Samsung's new Exynos 880 chipset is the company's latest mid-range 5G chip

Samsung this morning introduced the mid-range Exynos 880 chipset which it calls a mobile processor for the new norm. Produced using the 8nm FinFET process, the component is integrated with a 5G modem that supports sub-6GHz signals for quick downloads and streaming without lags. 

The Exynos 880 is capable of delivering download data speeds of 2.55Gbps; with E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (combining both 5G and 4G LTE connectivity) the peak speeds can hit 3.55Gbps. Upload speeds peak at 1.28Gbps. But man does not live on 5G alone and the Exynos 880 will also work on networks ranging from 2G to 4G with LTE download data speeds as fast as 1Gbps.

The Exynos 880 SoC features an octa-core CPU that includes a pair of ARM Cortex-A77 CPU cores running at a clock speed of 2GHz for tasks that require serious processing power. There are six ARM Cortex-A55 CPU cores running at 1.8GHz for general housekeeping and always-on tasks, and these cores offer improved power efficiency for longer battery life.

The ARM Mali-G76 MP5 GPU supports advanced graphics APIs and offers powerful and efficient graphics processing. Game players will enjoy the faster loading times provided by the CPU cores and the GPU provides in-game 3D graphics with faster framerates for outstanding graphics. The chipset supports FHD+ displays with a maximum resolution of 1080 x 2520.

Besides 5G capabilities, the Exynos 880 comes with AI capabilities that will help drive a virtual digital assistant and provide certain features for a phone's camera. The chipset sports a neural processing unit (NPU) and digital signal processor (DSP) for on-device AI. Being on-device makes response times faster and also improves security. The chip handles "complex image analysis and recognition tasks." It also detects the subjects of photographs including a person's face. The advanced image signal processor (ISP) will support triple-camera setups with a maximum resolution of 64MP for one camera and 20MP for the remaining two cameras. As far as videos are concerned, the Exynos 880 supports 4K 30fps video recording and playback in HEVC, H.264, and VP9.

The Exynos 880 offers connectivity support with Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, and FM radio. And to help users know where they are at all times, the chipset features a 4-mode Global Navigation Satellite System receiver that will work with GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo. When it comes to memory, Sammy's new chipset works with the previous-generation LPDDR4x RAM chips; the component works with UFS 2.1 and eMMC 5.1 storage.

Samsung's current flagship chip is the Exynos 990, used with the European version of the Samsung Galaxy S20 line. For comparison purposes, this SoC carries a pair of Mongoose 5 custom CPU cores for high-performance tasks, two Cortex-A76 CPU cores, and four Cortex-A55 CPU cores for energy-efficient performance. The Exynos 990 will work with the latest generation of LPDDR5 RAM and features the Mali-G77 MP11 GPU. The 990 is designed to work with the Exynos Modem 5123 5G modem. Unlike the 5G modem that is integrated with the Exynos 880, the Exynos Modem 5123 5G modem that works with the Exynos 990 supports both sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G signals.

The Exynos 880 is already being mass-produced and will be powering the Vivo Y70s. The phone, aimed at the Chinese smartphone market, recently was leaked. Because it supports only sub-6GHz Wi-Fi signals, we are unlikely to see the Exynos 880 in the U.S. That's because the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 Mobile Platform works with both sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G signals.