PhoneArena is looking for new authors! To view all available positions, click here.
  • Home
  • News
  • Samsung returning to PowerVR GPU for Samsung Galaxy S IV?

Samsung returning to PowerVR GPU for Samsung Galaxy S IV?

Posted: , by Alan F.

Categories:

Share:

Discuss 37
Samsung returning to PowerVR GPU for Samsung Galaxy S IV?
If everything goes as planned, for the first time since the Samsung Galaxy S shipped with a single-core 1GHz Hummingbird CPU and a PowerVR SGX 540 GPU, the Samsung Galaxy S flagship will have a PowerVR GPU crunching the graphics when the Samsung Galaxy S IV launches later this year. While the Samsung Galaxy S II and Samsung Galaxy S III used ARM produced Mali GPU for graphics, the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa just announced at CES will use the PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU running at up to 533MHz, according to sources for AnandTech. This is significant for a few reasons, least of all the fact that the Samsung Exynos 5 dual continued the use of the ARM Mali GPU (ARM Mali T-604 to be exact).

SoC benchmark results

SoC benchmark results

The PowerVR GPU is what has run on every iOS device since day one and the 544 on the Exynos 5 Octa is similar to the 543 used on the A5 and A5X with some changes. Currently, Apple uses the PowerVR SGX 543 MP3 with its A6 used on the Apple iPhone 5. And as if Samsung and Apple needed to continue to butter each others' bread, Apple owns 10% of Imagination Technologies, the company behind PowerVR. Which means that Samsung had to believe that the difference in performance was worth doing business with a company used and partially owned by (even if it just 10%) its number one rival.

While the Samsung Galaxy S IV is still a few months away with May now the frontrunner to be the month of launch, it could very well include the Samsung Exynos Octa under the hood. If so, that would mean it would be the first Samsung flagship Android model since the OG Samsung Galaxy S to use PowerVR to handle the heavy graphics lifting.

source: AnandTech via AndroidAuthority

Share:

Discuss37

37 Comments

  • Options
    Close




Want to comment? Please login or register.

1. pokharkarsaga posted on 14 Jan 2013, 00:42 8 4

Dream will come true.Power VR >ARM Mali >adreno.

3. Hunt3rj2 posted on 14 Jan 2013, 00:43 5

Except, you know. ARM Mali and Adreno have been basically neck and neck for a while now.

18. sid07desai posted on 14 Jan 2013, 02:07 2 6

Tegra 4 >>>>>>>>> Power VR. Others are negligible compared to T4.

21. darac posted on 14 Jan 2013, 02:13 1

T4 probably hits about 70GFLOPS.
It's comparable to Mali 604.
The Rogue series and upcoming Mali GPU's are much more powerful

36. picka_vi_materina posted on 15 Jan 2013, 08:39

SGX544MP3 at 533MHz will be more powerful than the 250MHz clocked SGX554MP4. You have 3 cores which are 2x less powerful but run at more than double the frequency compared to the 544. I expect better results. Tegra 4 is gonna be a sucker again.

20. darac posted on 14 Jan 2013, 02:10 1 1

Mali t-658 >> SGX 554MP3

I seriously hope Samsung will not go for such relatively architecture GPU.
Rogue (series 6) would be the s**t, but not this

29. zhiae posted on 14 Jan 2013, 05:04 1

it wont be disappointing i promise

2. RaKithAPeiRiZ posted on 14 Jan 2013, 00:43 8 2

powerVR will make this a beast ,beating Apple at its own GPU

4. Hunt3rj2 posted on 14 Jan 2013, 00:44 11 2

No one ever said PowerVR was Apple's GPU, PowerVR licenses their GPUs to anyone willing to pay.

7. RaKithAPeiRiZ posted on 14 Jan 2013, 00:48 10

thanks captain...

5. jroc74 posted on 14 Jan 2013, 00:45 6

The PowerVR is a beast of a gpu. The fact that Apple uses it exclusively means any iOS ports to Android will run better on phones that have a PowerVR, in theory.

Angry Birds had lil issues on Motorola phones when it first came to Android. It ran better on a Droid 1 vs an HTC Incredbile, EVO. The Incredible and EVO had better specs....and different gpus.

6. XiphiasGladius posted on 14 Jan 2013, 00:46

Which one is superior anyway? Imagination's PowerVRs or a ARM's Mali?

10. jroc74 posted on 14 Jan 2013, 00:53 1 1

Depends on who you ask and what you want.

I would choose either over Adreno. I would choose PowerVR just for possible easier compability with iOS ports. I try to stay out of the benchmarks pissing contests now...so I cant comment from that perspective.....lol.

12. serge327 posted on 14 Jan 2013, 00:55 7 1

PowerVR is more powerful than Mali GPU :)

19. sid07desai posted on 14 Jan 2013, 02:09 1 2

Currently, the facts suggest the Tegra 4 might be best gpu out there. With 72 cores.

35. serge327 posted on 14 Jan 2013, 07:26

But dont forget PowerVR will out 6 series... i think the strongest performance in the market when 6 series arrived.. But the PowerVR 554 is strong enough.. hope samsung will use it with 4 core 544 :)
*sorry for my bad english

8. Atrixboyyy posted on 14 Jan 2013, 00:50

Waiting till I hear a release date for the at&t version or I'm selling my gs3 in late April. Exynos Octa+ is what I'll call this monster combo

9. Tsepz_GP posted on 14 Jan 2013, 00:52 8

iPhone 5 uses the PowerVR SGX 543MP3 in its A6, the iPad 4 uses A6X with PowerVR SGX 554 MP4, corrections need to be made in this article!

11. datsyuk posted on 14 Jan 2013, 00:54 5

Beat me to it. I really hope this is true though. When it comes to Android the Exynos chips were always my favorite because Mali IMO had the best GPU choice that phones were using but PowerVR is the very best IMO.

13. serge327 posted on 14 Jan 2013, 00:58 2 1

If Samsung Exynos really use PowerVR GPU.. i will wait S4/N3, if not, i will go for SONY Xperia Z XD

14. Equilibrium posted on 14 Jan 2013, 01:02

"Currently, Apple uses the PowerVR SGX 554 MP4 with its A6X used on the Apple iPhone 5"

I thought that it was used in the iPad 4 and that the iPhone 5 uses the PowerVR SGX 553 MP3?
Also the iPhone 5 uses the A6 processor NOT the A6X:)

22. TylerGrunter posted on 14 Jan 2013, 02:50 1

Nearly right but for one number, the iphone 5 uses the iPhone 5 uses the PowerVR SGX 543 MP3.
It has been corrected in the article.

15. ama3654 posted on 14 Jan 2013, 01:14 1

Maybe its for the TIZEN device cos Intel owns 16.02 percent of imagination technologies

16. dan86 posted on 14 Jan 2013, 01:41

Power VR actually performs well samsung may consider it.

17. ama3654 posted on 14 Jan 2013, 01:52

its gonna be running twice the frequency of iphone 5 at 533 mhz instead of 266 mhz on the iphone 5, and iphone 5 uses powervr 543 mp3 while this is 544 mp3

24. TylerGrunter posted on 14 Jan 2013, 02:54 1

I suspect that Anand did a mistake in his calculations and the iphone 5 GPU (543MP3) is actually running at 333 MHz, so performance won't be double but 66% higher with the new GPU.
We'll see if I'm right when the first benchmarks go out.

23. uvaman posted on 14 Jan 2013, 02:53

Hmm if S4 will use Octa then we will have Mali... From CES keynote and from the presentation we could see the pictures
of Mali T-604 and Mali T-658 which is compatible with Octa and paired.
Also this confirmation can be seen on arm page too.

If S4 wont get Octa then its possible.

26. Atrixboyyy posted on 14 Jan 2013, 03:13

What about the Mali-T678?

25. _Bone_ posted on 14 Jan 2013, 03:08

What is the GPU in the iPad 4 and where could the 544 possibly perform compared to that beast?

31. Berzerk000 posted on 14 Jan 2013, 05:48

iPad 4 uses the PowerVR SGX554MP4. It's compared in the picture in the article. The last GPU listed in the picture is the one sued in the iPad 4.

27. kamejoko posted on 14 Jan 2013, 03:39

I don't believe. ARM said "T658 is best for biglittle".

28. uvaman posted on 14 Jan 2013, 04:30

Agree :) As I mention above too. There is all details and infos that Octa will use Mali... So this is pure speculation

30. rickywinataa posted on 14 Jan 2013, 05:37

well, as much as T-658 is the best for big little, samsung probably want to compete with apple in terms of gpu and it will be easier to port apps with same gpu manufacturer.

or, samsung also want to play in a part where their GPU is the beast of their devices

32. Berzerk000 posted on 14 Jan 2013, 05:56 1

Why would Samsung compete with Apple in GPU power with a less powerful GPU than the one Apple is using right now? Especially when Apple is going to use something better when they announce the iPad 5. It makes no sense, unless they intend to put as many cores as they can with it and clock it insanely high, they aren't competing at all.

33. darac posted on 14 Jan 2013, 06:24

Exactly.
And as for "porting " of games to Android, well that's just nonsense.
Big game developers are releasing titles with a few weeks delay between platforms now days, or even simultaneously. This means titles were developed with Android in mind from the ground up.
All that matters in terms of the expected game quality is how much significant a certain hardware configuration the game is built for, is - for example the Mali 400 Exynos 4412 one is more significant than any iPad configuration actually, because it's found in more than 40 million devices.

I can say that my international S3 runs all games I've loaded so far absolutely smooth and issue free, and in top quality.
N.O.V.A.3, GTA vice city, NFS MW, Modern Combat 4 etc are not in any way inferior to their iOS counterparts.

All the people I see complaining about issues with these Android games are having other configuration

34. ahomad posted on 14 Jan 2013, 06:39 1

series 6> T-685> series 5 (544)

I think Samsung is making the wrong decision. they need either to go with series 6 or just stick with T-658. serious 5 is quite old and there will be some compatibility issue with new games especially the S4 will be release in couple of months.

37. picka_vi_materina posted on 15 Jan 2013, 08:47

So what if it's old, beats the hell out of all the GPUs other manufacturers can churn out.

Want to comment? Please login or register.

Hot Phones

  • Samsung Galaxy S4Samsung Galaxy S4
  • Apple iPhone 5Apple iPhone 5
  • Samsung GALAXY Note IISamsung GALAXY Note II
  • HTC OneHTC One
  • Sony Xperia ZSony Xperia Z
  • Google Nexus 4Google Nexus 4
  • LG Optimus GLG Optimus G
  • Nokia Lumia 920Nokia Lumia 920