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Samsung possibly testing Exynos 2200 with faster X2 core and AMD graphics for Galaxy S22

By Anam Hamid

Published: Jun 30, 2021, 9:55 AM

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Samsung possibly testing Exynos 2200 with faster X2 core and AMD graphics for Galaxy S22

Image Credits: Let's Go Digital

Samsung is currently said to be testing different configurations for its AMD-based Exynos chip.

The company's next flagship mobile chip and possibly the next midrange 1xxx processor will feature a GPU made in collaboration with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Additionally, other companies have allegedly also expressed interest in using the tech.

The GPU, which is based on the American company's RDNA 2 graphics technology, will allegedly be announced next month.

For now, the next flagship Samsung chip, which will likely be called the Exynos 2200 and power the Galaxy S22 series, is confirmed to feature AMD graphics. The chip is expected to be announced in the second half of 2021.

Samsung testing AMD-powered Exynos chips with X1, X2, and A78 cores

While the new information (via Tron) is somewhat muddled, it suggests Samsung is testing four samples: two with Cortex X1 cores, one with X2, and one with A78.

The Cortex X2 succeeds the X1 and was announced by Arm just last month. It's based on the new Armv9 architecture and offers 16 percent better performance than the X1.

Alongside the X2, the Cortex-A710 -- the first Armv9 "big" CPU -- and the Cortex-A510 -- a new "LITTLE" high-efficiency core --were also launched. These promise 10 percent and 35 percent faster performance than the Cortex-A78 and Cortex-A55, respectively.

For reference, the Exynos 2100 that fuels the Galaxy S21 series features one Arm Cortex X1 core, three Cortex-A78 cores, and four Cortex-A55 cores. Although today's report makes no mention of the A710 and A510, it's likely that the new chip will be entirely v9-based and will retain a tri-cluster CPU configuration.

One of the two X1 chips apparently features a revised version of the existing X1 CPU, and its GPU has a higher clock speed than the other samples.

It's just speculation, but Samsung could be testing this configuration for its next mid-range chip, which will seemingly succeed the Exynos 1080. The report suggests that despite a higher frequency, this X1 chip doesn't seem to have an edge over the X2 chip when it comes sustained performance.

Exynos 2200's AMD GPU could feature four Compute Units

The X1 and X2 prototypes have allegedly been outfitted with AMD mRDNA GPUs with four compute units (CU). The GPU on the X1 version with a higher clock speed has 2 compute units.

An A78-based version is also in testing and it has a 1CU GPU.

The AMD GPU could be a total game-changer for Samsung. Per recently leaked benchmark results, its performance is on par with Apple A14 Bionic's graphics and miles ahead of Exynos 2100's Arm Mali G78 GPU.

Those tests were based on a chip with the older ARM Cortex-A77 microarchitecture. The actual performance could be about as good as Apple's M1 chip and that's saying something. This won't be apparent if Samsung throttles performance, which reports say it will.

Either way, the Exynos 2200 is almost guaranteed to offer better graphics than the Exynos 2100 and it may even leave behind Qualcomm's next Snapdragon chip. Both chips will allegedly be based on the 5nm manufacturing technology and Snapdragon 888's successor is also rumored to feature Arm's new CPU cores.

The new Snapdragon SoC will presumably fuel the American and Chinese versions of the Galaxy S22, which is a strong potential contender for best upcoming phones.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.