line of thinking:
Tegra-3. And in turn, people claimed (i don't know cause i don't one) that Tegra-3 devices would be more efficient than dual-core devices...so shouldn't this matter?

2. While they may be equally fast now, with the android spec war/arms race still a very really thing, wouldn't a quad-core device future proof one better? Especially for those of us that don't have the money etc. to buy a phone out of upgrade.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Ok so everyone "in the know" is saying that we really shouldn't fret over this because pragmatically, the S4 is just as good if not better in terms of usable speed when compared to the quad-core offerings. I have a few question/concerns about this line of thinking:
Tegra-3. And in turn, people claimed (i don't know cause i don't one) that Tegra-3 devices would be more efficient than dual-core devices...so shouldn't this matter?

2. While they may be equally fast now, with the android spec war/arms race still a very really thing, wouldn't a quad-core device future proof one better? Especially for those of us that don't have the money etc. to buy a phone out of upgrade.

The S4 is more technically advanced than any quad core out right now. It's based on a newer instruction set than the Exynos or Tegra 3. Where Tegra 3 has some advantage is with Tegrazone games, which are written specifically to take advantage of the hardware inside the device.

Battery wise both quad cores have their tricks to achieve good enough battery life, but the S4 has some inherent advantages because of the new architecture that Qualcomm developed for it. It's also built on a smaller process, which helps with efficiency.


The only thing you should be looking forward to in the future is any version of the S4 with the Adreno 3xx GPU, the Exynos 5, and the TI OMAP 5. The last two are based on the new ARM A15 architecture/instruction set.

 

[JayWill]

Qualcomm is the first to have LTE built-in, so the demand is very high. This happens a lot when a new architecture is introduced.

I get that. But don't you think this could cause Samsung to look at alternatives for their GS3 U.S. variants, such as their own 5250? I realize that the 5250 may not even be in production yet, but it appears that the design and fab process is ready, so I'd have to guess it's a matter of flipping the switch (simplistic thinking I know, but I'm trying to keep things simple here). Assuming they would have the production capacity, and the timing and cost/benefit ratio was right, I would think that they'd at least be considering it if they think they can't get enough Snapdragon S4s from Qualcomm to meet demand. I mean, you can't sell phones if you can't build them.

 

[Wontfinishlast]

I get that. But don't you think this could cause Samsung to look at alternatives for their GS3 U.S. variants, such as their own 5250? I realize that the 5250 may not even be in production yet, but it appears that the design and fab process is ready, so I'd have to guess it's a matter of flipping the switch (simplistic thinking I know, but I'm trying to keep things simple here). Assuming they would have the production capacity, and the timing and cost/benefit ratio was right, I would think that they'd at least be considering it if they think they can't get enough Snapdragon S4s from Qualcomm to meet demand. I mean, you can't sell phones if you can't build them.

Is there someplace that says that the exynos 5250 chips are LTE friendly? If so I missed that official confirmation.

 

[CrackBerry1526]

Samsung has developed LTE for the quad core exynos, but only for the korean LTE frequencies, which is unique to only korea and not used in any other country. my only hopes are that they develop LTE for north american frequencies soon, so they can release a variant of the GS3.

 

[mkslt04]

What device has the quad core chip?

 

[JayWill]

Is there someplace that says that the exynos 5250 chips are LTE friendly? If so I missed that official confirmation.

Nope. Nothing official as far as I'm aware either. HOWEVER! This can mean many things, but if you go to the official Samsung Exynos 5 Dual page here Samsung Exynos 5 Dual, down at the bottom you can download a product PDF that has a chip diagram. To save you the 72MB download, I took a screen shot and attached it here, with the notable part I circled in red (with MS Paint heh).

Based on reports over the past few months, I feel fairly strongly that the 5250 will have both CDMA and LTE radios on the chip. Whether those radios will be compatible with U.S. networks is another story however.

 

[djw39]

The only thing you should be looking forward to in the future is any version of the S4 with the Adreno 3xx GPU, the Exynos 5, and the TI OMAP 5. The last two are based on the new ARM A15 architecture/instruction set.

Do you think manufacturers/carriers will roll out a second round of flagship phones this year with any of these three? E.g., on Sprint, looks like we will soon have phones from HTC Samsung and Motorola, all with the S4 and all with giant screens...will any of these produce a second high end phone in 2012?

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Do you think manufacturers/carriers will roll out a second round of flagship phones this year with any of these three? E.g., on Sprint, looks like we will soon have phones from HTC Samsung and Motorola, all with the S4 and all with giant screens...will any of these produce a second high end phone in 2012?

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2

I'm sure we'll see some variation of the phones that are out now. I'm not sure how long the sampling process takes, though, and then there's carrier approval.

We will something more powerful this year? Absolutely. Will it hit the carriers in the US? Probably. First thing we'll probably see quad-core S4 in is a tablet, most likely Windows 8.

 

[SlimJ87D]

The first Exynos 5 is dual-core....so it'll compete more on a per core basis with the S4, but a quad-core S4 will still out perform it. Also, with the expected jump in performance to the Adreno 3xx all GPU's will be to the point where the screen resolution needs to jump up to take advantage of the capabilities. Also keep in mind that each GPU is slightly different, and has to run a set number of instructions to be able to be in and Android device. Most are capable of far more, but nothing is written to take advantage of it. Which is (again) why nVidia has an advantage. Hardware is nothing without software.

Kevin, I never said anything about who would out perform who. It is obvious that a quad core Krait would outperform the Exynos 4. Can I please see the official article (not a BGR report) that says they are releasing S4 Quad core Krait for phones? From what I can remember, they said that they would put a Adreno 3XX with their Dual Core S4 in late 2012. This was to be called the S4 "Pro." My post was pointing out that there is no promise for a Quadcore Krait later this year, it was a S4 Pro:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snapdragon_(system_on_chip)#Snapdragon_S4

The S4 Pro specs are already there from the RND department.

Also we haven't seen bench marks of the Quad Core 32nm, only a 45nm one of a Tegra 3. Or have we? I might have missed that one. There is a good chance, and more than likely, that the Quad Core 32nm will outperform the Dual Core 28nm.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Kevin, I never said anything about who would out perform who. It is obvious that a quad core Krait would outperform the Exynos 4. Can I please see the official article (not a BGR report) that says they are releasing S4 Quad core Krait for phones? From what I can remember, they said that they would put a Adreno 3XX with their Dual Core S4 in late 2012. This was to be called the S4 "Pro." My post was pointing out that there is no promise for a Quadcore Krait later this year, it was a S4 Pro:

Snapdragon (system on chip) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The S4 Pro specs are already there from the RND department.

Also we haven't seen bench marks of the Quad Core 32nm, only a 45nm one of a Tegra 3. Or have we? I might have missed that one. There is a good chance, and more than likely, that the Quad Core 32nm will outperform the Dual Core 28nm.

Qualcomm doesn't decide who puts what chip in phones. They'll release the quad-core Krait, and then the manufacturers will decide if they want to use it. There is nothing official about the quad-core being used in phones, but there's also no reason it can't/won't be. Yes, the S4 Pro will be released first, which makes perfect sense since the CPU part is already done and shipping. You're correct, it's the same thing we have now with a more capable GPU.

Even with a die shrink to the Tegra 3 I think it'll still be close performance wise, especially if we're talking about the S4 Pro. And no, I haven't seen any sort of indication of performance of the Tegra 3+ (or whatever they end up calling it), which will have a die shrink and built-in LTE. It should also help with power consumption. It's still going to be A9-based, though, and even if it doesn't put them on top of the S4, it'll put them at least equal to the Exynos 4 Quad (yes, I know, I'm making an assumption on how that chip will perform, but it has some improvements of the current Tegra 3 that should make it faster).

 

[BcSirstaroth]

Hey everyone,

New to the forums and hopefully getting the GS3 as my first android phone, iOS is boring and a little too "young" for me, android look professional (Only 24 but whatevs lol).

Anyway my question is, in my area we don't have LTE yet, but we are suppose to be getting it soon, if I get the GS3 on the LTE network (hopefully on AT&T) would I get their 4G service? Or HSPA?

 

[solid_s_1117]

would I get their 4G service? Or HSPA?

If the U.S. variants come with an LTE compatible chip (most likely), then you will definitely have an LTE enabled phone whenever At&t rolls out said network connectivity in your area.

 

[Wontfinishlast]

So there's one question no one has answered yet. And I haven't been able to find the answer. I know you can't really compare tegra 3 to exynos 4412, but for shear quad core vs dual core, has anyone done battery life comparisons one the one x between the global version and the US version? If all the benchmarks are close I'd prefer the most efficient processor. Which I'd assume would be the s4 as only dual core with 28nm architecture.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

So there's one question no one has answered yet. And I haven't been able to find the answer. I know you can't really compare tegra 3 to exynos 4412, but for shear quad core vs dual core, has anyone done battery life comparisons one the one x between the global version and the US version? If all the benchmarks are close I'd prefer the most efficient processor. Which I'd assume would be the s4 as only dual core with 28nm architecture.

It hasn't been officially tested, but we have a member that got theirs early and reported that he went 15 hours of "normal" use and still had 30% battery left.

You can see his results HERE. If those are typical results I'll be more than happy with it and will never complain about the non-replaceable battery.

This is also better battery life than the Tegra 3 version.

 

[Wontfinishlast]

Originally Posted by Wontfinishlast<br />
So there's one question no one has answered yet. And I haven't been able to find the answer. I know you can't really compare tegra 3 to exynos 4412, but for shear quad core vs dual core, has anyone done battery life comparisons one the one x between the global version and the US version? If all the benchmarks are close I'd prefer the most efficient processor. Which I'd assume would be the s4 as only dual core with 28nm architecture.

<br />
<br />
It hasn't been officially tested, but we have a member that got theirs early and reported that he went 15 hours of "normal" use and still had 30% battery left.<br />
<br />
You can see his results HERE. If those are typical results I'll be more than happy with it and will never complain about the non-replaceable battery.<br />
<br />
This is also better battery life than the Tegra 3 version.

In this case I think I'd actually prefer the s4. Extra battery life is a huge plus and well worth the minimal (if any) sacrifice in performance.

 

[Eaglemaniac]

I know I'm reaching here (who cares) but is there any way that the S4 performs better on the GS 3 than on the One X? is that even possible?

 

[Cory Streater]

Sorry to interrupt, but Wontfinishlast, did you manually insert the <br /> tags in your quoted post?