Huawei is one of the few companies out there that makes its own processors for smartphones, another being Apple. Apple currently has the edge when it comes to the most powerful processor in a smartphone, but that may not be true for much longer. In Shanghai, Huawei officially unveiled the Kirin 960 processor.
It uses four of ARM’s new, high-performance Cortex-A73 cores and four low-powered A53 cores, produced using a 16nm manufacturing process. Furthermore, it’s also the first processor to use ARM’s Mali-G71 MP8 GPU for improved graphics and gaming performance. And to put it to the test Huawei faced it against an iPhone 7 and a Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The Kirin 960 launched 13 of the 14 most common apps in China faster than the competing devices. However, when it comes to single-core performance, the A10 in the iPhone 7 still dominates. On the other hand, the Kirin 960 is leading the field when it comes to multi-core performance.
Graphically, the Kirin 960’s new Mali-G71 GPU is 180% faster than the previous generation Mali-T880, which while not dethroning the iPhone, comes close. A significant factor about the Kirin 960 is that it adds native CDMA support, would allow it to be adopted in markets where the standard is in use, such as the USA, instead of just China.
The new processor is also more power efficient due to more optimisation thanks to working with partners. The Chinese technology giant used Pokemon Go as an example, showing that by utilising the Kirin 960, users get more than a day’s worth of battery instead of just half a day of Pokemon catching.
While Huawei hasn’t announced which smartphone will feature the Kirin 960, it will most likely be adopted by its upcoming, as-of-yet unannounced flagship smartphone.
