when apple released the A7, i bet qualcomm engineers didn't even have a 64bit cpu prototype on a paper napkin. and it looks like they are taking their time to learn cpu core design all over again, because it's been almost 3 years.
They paid for this mistake tho.. huge layoff's and a rapid declining market cap.
meanwhile samsung is flexing it muscles and so is intel with their new cat6 modem. Qualcomm really needs to pull a rabbit out of their hat to make 2016 fall lineup with custom krait cores.
If you are correct, that they didn't even have a prototype on a napkin, then the three years spent have literally been spent developing Kryo from the ground up. It has nothing to do with taking their time as it literally takes that long to develop a new product. In other words, it isn't that Apple designs a brand new iPhone every year, they develop a brand new iPhone every other year and have, likely, a second time developing the S variants every two years (based on the still not released non S variant).
In other words; 2012 was the iPhone 5 release; at that time there was a team already one year into the iPhone 5S release while a second team was working on the iPhone 6.
If Qualcomm hadn't even started Kryo in 2012 when the iPhone 5 was released then it explains the long delay since it wouldn't have normally been ready until 2016 anyway.
based on your response, that's a 4 year gap for qualcom and a 3 year gap for apple. It looks like apple took only 3 years to make the a7 based on their acquisition of PS Semi which was bought in Sept 2009. Take into account a 6 month company and engineer integration cycle.
what is truly telling is the comments from a qualcomm employee when the a7 was released
Quote
“The 64-bit Apple chip hit us in the gut. Not just us, but everyone, really. We were slack-jawed, and stunned, and unprepared. It’s not that big a performance difference right now, since most current software will not benefit. But in Spinal Tap terms it is like, 32 more, and now everyone wants it"
I too was puzzled why a seemingly lower end SoC can do 1080p and not the next one up. That's either a typo or for some reason the 412 is not more capable than the 212, despite the better specs.
They aren't using the CPUs to decode the heavy bits of that stuff anyway, and at this stage even the GPU shaders aren't sufficient for fast and power-efficient H.265 decoding - especially in an ultra-mobile power footprint. Rather, they use fixed-function blocks to do the heavy lifting. So IF the chart is accurate than the 412 doesn't have the same video decoder block as the 212 and 612. The 412 is still more capable in all other regards, which means for 99.9% of real-world usage.
If my experience with other devices is anything to go by, when you try to play something that won't decode easily in hardware or software most video players will simply fail. 4K HEVC is definitely too much for the CPU to decode in real time, so it probably won't play.
I checked the specs on the 410, considering the 412 only does 720p H.265 decode like the 410. It seems like you're correct. The 412 is a rebranded 410 clocked at 1.4 Ghz.
SD410 and SD615 were using Cortex-A53 r0p0 cores, SD412 and SD616 must be using r0p3 or r0p4 cores otherwise there will be no improvement with these upgrades by just bumping up the frequency
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
22 Comments
Back to Article
MartinT - Monday, August 10, 2015 - link
Oh great, yet more "new SOCs" featuring ARM reference cores. Exactly what everyone has been asking for, Qualcomm!Morawka - Monday, August 10, 2015 - link
when apple released the A7, i bet qualcomm engineers didn't even have a 64bit cpu prototype on a paper napkin. and it looks like they are taking their time to learn cpu core design all over again, because it's been almost 3 years.They paid for this mistake tho.. huge layoff's and a rapid declining market cap.
meanwhile samsung is flexing it muscles and so is intel with their new cat6 modem. Qualcomm really needs to pull a rabbit out of their hat to make 2016 fall lineup with custom krait cores.
michael2k - Monday, August 10, 2015 - link
If you are correct, that they didn't even have a prototype on a napkin, then the three years spent have literally been spent developing Kryo from the ground up. It has nothing to do with taking their time as it literally takes that long to develop a new product. In other words, it isn't that Apple designs a brand new iPhone every year, they develop a brand new iPhone every other year and have, likely, a second time developing the S variants every two years (based on the still not released non S variant).In other words; 2012 was the iPhone 5 release; at that time there was a team already one year into the iPhone 5S release while a second team was working on the iPhone 6.
If Qualcomm hadn't even started Kryo in 2012 when the iPhone 5 was released then it explains the long delay since it wouldn't have normally been ready until 2016 anyway.
Morawka - Tuesday, August 11, 2015 - link
based on your response, that's a 4 year gap for qualcom and a 3 year gap for apple. It looks like apple took only 3 years to make the a7 based on their acquisition of PS Semi which was bought in Sept 2009. Take into account a 6 month company and engineer integration cycle.what is truly telling is the comments from a qualcomm employee when the a7 was released
Quote
“The 64-bit Apple chip hit us in the gut. Not just us, but everyone, really. We were slack-jawed, and stunned, and unprepared. It’s not that big a performance difference right now, since most current software will not benefit. But in Spinal Tap terms it is like, 32 more, and now everyone wants it"
http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mobile/display/201312...
and
http://www.imore.com/qualcomm-executive-dismisses-...
Maxpower2727 - Tuesday, August 11, 2015 - link
Krait is done. Next year's high-end Qualcomm SOCs will include their new Kryo core.testbug00 - Tuesday, August 11, 2015 - link
next year? You crazy.quiksilvr - Monday, August 10, 2015 - link
Why is the 212 capable of 1080p H.265 decode but the 412 only capable of 720p? That doesn't make any sense.quiksilvr - Monday, August 10, 2015 - link
Also according to Qualcomm's site, the 412 is not capable of AC Wireless. It's still 1-stream 802.11n Integrated digital core.Ryan Smith - Monday, August 10, 2015 - link
Corrected. Thanks!igeekone - Monday, August 10, 2015 - link
I too was puzzled why a seemingly lower end SoC can do 1080p and not the next one up. That's either a typo or for some reason the 412 is not more capable than the 212, despite the better specs.Alexvrb - Tuesday, August 11, 2015 - link
They aren't using the CPUs to decode the heavy bits of that stuff anyway, and at this stage even the GPU shaders aren't sufficient for fast and power-efficient H.265 decoding - especially in an ultra-mobile power footprint. Rather, they use fixed-function blocks to do the heavy lifting. So IF the chart is accurate than the 412 doesn't have the same video decoder block as the 212 and 612. The 412 is still more capable in all other regards, which means for 99.9% of real-world usage.igeekone - Monday, August 10, 2015 - link
@hans_ober discovered it. The 412 is a 410 clocked at 1.4 Ghz. They 410 decodes 720p H.265.igeekone - Monday, August 10, 2015 - link
Sorry, I may have jumped it. That doesn't explain the limitation.Alexvrb - Tuesday, August 11, 2015 - link
The faster memory alone makes it a substantial upgrade over the 410, perhaps more so than the raw clock increase. It's still a budget chip, obviously.testbug00 - Tuesday, August 11, 2015 - link
I am guessing it has to do with all of Qualcomm's 64bit CPUs right now are rushjobs to get stock ARM 64b chips out ASAP.lordmocha - Monday, August 10, 2015 - link
So what happens if you try play a 1440p or 2160p H.265 video of the 616 (or 1080p on the 412/212)? Will it decode entirely in software?JoshHo - Tuesday, August 11, 2015 - link
If my experience with other devices is anything to go by, when you try to play something that won't decode easily in hardware or software most video players will simply fail. 4K HEVC is definitely too much for the CPU to decode in real time, so it probably won't play.hans_ober - Monday, August 10, 2015 - link
I've said this on reddit but here goes:Does it mean the new MotoG is running the S412?
S410 tops out at 1.2Ghz; new MotoG is 1.4Ghz.
Anyway to check the memory clocks on the MotoG?
Qualcomm is probably reclassifying all 1.4Ghz S410s to S412?
igeekone - Monday, August 10, 2015 - link
I checked the specs on the 410, considering the 412 only does 720p H.265 decode like the 410. It seems like you're correct. The 412 is a rebranded 410 clocked at 1.4 Ghz.watzupken - Tuesday, August 11, 2015 - link
To be honest, they don't look very interesting. Mostly small upgrades, or clockspeed bumps.ashwathm - Thursday, August 20, 2015 - link
SD410 and SD615 were using Cortex-A53 r0p0 cores, SD412 and SD616 must be using r0p3 or r0p4 cores otherwise there will be no improvement with these upgrades by just bumping up the frequencyJohnwood - Saturday, October 15, 2016 - link
Update en cours