Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930)’s next flagship phablet, the Galaxy Note 5, will have a CPU and GPU designed by the Korean company itself. Sources familiar with the matter told ZDNet Korea that the electronics giant will unveil its first graphics processor in mid-2015. If all goes well, the Galaxy Note 5 will arrive with a home-made graphics chip.
Samsung to lower its reliance on third-party chipmakers
Samsung already designs its own smartphone processors under the Exynos lineup. For devices with Exynos chipset, Samsung uses ARM’s Mali series of GPUs. It makes perfect sense for the company to design its own graphics processor. Sources said that the electronics giant will officially announce its GPU plans in February 2015 at a tech event in San Francisco.
The Korean company usually launches two variants of its flagship phones: one with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors and another running its own Exynos processor. Sources added that the company is also building its own CPU core based on the ARMv8 architecture. We could see a whole new CPU and GPU inside the Galaxy Note 5. A graphics processor improves the graphically-intensive processes, especially the gaming performance.
Galaxy Note 5 to have 5.9-inch 4K display
After witnessing a steep decline in its quarterly profits, Samsung is overhauling its mobile business. The company is designing the Galaxy S6 from the ground up under the Project Zero. It is also reducing the number of new model launches by 30% next year. Meanwhile, overhauling its chip business will help the company reduce its dependence on Qualcomm and others.
Separately, a report from Phone Arena claims that the Galaxy Note 5 will feature a 5.9-inch Ultra HD Super AMOLED display with 4K resolution and 700ppi pixel density. Samsung is expected to start mass production of 4K display in August next year, in time for the launch of Galaxy Note 5. Reports suggest that the Note 5 will come with 4GB RAM, 21-megapixel main camera, 5-megapixel front camera and 3,400mAh battery.
