How the Exynos 9 Series 9820 is Ushering in a New Era of Mobile Experiences

The driving force behind the mobile experience’s radical transformation is a mobile processor hidden beneath the surface. The Exynos 9 Series 9820, Samsung’s latest mobile processor, is a nerve center designed to power innovative mobile devices. The Exynos 9820 is engineered to offer a next-level mobile experience through intelligent processing power, multi-gigabit internet speed, diverse multimedia features, and a host of other features.

The Exynos 9820 has an integrated neural processing unit (NPU) to deliver deep learning capabilities whilst using less power. With the NPU, Exynos 9820 can perform AI-related functions seven times faster than its predecessor based on TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second).¹

This allows the processor to implement AI anywhere, anytime through its on-device artificial intelligence. With on-device AI, a mobile device can perform artificial intelligent activities with lower latency, better power efficiency, and stronger security than when utilizing the cloud. It enables the mobile device to offer new and improved artificial intelligence features such as personal assistant services, augmented reality and enhanced camera functions.

A desktop-like experience on a mobile device is now reality thanks to next-generation mobile processors that can achieve exceptional computing power. The Exynos 9820 features tri-cluster octa-core CPU architecture consisting of two Samsung custom cores for running heavy computational tasks, two Arm^® Cortex^®-A75 cores for optimal performance, and four Cortex-A55 cores for everyday tasks, thus heightening processing power. Samsung’s fourth-generation custom CPU is implemented with enhanced memory access capability and advanced architecture design, improving the single core performance by up to 20 percent over its predecessor.¹  Furthermore, tri-cluster architecture features an intelligent task scheduler to optimize the balance between performance and efficiency for longer lasting battery life.

The Exynos 9820 integrates an LTE-Advanced Pro modem for lightning-fast mobile broadband speeds. To achieve fast downloads, seamless video streaming, and smooth online gameplay, the modem supports LTE category 20 with 8x carrier aggregation enabling downlink speed of up to 2.0Gbps.²

The modem also enhances stability and speed even further through diverse advanced modem technologies including 4×4 Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO), 256-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), and Enhanced Licensed-Assisted Access (eLAA). Furthermore, the Exynos Modem 5100, Samsung’s 5G cellular modem, can be paired with the Exynos 9820 to support the 5G network.

For an immersive gaming experience on the go, the Exynos 9820 comes with a high-performance Mali™-G76 MP12 graphic processing unit (GPU). Featuring wider execution engines – with double the number of lanes than its predecessor – alongside cutting-edge graphics compression techniques and advanced APIs support, the Exynos 9820 provides dramatic uplifts in both performance and efficiency for complex graphics. The Exynos 9820 offers up to 40 percent improvement in performance or 35 percent enhancement in power efficiency.¹

The Exynos 9820 is engineered to capture clear images at any time of the day. With its advanced image signal processor (ISP) for multi-camera solutions, the Exynos 9820 supports diverse cutting-edge photography functions which are further enhanced by AI-capabilities. The Exynos 9820’s ISP has increased the maximum number of sensors it can support from four to five, facilitating flexible multi-camera solutions on a mobile device with diverse functionalities such as optical zoom and bokeh effect. This means that, when a user clicks the shutter button within the camera app, billions of arithmetic operations are performed by the advanced ISP to generate better focus, accurate exposure and white balance, vivid color and less noise, producing amazing photographs.

The Exynos 9820 is also built to transform those special moments into spectacular videos. As recording a video in high-resolution can occupy a large space within a limited storage capacity, a processor must compress the video with a video codec in order to store and transfer it efficiently. The advanced Multi-Format Codec (MFC) in the Exynos 9820 processor can encode and compress 8K video into a smaller file size thanks to its 10-bit HEVC codec, which delivers highly efficient video compression with 10-bit color support. This means users need not worry about running out of storage space – even when recording videos in high resolution. Furthermore, the 10-bit HEVC codec can generate 1,024 different tones for each primary color, which translates into 1.07 billion color combinations.

The advanced display subsystem is built to present high quality multimedia content on an HDR display. The HDR display reproduces lifelike colors with a high level of accuracy. Notably, the Exynos 9820 supports HDR10+, a new open standard for HDR video which employs dynamic tone mapping allowing scenes to be optimized individually. With this powerful display subsystem, the Exynos 9820 can support a 4K UHD display on a mobile device, offering mesmerizing multimedia experiences.

Now these advanced benefits allow people to run daily errands and perform personal tasks using their mobile device alone and they must be accompanied by strong security. The Exynos 9820 features a physically unclonable function (PUF), also known as a digital fingerprint, to manage personal data in perfect isolation, making for more reliable security. PUF generates an unclonable key for data encryption by using the unique physical characteristics of each chip. While the PUF creates a unique digital fingerprint, the security subsystem is a secure key manager that supports other security protocols, such as key generation, storage and derivation.

The Exynos 9820 is built on an advanced FinFET process with a low power design scheme, meaning all of this can be done while consuming less power. The 8nm LPP (Low Power Plus) FinFET process reduces power consumption by up to 10 percent compared to 10nm LPP process.³ The Exynos 9820 also optimizes the power consumptions of the CPU and the GPU through reductions in idle and leakage power and operating voltage.

¹ Tested internally on the Exynos 9820 and the Exynos 9810

² Actual speed may differ by country and carrier.

³ Tested internally on Samsung’s 8nm LPP and 10nm LPP

※ Arm, Cortex and Mali are registered trademarks or trademarks of Arm Limited (or its subsidiaries) in the US and/or elsewhere.

※ All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.