Chipmaker Nvidia has unveiled Tegra 4 (codenamed “Wayne”), the next-generation, quad-core A15 processor for mobile devices. Packed with 72 GeForce cores, the GPU horsepower in Tegra 4 is six times powerful than its predecessor Tegra 3 and delivers more realistic gaming experiences and higher resolution displays.
The SOC (system on a chip) maintains the Tegra 3′s “four-plus-one” quad-core design and harnesses ARM’s most advanced CPU cores ever, plus a second-generation battery saver core (the fifth one), to deliver record levels of performance and battery life. Tegra 4 packs PRISM 2 display technology – giving up to 14 hours of HD video playback on smartphones.
Nvidia is touting the chip as “the world’s fastest mobile processor” with 4G LTE connectivity trumping Apple’s A6X processor, which is currently found in the fourth-generation iPad. NVIDIA’s Tegra 4 enables worldwide 4G LTE voice and data support via an optional chipset, the fifth-generation NVIDIA Icera i500 processor and deliver exceptional mobile communication capability.
The next generation Tegra 4 automatically delivers high dynamic range (HDR) photos and video by combining together the processing power of the GPU, CPU and the camera’s image-signal processor. This enables the first Always-on HDR camera with features like live HDR preview, instant HDR photos, HDR video, HDR burst, and HDR Flash.
The new chip reportedly consumes up to 45 percent less power than Tegra 3 and enables up to 14 hours of HD video playback on phones. Here’s the quick rundown on NVIDIA Tegra 4 features and specifications.
NVIDIA Tegra 4 specs
- Die-size: 80mm2
CPU
- Built by TSMC
- Cortex A15
- 28nm manufacturing process
- HPL – low-power with high-K metal gate
- Quad-core + companion core
- The four “power” cores running at maximum 1.9Ghz
- Companion core runs at smaller frequencies and power, but is still a Cortex A15
- Companion core not visible to OS
GPU
- 72 cores
- 20x the performance of Tegra 2, 6x over Tegra 3
- Shaders are not unified
- Direct3D 11 and OpenGL 4.0
Memory
- Dual channel
- DDR3L, LP DDR2, LP DDR3
Video
- Full 1440p
- VP8 acceleration
- 2560 x 1440 encode/decode
Display
- 2560 x 1600 24b
- 1080 @ 120Hz
- 4K recording
- DSI 8 Lanes
- High-speed HDMI
- Dual display
Imaging
- Super speed imaging: >350MP/sec
IO
- USB 3.0
- UART, SDIO, I2S, I2C
- Designed for phones, smartphones, laptops
- dual-display output over HDMI
Will you wait for next generation smartphone and tablets built on a quad-core Tegra 4 processor or would you rather wait for improved camera optics, higher resolution screens and higher GPU? Let us know via the comments box below.
Via: Marketwire, NVIDIA Tegra
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