Is ARM-Cortex Also a Mobile Processor/System on Chip?
Today, we
are going to be unravelling must of the misconceptions and misunderstanding
regarding certain aspect of Mobile
Processors often called System on
Chip (SoC).
We are in
jet age where technological advancement is at its peak and one of the commonest
pieces of technological tools/gadgets that almost every Tom, Dick and Harry
possess and use on daily basis is the smartphone.
No doubt
that smartphones have come to stay in our world today, and smartphones as you
might know are also qualified as mini-computers.
And when we
talk of smartphones or mini-computers, the most important inbuilt hardware
component of your smartphone is the Processor;
it performs most of the computing function in your device and thus defines your
device effectiveness and efficiency.
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Therefore,
even the less techy folks out there and every other persons are all interested in
knowing the type or maker of the processor their device is packed with.
There is
often this confusion that sets in when folks out there, mostly the less techy
fellows begin to see or hear names related to Mobile Processors such as; ARM-Cortex,
Qualcomm Snapdragon, Mediatek (MTK), Exynos, Nvidia, Spreadtrum etc.
And the most
confusing name amongst this list is the ARM-Cortex,
which appear more times than the rest when checking out a mobile device
processor model/make and hence the question arise;
Is ARM-Cortex also a mobile
processor/Soc?
When you
check to see the processor type and model of most of your modern smart-devices,
if you observe well, you will notice that mostly ARM-Cortex is inclusive in the processor naming.
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For example,
you see processor models/type as MSM8994 ARM-Cortex-A7, Mt6582 ARM-Cortex
A53, ARMv7 SC8830 and so on.
Now let’s
break down the true meaning of the ARM-Cortex that you often see as part of
your mobile processor model.
From the
list above that included ARM-Cortex, Qualcomm Snapdragon, MediaTek etc. ARM-Cortex is the only one that is not
a type of Processor/SoC whereas the
rest are different types of processors you have in most of your mobile devices.
So whenever
you see ARM-Cortex included as part of a mobile processor model, it does not in
any way imply that the processor of the said device is ARM-Cortex.
Now what then is ARM or ARM-Cortex
that you often see alongside the model/type of your processor?
ARM – we
want to say in an un-techy man’s voice is simply the software aspect of the
main Processor/SoC of your mobile device and not the processor itself.
Now in
details; ARM or ARM-Cortex is a set of instruction architecture that is based
on Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) developed by British Company known
as ARM Holdings.
When we say
RISC here, it is referring to computing best suitable for mobile (miniaturized) devices, unlike what you have previously in larger computers.
On the bases
of RISC, you have processors that are built with things like fewer transistors
thereby reducing cost, bulkiness and enhancing performance on mini-computers
like smartphones.
Now companies
like Qualcomm, MediaTek, Nvidia etc. that manufacture mobile Processors/SoC
often contract this other ARM Holdings for their Processor instruction set
Architecture and thus you often see those processor makers include ARM-Cortex
in their processor models.
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The Cortex
you see there is just mini-architecture while ARM is the main Architecture and
company that designs the Cortex.
And other
implementation of the ARM-Cortex Architecture is the Cores of the processor of
your smartphones.
In summary,
Qualcomm, Nvidia, MediaTek, Exynos, Spreadtrum are all types of mobile
processor while ARM-Cortex is instruction set Architecture that can and are
normally adopted to those Processors/SoC.
Is ARM-Cortex Also a Mobile Processor/System on Chip?
Reviewed by Edwin Akwudolu
on
12:31:00 PM
Rating:
Wow what a knowledgeable explanation
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