MediaTek Adds the Helio X23 and X27 to Its Deca-Core SoC Family

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MediaTek added two additional products to its premiere deca-core SoC family today. The Helio X23 and X27 join the previously released Helio X20 and X25, adding additional performance levels for OEMs to choose from.

All four SoCs use the same deca-core CPU configuration—two ARM Cortex-A72 cores for heavy workloads that require higher performance and two quad-core Cortex-A53 clusters, using different DVFS curves, for medium to light workloads where lower-power operation is desirable. MediaTek’s custom-developed, power-aware scheduler, CorePilot 3.0, still handles thread distribution. The differentiating factor is clock frequency, with peak frequencies increasing from 2.1GHz / 1.85GHz / 1.4GHz (A72 / A53 / A53) for the X20 to 2.6GHz / 2.0GHz / 1.6GHz for the new X27. The ARM Mali-T880MP4 GPU runs at up to 780MHz in the X20 and X23 and up to 850MHz in the X25. The new X27 bumps the GPU frequency even higher to 875MHz, just shy of the 900MHz peak frequency used by HiSilicon’s Kirin 950/955 that also uses a Mali-T880MP4 GPU.

MediaTek Helio X2x Family
SoC	MediaTek Helio X20 (MT6797)	MediaTek Helio X23	MediaTek Helio X25 (MT6797T)	MediaTek Helio X27 (MT6797X)
CPU	2x Cortex-A72 @2.1GHz 4x Cortex-A53 @1.85GHz 4x Cortex-A53 @1.4GHz	2x Cortex-A72 @2.3GHz 4x Cortex-A53 @1.85GHz 4x Cortex-A53 @1.4GHz	2x Cortex-A72 @2.5GHz 4x Cortex-A53 @2.0GHz 4x Cortex-A53 @1.55GHz	2x Cortex-A72 @2.6GHz 4x Cortex-A53 @2.0GHz 4x Cortex-A53 @1.6GHz
GPU	ARM Mali-T880MP4 @780MHz		ARM Mali-T880MP4 @850MHz	ARM Mali-T880MP4 @875MHz
Memory Controller	2x 32-bit @ 933MHz LPDDR3 14.9GB/s b/w
Encode/ Decode	encode: 2160p30 H.264 / HEVC w/HDR decode: 2160p30 10-bit H.264 / HEVC / VP9
Camera/ISP	Dual ISP 32MP @ 24fps (single camera) or 13MP + 13MP @ 30fps (dual camera)
Integrated Modem	LTE Category 6 DL = 300Mbps 2x20MHz CA, 64-QAM UL = 50Mbps 1x20MHz CA, 16-QAM FDD-LTE / TD-LTE / TD-SCDMA / WCDMA / CDMA / GSM
Mfc. Process	20SoC (planar)

Both the Helio X23 and X27 are manufactured on the same TSMC 20nm process as the X20 and X25. It’s not clear if MediaTek made any implementation changes to push the X27 to higher frequencies, but the fact that its A72 cores can hit 2.6GHz on a 20nm planar process is interesting considering ARM only targets frequencies this high on 14nm/16nm FinFET processes.

Other blocks within the X23 and X27, including MediaTek’s Imagiq ISP and integrated Category 6 modem, remain unchanged. The ISP still includes support for dual camera sensors, including color + monochrome configurations that can capture more light than a single color sensor, potentially improving low-light photography. There’s also a 3D depth engine built in to enable depth-of-field post-processing effects.

Products using the new Helio X23 and X27 SoCs have yet to be announced, but MediaTek says smartphones using the new chips will be available soon.

from AnandTech http://ift.tt/2fXhTim
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