An unannounced Samsung Exynos processor has been making the rounds on benchmarking sites recently. Identified as the Exynos 1080, the chipset has lit up the benchmarks, causing many of us to sit up and take notice since. It managed to beat the Snapdragon 865 on AnTuTu.
The Exynos 1080 isn't going to be the Samsung chipset that powers next year's flagships, though. It's actually a mid-range offering that we'll mostly see in select devices from the Galaxy A series. This chipset is ostensibly meant to succeed the Exynos 980.
Exynos 1080 is Samsung's next mid-range chipset
Samsung announced the Exynos 980 chipset in September last year. It was the company's first mobile processor that came with an integrated 5G modem. The Exynos 980 made it possible for mid-range devices to get 5G support. The Galaxy A71 5G is just one of the devices that use this chipset.
While details about the Exynos 1080 remain slim at this point, Samsung Semiconductor has confirmed to Android Authority that the Exynos 1080 will utilize ARM's latest Cortex-A78 CPU cores and the Mali-G78 GPU. ARM claims that the Cortex-A78 CPU provides a 20 percent improvement in sustained performance compared to the Cortex-A77.
Assuming the same CPU configuration as the Exynos 980, which had two Cortex-A77 and six Cortex-A55 cores, is retained then we'll likely be seeing two Cortex-A78 cores and six Cortex-A55 cores make up the Exynos 1080. However, a purported AnTuTu benchmark has suggested a four Cortex-A78 and four Cortex-A55 configuration. The A55 cores may continue to be a permanent fixture for another year since ARM hasn't unveiled new efficiency cores.
The chipset will also be able to deliver significant gains in performance and efficiency due to it possibly being manufactured on Samsung's 5nm process. It would be a major improvement compared to the 8nm Exynos 980. The smaller design would allow for greater performance and efficiency.
Samsung will likely be making an official announcement about this chipset in the near future. The timing is right. It's going to launch new Galaxy A series handsets in the next couple of months. The Galaxy A52 and Galaxy A72 might be the first Samsung devices to utilize the Exynos 1080.
