When Samsung Electronics unveiled their latest Android phone, Galaxy S, last month at the international Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) conference, most probably overlooked the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) of the phone.
Most would be surprised that the fastest GPU is not from the much talked about smartphones such as Nexus One, Motorola Droid or iPhone 3GS. To date, the Samsung Galaxy S has the fastest GPU. But what exactly is a GPU?
A Brief Look on GPU
GPU is actually a specialized single chip processor or logic chip dedicated to rendering 3D images like object transformations, lighting effects, and 3D motion. GPU is used in personal computers, mobile phones and game consoles. The calculations used on 3D rendering is rather complex, the GPU can help embedded systems run efficiently.
Simply put, a faster and sophisticated GPU coupled with better screens can provide a more realistic game and video display.
Galaxy S GPU
According to Samsung’s Omar Khan, the Galaxy S contains the fastest GPU in Android phones today. The said mobile phone contains the S5PC110 applications processor. A fairly new type considering it was announced only last year. This processor contains a 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 chip, also known as the Hummingbird A8 chip. The Cortes-A8 chip was designed by Intrinsity. They claim that it is the fastest chip in the market today. This chip can process 90 million triangles per second which is three times faster than the chips used by other Android phones.
The Galaxy S also has an excellent display. Samsung used the Super AMOLED touch screen on the phone. They placed the sensors directly on the screen instead of putting additional layer for the sensors. This implies better display and greater touch sensitivity. The Super AMOLED display is also more efficient than other screens which could mean longer battery life for the phone. When this screen is joined together with the Hummingbird chip it creates a powerful graphics display.
GPU of Other Phones
Smartphone users may not be aware that the Galaxy S has the fastest GPU since the Galaxy S has been overshadowed by the popularity of the Motorola Droid and the Nexus One. The Hummingbird A8 chip contained in the Galaxy S is claimed to be faster than the Snapdragon used by other Android phones. The GPU of mobile phones like Motorola Droid is only 7 to 14 million triangles per second, Nexus One 22 million triangles per second, iPhone 3GS 28 million triangles per second. This is makes the GPU of other phones slower when compared to Galaxy S’s GPU which can go as fast with 90 million triangles per second.
Galaxy S may not do well when compared to game consoles such as PS3 with GPU that can process 250 million triangles per second and Xbox 360 that processes 500 million triangles per second. Galaxy S, however, is still has the fastest GPU among other smartphones by a large margin.
When it comes to which mobile phone has the most powerful graphics processor, Galaxy S, and not the much talked Nexus One and iPhone 3GS, is the one to beat.
Tags: 3d images, cellular telecommunications, chip processor, game consoles, gpu, graphics processing unit, internet association, intrinsity, iphone, lighting effects, logic chip, omar khan, realistic game, samsung electronics, touch sensitivity