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ARM details Cortex-A12: tomorrow's midrangers to decode 4K video at 120fps

By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Jun 03, 2013, 8:13 AM

Processors

ARM details Cortex-A12: tomorrow's midrangers to decode 4K video at 120fps

Between the wonders of its big.LITTLE architecture, as found in Samsung's Exynos 5 Octa processor, and the powerful Cortex-A57 monsters done with 16nm, ARM has left room for something budget-minded as well.

The renowned chip architect announced today the ARM Cortex-A12 undertaking. It brings the big.LITTLE arrangement downmarket, and is done with 28nm process, as the current mobile finest. It also supports the enterprise-friendly Virtualization and TrustZone security technologies, and can address up to 1 TB of storage.

Cortex-A12 features 40% performance bump compared to the Cortex-A9s of last year, all within a very frugal power envelope with a new Mali-T622 graphics processor. It's "the smallest full profile GPU Compute solution available for mobile device", and, together with the new energy-efficient Mali-V500 video IP solution, forms a video encoding/decoding powerhouse for midrange devices.

What kind of a powerhouse? Well, let's just mention that it will allow 1080p video recording and playback from a single-core processor at 60fps, and 4K video with a multicore setup at up to 120fps. Not bad for phones that will be introduced as midrange in a year, when Cortex-A12 will enter devices.

source: ARM

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.