Top 5 5G chips for mobile devices

The biggest benefits of 5G are much higher data rates to download content much quicker, much lower latency for less lag time, and higher bandwidth. To achieve these goals and further accelerate 5G adoption, it’s going to take a new generation of 5G chips and platforms for consumer devices, premise equipment, and network infrastructure equipment.

The demand for higher internet speed by consumers together with an increase in demand for mobile data services is expected to boost the 5G chipset market growth, according to Allied Market Research. The research firm forecasts that the global 5G chipset market will reach $2.1 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $22.9 billion by 2026, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 48.7% from 2020 to 2026.

As major carriers continue to build out their 5G networks, smartphone makers are coming out with premium 5G phones packed with new features. The result is a big push by chipmakers to develop 5G chips for mobile devices, primarily designed around delivering better gaming experiences and graphics-intensive features. This means faster processing and connectivity, along with improved power efficiency and system performance. Then throw in on-device artificial intelligence support, and you’ve got some powerful chips, beefed up for a better user experience on smartphones. Here are some of their latest products targeting 5G mobile devices.

MediaTek, Dimensity 1000 5G mobile SoC
Late last year, MediaTek rolled out its first integrated 5G chipset, the Dimensity family of 5G system-on-chips (SoCs) for premium and flagship smartphones. Starting with the Dimensity 1000, the company’s first 5G mobile SoC, it pairs four Arm Cortex-A77 cores operating up to 2.6 GHz, with four power-efficient Arm Cortex-A55 cores operating at up to 2.0 GHz to optimize for high performance and power efficiency. MediaTek said it is the industry’s first to use the Arm Mali-G77 graphics processing unit (GPU) to enable seamless streaming and gaming at 5G speeds.

Described as a step toward a new era of mobility — the fifth dimension — to spur innovation, the single 5G chip solution with an integrated 5G modem delivers power efficiency and gives extra space to designers for features such as a bigger battery or larger camera sensors.

The Dimensity 1000 supports 5G two-carrier aggregation (2CC CA) and claims the industry’s fastest throughput SoC with 4.7-Gbits/s downlink and 2.5-Gbits/s uplink speeds over sub-6-GHz networks. The chipset supports standalone and non-standalone (SA/NSA) sub-6-GHz networks and includes multi-mode support for every cellular connectivity generation from 2G to 5G.

It also integrates the latest Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1+ standards for the fastest local wireless connectivity, offering more than 1-Gbits/s throughput in both downlink and uplink speeds.

In addition, it comes with a new MediaTek AI Processing Unit — APU 3.0 — with more than double the performance of the previous-generation APU at 4.5 TOPS. The APU supports advanced AI-camera enhancements for autofocus, auto exposure, auto white balance, noise reduction, high-dynamic range (HDR), and facial detection, along with the industry’s first multi-frame video HDR capability, according to the company.

The Dimensity 1000 also claims the industry’s first dual 5G SIM technology, in addition to support for services such as Voice over New Radio (VoNR). MediaTek also touts a superior camera and video experience with the industry’s first five-core image signal processor (ISP) with MediaTek’s Imagiq+ technology. The chipset supports 8-megapixel (MP) camera sensors at 24 frames per second (fps) and a range of multi-camera options such as 32+16-MP dual cameras.

The chipset also supports full HD+ displays up to 120 Hz and 2K+ up to 90 Hz. Dimensity 1000 is said to be the first mobile SoC to support Google AV1 format up to 4K resolution at 60 fps, delivering new levels of video streaming.

Earlier this year, MediaTek expanded its Dimensity 5G chipset family with the Dimensity 1000+ and Dimensity 1000C.

The Dimensity 1000+ delivers improvements in gaming, video, and power-saving technologies. The new 5G features include carrier aggregation, dual 5G SIM, superfast 5G speeds, and MediaTek’s 5G UltraSave power-saving technologies that dynamically adjust the modem’s power configuration and operating frequency according to network conditions and user activities to significantly save power, according to the company.

Another improvement is support for ultra-fast 144-Hz displays, targeting high-frame-rate videos and gaming apps, minimizing motion blur and jitter. The 144-Hz refresh rate operates 2.4× faster per second than a standard 60-Hz display used for many smartphones, said MediaTek.

The Dimensity 1000+ also incorporates the latest HyperEngine 2.0 technologies, optimizing the smartphone for an immersive gaming experience. This includes a Resource Management Engine to intelligently manage CPU, GPU, and memory resources; an upgraded networking engine for call and data concurrency; and a Rapid Response Engine for a lag-free gaming experience.

The chip also incorporates MediaTek’s latest MiraVision technologies that are designed to improve per-frame picture quality. Together with the integrated APU 3.0’s processing power, the Dimensity 1000+ can dynamically adjust per-frame contrast, sharpness, and color levels to improve picture quality of 4K videos and streams in real time.

In September, MediaTek released the Dimensity 1000C for premium 5G experiences with advanced AI capabilities and display features, along with ultra-fast connectivity. The chip is designed into MediaTek’s first powered 5G smartphone in the U.S., the LG VELVET, on T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network.

The 7-nm Dimensity 1000C features super-fast 5G speeds and expands MediaTek’s 5G family of chipsets and its flagship series for smartphones.

The Dimensity 1000C features four Arm-Cortex-A77 CPU cores and four power-efficient Arm Cortex-A55 cores operating up to 2 GHz, with a large, low-latency communal cache that further improves performance and power efficiency. It also provides five Arm Mali-G57 GPU cores for more powerful graphics for gamers.

The MediaTek APU 3.0 combines three different types of AI processors, supporting the latest AI-camera, AI assistant, in-app, and OS enhancements for smartphones. Other features include AV1 HDR on Netflix and AV1 video streaming on YouTube, integrated dual voice wake-up, support for dual display, and advanced camera functions thanks to an advanced AI face-detection hardware engine.

Qualcomm, Snapdragon 865 5G Mobile Platform
Also targeting premium 5G smartphones is the latest 5G mobile platform from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., announced at the end of 2019. The premium Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 5G Mobile Platform combines the company’s advanced second-generation 5G Modem-RF System and fifth-generation Qualcomm AI engine and new Qualcomm Sensing Hub for more intelligence and personalization.

The Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System is the first commercial 5G modem-to-antenna with peak speeds of up to 7.5 Gbits/s, surpassing most wired connections, said Qualcomm. This system supports advanced technologies such as Qualcomm 5G PowerSave, Qualcomm Smart Transmit technology, Qualcomm Wideband Envelope Tracking technology, and Qualcomm Signal Boost for improved coverage and data speeds, along with support for all-day battery life.

Snapdragon 865 includes the fast Qualcomm Spectra 480 ISP, which brings new features to mobile photography and videography with up to 2 gigapixels per second. It also includes the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gaming features for desktop-quality gaming and ultra-realistic graphics. In addition, both the Qualcomm Kryo 585 CPU and Adreno 650 GPU deliver up to 25% performance improvement, compared with the previous generations.

Earlier this year, Qualcomm announced a follow-up to the flagship Snapdragon 865 with the launch of the Snapdragon 865 Plus 5G Mobile Platform, designed to deliver increased performance for gameplay and extremely fast Snapdragon Elite Gaming experiences with “ultra-intuitive” AI for the next generation of smartphones.

The upgraded platform also includes the Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System and the latest fifth-generation Qualcomm AI Engine for seamless camera, audio, and gaming experiences. With the Elite Gaming premium features, the Snapdragon 865 Plus offers first-to-mobile features like updateable GPU drivers and desktop forward rendering, ultra-smooth 5G gameplay at speeds of up to 144 fps, and true 10-bit HDR gaming to provide over a billion shades of color, said Qualcomm.

Enhancements over Snapdragon 865 include the Qualcomm Kryo 585 CPU Prime core clock speed at up to 3.1 GHz (10% increase), 10% faster graphics rendering with the Adreno 650 GPU, and Qualcomm FastConnect 6900 compatibility for fast Wi-Fi speeds of up to 3.6 Gbits/s — the fastest of any mobile Wi-Fi offering in the industry, according to Qualcomm.

Qualcomm, 5G Modem-RF System
Qualcomm also introduced its third-generation 5G Modem-RF System. The Snapdragon X60 5G Modem-RF System claims to be the industry’s first with a 5-nm 5G baseband and the first to support spectrum aggregation across key 5G bands including mmWave and sub-6-GHz bands using frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD).

The Snapdragon X60 also features the new Qualcomm QTM535 mmWave antenna module. The QTM535 is the company’s third-generation 5G mmWave module for mobile and features a more compact design than the previous generation, which allows for thinner, sleeker smartphones.

The 5G modem-to-antenna solution can deliver up to 7.5-Gbits/s download speeds and 3-Gbit/s upload speeds, and the aggregation of sub-6-GHz spectrum in standalone mode allows the doubling of peak data rates in 5G standalone mode compared with solutions with no carrier aggregation support, said Qualcomm. It also supports 5G VoNR, which “will be an important step in the global mobile industry’s transition from non-standalone to standalone mode, as it will allow mobile operators to provide high-quality voice services on 5G NR,” said Qualcomm.

Samsung Electronics, Exynos 980/990 processors and Exynos Modem 5123
Samsung Electronics announced three new chips in Q4 2019 — the Exynos 990 premium mobile processor, the Exynos 980 5G integrated mobile processor, and Exynos Modem 5123. The devices are designed for future mobile devices that will use intensive video and AI applications as well as 5G communications.

Both the Exynos 990 premium mobile processor and ultra-fast next-generation 5G Exynos Modem 5123 are built on the advanced 7-nm process technology using extreme ultra-violet (EUV) to provide high performance and accelerated product development options for mobile manufacturers, said Samsung.

Like a lot of 5G chips, the Exynos 990 delivers improvements to mobile gaming and other graphics-intensive operations thanks to the embedded Arm Mali-G77 GPU. Samsung said this is the first premium GPU based on the new Valhall architecture, which improves graphic performance or power efficiency by up to 20%. This is in addition to an overall 20% performance boost from the tri-cluster CPU structure that consists of two custom cores, two high-performance Cortex-A76 cores, and four power-efficient Cortex-A55 cores.

For on-device AI, the Exynos 990 includes a dual-core neural processing unit (NPU) and an improved digital signal processor (DSP) that can perform over 10 trillion operations per second. The NPU enables localized AI in a smartphone or other mobile platform. This allows data to be processed on-device, rather than going through a network and a server, for added efficiency and security. It also enhances AI features such as facial recognition and scene detection for richer mobile experiences.

For next-generation mobile connectivity, the 5G Exynos Modem 5123 supports virtually all networks, from 5G’s sub-6-GHz and mmWave spectrums to 2G GSM/CDMA, 3G WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, HSPA, and 4G LTE, with excellent downlink speed across the board, said Samsung.

In 5G, with up to eight-carrier aggregation (8CA), the modem delivers a maximum downlink speed of up to 5.1 Gbits/s in sub-6 GHz and 7.35 Gbits/s in mmWave, or up to 3.0 Gbits/s in 4G networks by supporting higher-order 1024 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM).

The Exynos 990 complements these modem speeds with a very wide memory bandwidth that supports LPDDR5 data rates of up to 5,500 Mbits/s. The processor also features a 120-Hz refresh-rate display driver for better gaming. It also integrates an advanced ISP that supports up to six individual image sensors with concurrent processing of three, which enables pro-grade photography, with resolution up to 108 MP.

Samsung’s Exynos 980 is its first 5G-integrated AI mobile processor with a 5G modem on a single chip. By integrating the modem, the 5G-enabled Exynos 980 helps reduce power consumption and increase space efficiency in the device. The modem supports 5G to 2G networks, providing a fast gigabit downlink speed in 4G LTE and up to 2.55 Gbits/s in sub-6-GHz 5G.

The modem also supports E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC), which combines 5CC LTE and 5G connectivity to maximize mobile downlink speed of up to 3.55 Gbits/s. The processor supports a new Wi-Fi 6 standard, IEEE 802.11ax, that provides faster speed and greater stability for online gaming and smooth high-resolution video streaming over Wi-Fi networks.

The Exynos 980 incorporates two of the latest high-performance Cortex-A77 CPU cores and six efficient Cortex-A55 cores for fast computer power. It also comes with the Mali-G76 GPU for realistic gaming and immersive mixed-reality experiences, as well as an embedded NPU for on-device intelligence, which delivers enhancements such as secure user authentication, content filtering, mixed reality, and intelligent camera.

For advanced photography, the Exynos 980 supports resolution up to 108 MP, and the advanced ISP supports up to five individual sensors and is able to process three concurrently for richer multi-camera experiences. For an immersive multimedia experience, the Exynos 980’s multi-format codec (MFC) supports encoding and decoding of 4K UHD video at 120 fps. HDR10+ support with dynamic mapping also offers more detailed and illuminant colors in video content, said Samsung.