Samsung to launch 8-core Exynos processor for Galaxy S4?

Samsung will be showcasing a dual quad-core mobile processor at the International Solid-Stat Circuits Conference in February next year.

The System-on-Chip (SoC) is a 28nm chip, with one quad-core cluster running at 1.8GHz for high performance apps, and the other running at 1.2GHz for energy efficiency.

According to EEtimes, the chip forms part of ARM's big.little concept which will be showcased at the conference, just before Mobile World Congress at the end of February.

The SoC uses ARM's A15 and A7 cores, which forms the basis of the chip manufacturer's big.little processor architecture.

Analyst Kevin Krewell at Linley Group told EETimes, 'We expect the Samsung part is the first big.little processor. The A7 cores should be capable of handling most [smartphone] tasks, with the A15 cores only required for maximum performance needs, like video games.'

There's already a substantial amount of speculation around Samsung's next big launch and some say it's set to be the Samsung Galaxy S4. Initial rumours said the device would run on a dual-core 28nm chip.

However, speculation is now suggesting the launch of the device will be delayed until May.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is said to feature a 5-inch screen with a ppi of 441.