Qualcomm has released and shipped a dual-core processor already under the Snapdragon name, the MSM8260 or MSM8660 depending on what bands it used. This is a 1.2 Ghz processor. Qualcomm also plans to release a 1.5Ghz dual-core processor during Q4 of this year. Texas Instruments is planning to release two dual-core processors late this year, the OMAP4430 and the OMAP4440. Both will be based on ARM’s Cortex-A9 design. The OMAP4430 will run at 1 Ghz and the OMAP4440 will be faster, but the exact speed has not yet been announced yet. All of these processors will be based off of a 45nm manufacturing process.
There are many things that these faster processors will allow, such as full Hi-Def 1080p encoding and decoding. This means that phones with 1080p video recording capability are to be expected, most likely during 2011. HTC says they expect to have phones with this capability out during Q2 of 2011. Another capability is WXGA resolution, or 1280 by 800 pixels. This would allow for an even higher pixel density than the iPhone 4 on a bigger screen. For example, a 4.3 inch screen at this resolution would have about 351 PPI, where the iPhone 4, which has a measly 3.5 inch screen, only has 326 PPI. Combine this with an Super AMOLED screen and it would look amazing. 3D graphics and even better 2D graphics would come with dual-core processors.
Dual-Core processors could also be even more efficient than current processors, due to new power management strategies. One of these strategies is a technology for dynamically switching one of the cores off while the other core will run at full speed. Dual-core processors will also allow for low-power audio encoding and decoding and lower power GPS, which currently is a large power drain if you leave it on all the time. Along with the power management strategies, these processors will run much cooler.
Looking further into the future, I expect there will be quad-core phones, just as computers went from dual-core to quad-core, but only time will tell.
I don’t know about you, but I sure am excited for dual-core phones. [CNET, Brighthand, Qualcomm]
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Tags: AMOLED, CNet, cortex, dual core processors, Dual-core, HTC, power management, Processors, Qualcomm, Snapdragon
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