GPU in Smartphones: Mali, Power VR, ULP Ge-Force and Adreno

Well... By now, you guys must have got to know that CPU or Microprocessor or 'The Core' is one of the most important things to know about while finalizing your smartphone purchase. But, CPU only takes care of the normal processing functions for example, rendering Web Pages in a browser and it has a minor say in rendering Images, Video and Graphics, most importantly in Games. The thing that takes care of these functions is the GPU or 'Graphics Processing Unit'. So, if only the CPU is class-leading and the GPU is not, you won't be able to get the best experience from the smartphone you are about to buy. The presence of a very good GPU in today's smartphone devices is the exact reason you are able to play high performance games like 'Riptide GP' and 'Shadowgun' on a device like the smartphone.

So, the role of a GPU is primarily to not only provide hardware acceleration to 3D games and applications  but also to draw the main user interface in mobile operating systems.So, while your switching screens inside your iPhone or Windows Phones and you find the transitions from one screen to another silky smooth, you have to thank the GPU for it.

Right. So who are the market leaders in manufacturing high performance GPUs. Oh!! We have a list here too. Let's dig in.

1. ARM
• Ah! Yes!!, one of the market leader in manufacturing mobile CPUs is also the one of the market leader in manufacturing mobile GPUs. It markets it's GPUs under the brand name of 'Mali'. ARM has recently revealed 'Mali T658' GPU for next generation smartphone devices. 
• The GPU that has brought ARM the most recognition in the recent times is the 'Mali 400 MP'. You have this GPU in the 'Samsung Galaxy S2'. The GPU is one of the reasons the smartphone has become so popular as it is one of the best GPUs to be found on an SoC.
2. Imagination Technologies
• You might find this company new, but it definitely is NOT new in the GPU space. Imagination Technologies manufactures world class GPUs and markets them under the brand name of 'Power VR SGX' which has been used in a plethora of smartphones till date.
• The 'Power VR SGX 543 MP2' is the best GPU currently in the market and you can find it in none other than 'Apple iPad 2'. Now, you can see why Apple's devices get the best ratings not only on the external smooth-running software but also the internal rugged-hardware.
3. Nvidia
• Ya!! Nvidia sources the CPU to be used in it's Tegra SoCs from ARM but uses it's own GPU. It markets the GPU under the brand name of 'ULP Ge-Force'. The ULP stands for Ultra Low Power. Most of you would remember that the Ge-Force GPUs manufactured by Nvidia were used in PCs. Well, Nvidia went back to the drawing board and figured out how it could fit the same performance while consuming lower power and generating lesser heat in a device as small as a smartphone and that wondering led to the ULP Ge-Force GPU being born.
• You can find this GPU in all the 'Tegra 2' SoCs like in the 'LG Optimus 2X'.
4. Qualcomm
• I already mentioned in my previous posts that Qualcomm is the company which manufactures the CPUs and the GPUs used in it's SoCs by itself. Qualcomm had actually purchased the GPU business from ATI Radeon but nevertheless, it's got its own GPU business right now. It markets its GPUs under the brand name of 'Adreno'
• The 'Adreno 220' GPU is the best GPU from the Qualcomm stable in the market right now and it can be found in smartphones like 'HTC Sensation' and 'HTC Sensation XE'.

So, that's it for today. Stay tuned!!!

Exynos from Samsung and Snapdragon from Qualcomm: The Details

Yesterday, I talked about Multi Core Processor System on Chips (MPSoC) and I also listed two market leaders in chip manufacturing and names of some devices within which these chips were being used. Now we will have a look at two more chip manufacturers who also are market leaders in the chip manufacturing space. You need to have an idea of all 4 manufacturers, as in future posts you will be able to understand easily when I mention the name of a particular chip.

Samsung

• As you already know from my previous posts, Samsung manufacturers chips and markets them under the brand name of 'Hummingbird' and 'Exynos'. While 'Hummingbird' is a single-core System on Chip and is actually a codename for 'Exynos 3110', the 'Exynos 4210' is a dual-core System on Chip and competes with the likes of Tegra 2 and OMAP SoCs. Do not get confused, when somebody says 'Hummingbird' is another name for 'Exynos'. Similar to the SoC offerings from the rest of the manufacturers, the 'Exynos 4210' also contains dual cores sourced from ARM (2 ARM Cortex A9s) sprinting at 1.2 Ghz. There is another variant of Exynos called the 'Exynos 4212' which also contains 2 ARM Cortex A9s but they are clocked at a frequency of 1.5 Ghz.
• Some of the famous smartphone devices which sport the 'Hummingbird (Exynos 3110)' and 'Exynos 4210' SoCs are 'Samsung Galaxy S' which uses the former SoC and 'Samsung Galaxy S2' which uses the latter SoC.
• There is another major difference between the 'Samsung Galaxy S' and the 'Samsung Galaxy S2'. As I already said, each SoC contains some other components like the CPU Instruction Set, the Memory Controller and the GPU and some other components in addition to the CPU. Well, the 'Galaxy S' uses a GPU sourced from 'Imagination Technologies' where as the 'Galaxy S2' uses a GPU sourced from 'ARM'. By now, you would have already figured out that knowledge only about the CPU alone will not be sufficient in deciding your purchase and that's absolutely RIGHT!!! (I will tell you why in my next post..!! ;-))

Qualcomm

• There are so many variants of SoCs manufactured by Qualcomm that Qualcomm itself had recently announced that it will classify its Snapdragon SoCs into only 4 categories. The 'Snapdragon S1', the 'Snapdragon S2', the 'Snapdragon S3' and yeah obviously!!! the 'Snapdragon S4'. Due to the combination of, CPUs clocked at various frequencies and the myriad varieties of GPUs used, there are so many variants of Qualcomm SoCs. But, only the S3 and the S4 relate to the dual-core varieties. What really differentiates Qualcomm SoCs from the rest of the bunch is that in its SoCs, the CPU and the GPU are not sourced from any company but manufactured by Qualcomm themselves!!! The CPUs are marketed under the brand name of 'Scorpion' and the GPUs are marketed under the brand name of 'Adreno'. Actually the 'Adreno' GPU business had been acquired from ATI Imageon. The S3 is clocked at various frequencies ranging from 1.2 Ghz to 1.7 Ghz and use 'Scorpion' CPU and 'Adreno' GPUs manufactured by Qualcomm themselves.
• Some of the famous smartphone devices which sport the 'Snapdragon S3' SoCs are 'HTC Sensation', 'HTC Sensation XE' and 'HP Touchpad'.
• While it has been mentioned that the 'Galaxy S2' uses Samsung's own Exynos SoC which contains dual-cores sourced from ARM, Samsung has some other versions of the same phone using the 'Snapdragon S3' chip sourced from Qualcomm. These phones are marketed under other names. The 'T-Mobile Galaxy S2' is one such phone that uses the 'Snapdragon S3' chip and the 'Galaxy Skyrocket' which is basically the 'Galaxy S2' with LTE is another one. I hope you guys got the subtle differences that I have been trying to highlight!!!!

Hmmm.. That completes, I think, what you need to know about dual-core processors. We'll move on tomorrow with GPUs i.e. Graphical Processing Units and why their consideration, in your purchase decision, is important. Stay tuned!!!

Tegra from Nvidia and OMAP from Texas Instruments: The Details

Yesterday, I talked about 'Single Core' processors. So, as I said, people started integrating dual core processors on a single chip. These chips are also called Multi-Processor System on Chips (MPSoC). Here are a few examples of manufacturers and their respective dual-core processor chips.

Nvidia

• Nvidia currently manufactures the 'Tegra 2' chip. As you all might be knowing, Tegra 2 is a dual core processor System on Chip (SoC). This chip contains various components like the CPU or microprocessor (core), the CPU Instruction Set, the Memory Controller and the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The CPU or the microprocessor is not manufactured by Nvidia itself but sourced from another company called ARM. Inside the Tegra 2 chip, there are 2 ARM Cortex - A9 processors (dual-core) and thereby the Tegra 2 derives it's name.
• Some of the famous smartphone devices which sport the 'Tegra 2' chip are 'LG Optimus 2X', 'Motorola Atrix', 'Samsung Galaxy R' and tablets such as 'Motorola XOOM', 'LG Optimus Pad' and 'Acer Iconia Tab A100 and A500' also sport the same chip. Note that the Tegra 2 chip in the above listed devices runs at a frequency of 1 Ghz. 
• There is another variant of the 'Tegra 2' processor which is clocked at a speed of 1.2 Ghz and runs inside the following device: 'Fusion Garage Grid 10' 

Texas Instruments

• Texas Instruments manufactures the 'OMAP' (Open Multimedia Application Platform) chip. The 4th generation of OMAP chips i.e. OMAP 4430, OMAP 4460 and OMAP 4470 are dual core processor System on Chips (SoC). This chip also contains various components that are necessary for the 'System on Chip' to function like the CPU or microprocessor (core), the CPU Instruction Set, the Memory Controller and the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). As in the case of Nvidia, the CPU or the microprocessor is sourced from ARM. Inside the OMAP 4th generation chips, there are 2 ARM Cortex - A9 processors (dual-core).
• There are a few differences that separate the 3 OMAP dual-core processing System on Chips. As I have already conveyed, each System on Chip also contains a GPU in addition to the CPU, the GPU in OMAP 4430 is clocked at  304 Mhz, whereas the GPU in OMAP 4460 is clocked at 384 Mhz. Additionally, the OMAP 4430 processors are clocked between 1 and 1.2 Ghz, whereas the OMAP 4460 processors are clocked between 1.2 and 1.5 Ghz. By this it is apparent that the OMAP 4460 is more powerful than the OMAP 4430. The OMAP 4470  will be explored later along with the latest Nvidia Tegra 3 quad core chip in another post.
• Some of the famous smartphone devices which sport the 'OMAP 4th generation' chips are 'Motorola Droid Razr' and 'Samsung Galaxy Nexus'. Inside the Droid Razr, OMAP 4430 is residing with a clocked speed of 1.2 Ghz whereas in the Galaxy Nexus, OMAP 4460 is residing with a clocked speed of 1.2 Ghz.

So, that's it for today. Samsung's own 'EXYNOS' chip and Qualcomm's 'SNAPDRAGON' chip will be explained in the next post. Stay tuned..!!

Single-Core, Dual-Core & Quad-Core: Decoding 'Core' or SoC

Nowadays you get to hear a lot of 'Single Core', 'Dual Core', 'Quad Core' going on in your friends circles. Most of you already have an idea of such kind of processing power in Laptops. But lo! you are now hearing such terms in the context of smartphones and tablets.

You might actually think it's a no-brainer that 'Quad Core' is better than 'Dual Core' which is in turn better than 'Single Core' and yes, you are right too. But are you right on all occasions??? Should you just make your purchase on the basis of terms like these?? To answer these questions, you need to read the information given below a little intently :P

A few years ago, people realized that, integrating components resting inside a general purpose personal computer which are sitting in an isolated fashion will be beneficial for various purposes like Space saving, Throughput increment, and Efficiency increment. So, they started manufacturing something called as a 'System on Chip'. A 'System on Chip' is an integrated circuit that integrates all the components of a computer or other electronic system on a single chip. This means that on a single chip, you'll have the following components

1. Microprocessor or CPU (also called popularly as 'Core')
2. Memory Blocks (ROM | Read Only Memory, RAM | Random Access Memory)
3. External interfaces such as USB, Ethernet
4. Voltage Regulators
5. GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)

What you also need to understand is that while the 'Chip' that contains the above listed components is manufactured by one company, this company might source the above listed components from other manufacturers. Currently in the market, the following are the companies that manufacture the 'Chip'.

1. Nvidia is the company that manufactures the 'TEGRA' Chip
2. Samsung is the company that manufactures the 'EXYNOS' and 'HUMMINGBIRD' chips
3. Texas Instruments is the company that manufactures the 'OMAP' chip
4. Qualcomm is the company that manufactures the 'SNAPDRAGON' chip

If you could jog your memory a little, you can recollect that the famous 'Samsung Galaxy S' used Samsung's 'Hummingbird' chip. The 'Hummingbird' (Codename for Exynos 3110) chip contained a single core 1 Ghz processor. The first phone with the 'Android' operating system, the 'Google Nexus One' used Qualcomm's 'Snapdragon' chip that contained a single core 1 Ghz processor.

As stated above, in the initial days of manufacturing, there was only a single microprocessor (single core) coupled with other components (give in the first list above) resting on a chip. Each and every microprocessor runs at a particular clock-speed or frequency. Most of the manufacturers (given in the second list above) were looking for a company which could supply them with the 'Microprocessor' or 'Core' component of the chip. 'ARM' had stepped up to the task and has since become famous as most of the companies which manufacture 'System on Chips' source the microprocessor component from ARM. ARM manufactures microprocessors and markets them under the brand name of 'Cortex'. 

Manufacturers soon began to realize that having a Single Core limited the power of the device in which the 'System on Chip' was being used. They soon came to a conclusion that having multiple cores on a single chip will enable them to increase the power of the smartphone multiple times. The rationale was pretty simple. Suppose, you are asked to make two calculations and then add the result of the calculation, you make the first calculation and then make the second calculation and then add the result of the two calculations. At any point of time, you are doing just one task. But, if the task is divided among two people, while the first person is making the first calculation, the second person will simultaneously make the second calculation and then result can be arrived at by any of the individuals. So, they started thinking of 'Dual Core' and 'Quad Core' processors on a single chip.

I guess this is enough for today. More information on 'Dual Core' and 'Quad Core' incoming. Stay tuned!!! 

Super IPS, AH-IPS, Super PLS, Nova, S-LCD2: Decoding the Smartphone Display

Today, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime was unveiled which brought into focus a new kind of display: Super IPS+. Currently, electronic majors LG and SAMSUNG are worldwide leaders in the manufacture of display panels. LG has partnered with Philips to manufacture panels called Super IPS LCD. This is an improvement of traditional LCD panels which do not offer wide viewing angles and accurate color reproduction. Super IPS LCD panels on the other hand will produce virtually no color shift while viewing from any angle. The display technology used in Transformer Prime called Super IPS+ is mostly similar to the Super IPS panel except that the maximum brightness that the device is capable of, has been tremendously improved. LG also uses a technology called NOVA display inside it's smartphones like 'Optimus Black'. The USP of the NOVA display too is brightness. In fact, the NOVA display makes the 'Optimus Black' display panel one of the brightest panels used in smartphones till date. Samsung offers a competitor to the Super IPS panel by the name: Super PLS (Plane-to-Line Switching). These are also touted as an improvement over the traditional IPS panels. Samsung quotes these displays as cost effective to manufacture while offering improved image quality. So, in conclusion smartphones can be classified into different categories based on 3 parameters.

1. Quality
2. Resolution
3. Brightness

Based on Quality they are divided into following common categories (Not an exhaustive list)

• LCD
• LED
• AMOLED
• Super AMOLED
• Super AMOLED plus
• TFT LCD
• IPS LCD
• Super IPS
• Super PLS
• Super LCD

Based on Resolution they are divided into following common categories (Not an exhaustive list)

• QVGA (320*240)
• HVGA (480*320)
• nHD (640*360)
• VGA (640*480)
• WVGA (800*480)
• FWVGA (854*480)
• qHD (960*540)
• Retina Display (960*640)
• HD (1280 * 720)
• WXGA (1280*768 | 1280*800)

Based on Brightness they are divided into following common categories (Not an exhaustive list)

• Nova Display
• Super IPS+

Note:

qHD stands for Quarter-HD (960*540). So, HD display should have actually had a resolution of (1920*1080), but smartphone panels having a resolution of (1280*720) are also being called HD, which I opine are being called so, based on the pixel density.

So, while checking out the display panel of the device you are about to buy, make sure that it is of the best quality and the best resolution while the cost of the device is in your budget. Currently, the following smartphone devices are the best in the market which have great panels

1. Samsung Galaxy Nexus (4.65 inch screen)
• A combination of great quality (Super AMOLED) and high resolution (1280*720)
2. Samsung Galaxy Note (5.3 inch screen)
• A combination of great quality (Super AMOLED) and high resolution (1280*800)
3. HTC Rezound (4.3 inch screen)
• A combination of good quality (Super LCD) and high resolution (1280*720)

So.. the choice is yours..!!

Update

A smartphone codenamed 'Edge' by HTC has leaked and according to the leaked specs, it will be sporting a display panel known by the name of S-LCD 2. It is probably going to be an upgrade over the existing S-LCD panels used by HTC. The device is supposed to have an optically laminated display. In most of the smartphones, there is a slight gap between the screen and the covering glass. Normally there are chances for dust to creep in this gap. In an optically laminated display, there is no gap and the icons will just appear to float beneath the glass. This device is supposed to come out in Q1 2012. So if you are planning to wait, you have a good reason now. :)

LCD, LED, Super AMOLED, IPS, S-LCD: Decoding the Smartphone Display

I am sure most of you might be currently owning or planning to own a smartphone. Well if you are planning to buy one, you might have decided your budget, shortlisted phones from some big leading smartphone manufacturers and then proceeded to the showrooms to make your purchase. Then, you would have started wondering what the heck was going on when the salesman would have started blabbering about the different kinds of displays. He would have used the terms LCD, AMOLED, S-LCD, Super AMOLED, Retina Display, TFT blah..blah..blah.. This post is to make you understand what the blah..blah..blah exactly means. Don't worry... I am going to use the most layman language possible. :-)

You already have an idea of the now-almost-extinct CRTs (Cathode Ray Tubes) that once occupied a sizeable space in your living room. Basically, the technology used inside the CRT was such that it made TVs very bulky as a lot of components were used. The other major disadvantages were that the CRTs made use of phosphor which caused 'Image Burn-in' (Permanent discoloration of parts of the display) and as many parts were used to manufacture CRT, repairing it was a very complex process. Not to mention the kind of power they consumed.

To overcome such problems, people started manufacturing LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays). LCDs not only overcame all the traditional problems faced with the CRTs but also led to better resolution images being outputted on the screen. Now, one major thing to be remembered is that the LCD panels do not produce light of their own and they need an external lighting mechanism to be effective. 

There are two types of LCDs, Passive Matrix LCDs and Active Matrix LCDs. Now, am not going to explain to you the actual working of these technologies but you should just remember that Active Matrix LCDs reproduce better colors and offer better viewing angles than Passive Matrix LCDs. An example of the Active Matrix LCD is the TFT LCD (Thin Film Transistor LCD). The other important variant, an improvement over the TFT LCD which is now very popular in the market, is the IPS TFT LCD (In-Plane Switching TFT LCD). Your very own Apple's latest generation of iPhones use this technology. It is marketed by Apple as a 'Retina Display' which is nothing but a display that contains so many pixels (326 pixels per inch to be exact) that an eye cannot distinguish individual pixels when viewed from a particular distance. Of-course this is based on the assertion that 300 pixels per inch at a distance of 12 inches from the eye is the maximum amount of detail that a human eye can perceive. LG manufactures this display for Apple under an exclusive contract.

Right. So you now know about few technologies. Good. As I already said, LCDs by themselves cannot produce light and they need an external lighting mechanism for the images produced by LCDs to be visible. Now, as smartphones began becoming popular, manufacturers understood that some things in LCDs can easily be worked upon. ONE. Use materials that can emit light by themselves. TWO. Reduce the size of the display panel. THREE. Increase the image quality. Manufacturers understood that by improving upon these things they can actually improve one of the most desired characteristics of today's smartphones: Battery-Life.

So, they began using LED (Light Emitting Diode). Actually, the technology that became most popular is a variant of LED i.e. OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode). This is simply a display technology that makes use of material through which if current passes, emits light. Now, as LCDs have 'Active Matrix' variant, the OLED also has a variant which is now used in leading smartphones: Active Matrix OLED now widely known by the name of AMOLED. Samsung's Galaxy S uses Super AMOLED panels and it's latest generation smartphone: the Galaxy S2 uses Super AMOLED plus. The difference between Super AMOLED and Super AMOLED plus is that Super AMOLED plus uses more sub-pixels per pixel, is more efficient and produces better colors than the Super AMOLED panel.

Currently a new range of displays called HD displays are arriving on the market. Actually, the terms HD and 720p display are being interchangeably used and thankfully both essentially imply a similar display (at least for now!!). HD displays imply display having resolution greater than 1280*720 pixels (length * breadth). The underlying technology hasn't changed. It's just that they are being marketed by quoting their resolutions as their USP. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the HTC Rezound are supposedly packing these displays although in different sizes. While the Galaxy Nexus is having a 4.65 inch screen, the HTC Rezound has a 4.3 inch screen. And as you might have rightly guessed by now, the pixel density (pixels per inch) would be greater in the HTC Rezound than the Galaxy Nexus. Just remember that when I am talking about the screen length I am essentially talking about the length of the diagonal of the display. Another device soon hitting the markets, the Samsung Galaxy Note having a 5.3 inch screen has a resolution of 1280*800 pixels and it is being marketed as Super AMOLED HD panel.

The last category of displays about which you might have frequently heard is S-LCD. S-LCD (Super LCD) is being manufactured by a joint-venture company which has Samsung and Sony as it's partners. These panels are an improvement over traditional LCD display panels but are not essentially better than AMOLED display panels. They are being chiefly used by HTC as the demand for AMOLED panels has been far outstripping their supply in the current market. All the latest generation HTC smartphones use the S-LCD panels.

So, that's it. I think you are now empowered to make an informed decision. Stay tuned..!!!