Five of The Most Powerful Cell Phone Chips Ever

Since 2023, there has been a surge in the construction of semiconductor factories and AI (Artificial Intelligence) processors, driving discussions within the semiconductor industry. However, despite this trend, the market for smartphones with the highest shipping volumes continues to see significant development, with attractive models being released one after another. In this report, we will cover smartphones released from the second half of 2023 to the first half of 2024, with a focus on processors. While we will primarily discuss high-end processors, Qualcomm and MediaTek have also launched new processors capable of handling mid-range to high-end smartphone tasks (slightly lower performance than high-end ones), contributing to the highest unit sales.

Samsung's "Galaxy S24" adopts two platforms.

Figure 1 shows the 2024 edition of Samsung Electronics' (hereinafter referred to as Samsung) high-end smartphone "Galaxy S24," which was launched overseas in January 2024. Three months after its overseas launch, the Galaxy S24 was introduced in Japan and became a hot topic.

The Galaxy S24 is internally divided into two platform versions. The product sold in Japan is manufactured by Qualcomm, while many sold overseas are manufactured by Samsung. Figure 1 shows the system using the Samsung Exynos 2400. The basic internal functions are composed of Samsung chipsets. All essential functions, such as the processor, communication modem integrated into the System on Chip (SoC), communication transceiver, and power IC, are manufactured by Samsung. Additionally, the storage memory and RAM are also produced by Samsung, resulting in a very high self-sufficiency rate for Samsung. This processor adopts Samsung's first Fan-Out Wafer-Level Packaging (FOWLP) implementation, which seems to achieve higher performance than before. The terminal surface also uses silicon capacitors, a structure almost identical to Apple's "A-series."

Figure 2 shows the unpacking diagram of the Exynos 2400 processor. The model name "S5E9945," composed of wiring layers, is etched on the silicon wafer. This processor is manufactured using Samsung's 4nm process, based on AMD's GPU architecture "RDNA3," combining a 10-core Arm CPU, a 12-core GPU "Xclipse 940" tailored for mobile development, DSP, INT8, and equipped with an AI engine (44TOPS). It also features a 4G/5G (4th/5th generation mobile communication) modem. Samsung did not release Exynos processors in 2023. The Exynos 2400 is a high-end processor that has been on the market for two years.

Qualcomm Snapdragon partners with multiple memory manufacturers.

Figure 3 depicts the high-end smartphone "Xiaomi 14 Pro" released by Xiaomi in January 2024. Since 2011, Xiaomi has consistently utilized top-tier Qualcomm platforms in its releases. The 2024 model employs the "Snapdragon 8 Gen 3" chipset, released by Qualcomm in the second half of 2023. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has been adopted in many high-end models, including the Japanese model, Samsung Galaxy S24, as depicted in Figure 1.

The internal components of the Xiaomi 14 Pro consist of Qualcomm chipsets. However, the most significant difference compared to the Samsung Galaxy S24 lies in the memory (storage and RAM), which is a combination from various suppliers, including Micron Technology, SKhynix, Samsung, and others. Compared to Samsung, the "internal ratio" is slightly lower. However, due to Qualcomm's involvement in products such as RF power amplifiers, the self-sufficiency rate is very close to Samsung's (almost identical).

The processor model name for Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is "SM8650." The combination of power ICs includes "PM8550VS" and "PM8550VE." The model names of these power ICs are the same as the previous generation product "Snapdragon 8 Gen 2" (SM8550). Power ICs developed for Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 are also reused in Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. By reusing, the amount of silicon material can be kept to a minimum. The RF transceiver is a new chip. I won't go into detail about its internals here, but it significantly improves digital functions. Companies like Qualcomm are also integrating AI capabilities into communication chips, enhancing the selling points of communication performance.

Figure 4 shows the unpacking of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. Manufactured using TSMC's 4nm process, the CPU has 8 cores, Qualcomm's proprietary GPU "Adreno 750" has 12 cores, and Qualcomm's proprietary AI engine "HEXAGON AI" handles performance up to 45 TOPS. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 also features a 5G modem. The CPU configuration is almost the same, although it has two fewer efficient cores compared to the Samsung Exynos 2400.

The vivo "X100 Pro" adopts the top-tier platform from MediaTek.

Figure 5 depicts the high-end smartphone "X100 Pro" released by the Chinese company vivo at the end of 2023. The X100 Pro utilizes MediaTek's top-tier platform "Dimensity 9300." MediaTek also provides the chipset, transceivers, and power ICs. However, due to RF power amplifiers and memory being manufactured by other companies, the company's "self-sufficiency rate" is lower compared to Qualcomm and Samsung. Additionally, many power ICs and transceivers are borrowed from the previous model, Dimensity 9200.

Figure 6 illustrates the die shot of the Dimensity 9300 silicon. Like Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, it is manufactured using TSMC's 4nm process. The CPU features 8 cores, with the GPU equipped with Arm's G720 comprising 12 cores. While Qualcomm and Samsung have 3 layers of CPU (high-performance, mid-efficiency, high-efficiency), MediaTek's Dimensity 9300 has "no high-efficiency cores, 4 high-performance cores, 4 mid cores," and its high-performance nature is evident. The AI engine is equipped with MediaTek's proprietary "APU 790," achieving computational performance of 33 TOPS. By the way, MediaTek rarely discloses the number of transistors mounted on the chip, but the Dimensity 9300 claims to have 22.7 billion transistors. This figure is about 20% higher than Apple's 3nm processor "A17 Pro," which has 19 billion transistors.

The processors of the Google Pixel 8 and the Apple iPhone 15 Pro are depicted in Figure 7. Both are positioned as competitors to the new high-end mobile processors from Samsung, Qualcomm, and MediaTek. The difference lies in that the Tensor G3 in the Pixel 8 is manufactured using Samsung's 4nm process, while the A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro is manufactured using TSMC's 3nm process. However, both share a common characteristic: they do not have built-in 5G modems. Additionally, the chips possess differentiated advantages, making them more advantageous when used in their own products compared to external sales.

Table 1 summarizes the CPU configuration, manufacturing process, and relative die size of the five chips discussed in this session. All CPUs are based on Arm architecture, and the GPUs are also Arm-based, sourced from Google and MediaTek. The AI engines vary depending on the company. While AI performance ranges from 33 to 45 TOPS and CPU core counts vary from 6 to 10, the internal arithmetic unit configurations are the same.

Figure 8 is a chart depicting the maximum frequency and die size of the five chips mentioned above. Compared to Samsung's 4nm products, TSMC's 4nm products have higher frequencies, albeit by a few percentage points. The A17 Pro, manufactured using the 3nm process, has the highest frequency, while the M3 series, also using the 3nm process, has even higher frequencies, exceeding 4GHz. Except for the A17 Pro, which is manufactured using the 3nm process, the die sizes are almost the same. They are chips with almost identical functions, so although there are differences in detail, from the perspective of the overall processor chip, there is little difference between Samsung and TSMC (I won't mention yield, etc.). Qualcomm and MediaTek's products using the 3nm process are set to be released soon, and we will continue to compare them in the future.