Samsung offers industry’s first 5nm processor for next-generation wearables

Samsung Electronics, a provider in advanced semiconductor technology, has announced its new wearable processor, the Exynos W920. The new processor integrates an LTE modem and is the first in the industry to be built with an advanced 5-nanometer (nm) extreme, ultra-violet (EUV) process node.

This feature offers the powerful yet efficient performance that’s demanded by next-generation wearable devices.

“Wearables like smartwatches are no longer just a cool gadget to have. They’re now a growing part of our lifestyles to keep you fit, safe and alert,” said Harry Cho, VP of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics. “With the Exynos W920, future wearables will be able to run applications with visually appealing user interfaces and more responsive user experiences while keeping you connected on the go with fast LTE.”

The Exynos W920 packs two Arm Cortex-A55 cores for high-performing yet power-efficient processing and an Arm Mali-G68 GPU that boasts improved CPU performance around 20-percent and ten times better graphics performance than its predecessor.

With upgraded cores and improved performance, the Exynos W920 enables faster application launches and more interactive eye-catching 3D graphical user interface (GUI) on a device’s qHD (960×540) display.

Even with the latest features and enhancements, the Exynos W920 comes in the smallest package currently available in the market for wearables with Fan-Out Panel Level Packaging (FO-PLP). The technology incorporates the Exynos W920, power-management IC (PMIC), LPDDR4, and embedded multimedia card (eMMC) in the same package using System-in-Package-embedded Package on Package (SiP-ePoP) configuration.

The processor’s compact size allows smartwatches to house larger batteries or don sleeker designs.

Always-on-display (AOD) for wearables, especially for smartwatches, is a widely adopted feature as it makes it effortless to take a quick look at the time, notifications, missed calls and more without the need to wake the watch up from sleep mode.

Rather than powering up the main CPU, the W920 activates a dedicated low-power display processor, the Cortex-M55, reducing display power consumption under AOD mode compared to its previous Exynos model.

For seamless connected experiences on the go, the Exynos W920 is embedded with a 4G LTE Cat.4 modem as well as a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) L1 for tracking speed, distance and elevation during outdoor activities.

The Exynos W920 supports a new unified wearable platform Samsung built jointly with Google, and will be first applied to the upcoming Galaxy Watch model.