How many processor cores are too much? We are unlikely to get an answer for this question anytime soon as the chip-makers continue to increase the number of cores every couple of quarters. After quad, hexa and octa-core processors, Chinese chip-maker MediaTek has now unveiled a 10-core or deca-core processor in the form of the new Helio X20 (aka MT6797).
“By leading with mobile CPU architecture and multimedia innovation, MediaTek continues to push the envelope of power efficiency and peak performance. We are excited to see device manufacturers raise the bar — in camera, display, audio and other consumer features. MediaTek has been adding innovative multimedia features to our platforms since the very beginning, enhancing the overall computing and multimedia experience as part of our strategy to put leading technology into the hands of everyone,” said Jeffrey Ju, Senior Vice President of MediaTek.
The new processor follows big.Medium.LITTLE arrangement with three core-clusters in the Helio X20 – two A72 cores running at 2.5GHz, four A53 cores running at 2.0GHz and four A53 cores running at 1.4GHz. It also packs a single Cortex-M4 coprocessor for the lower-power needs like gathering constant data from sensors and always-on voice-controls.
Other inclusions in the SoC include a CDMA2000 compatible integrated modem (important for the US-market) with support for LTE Cat 6 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
According to MediaTek, the first commercial devices with the Helio X20 SoC are expected to begin shipping by the end of this year. You can read more about it at the company website.
Image Credit: Anandtech
AndroidOS.in 
Heard that Qualcomm Snapdragon 818 to have a deca core processor
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By resorting to cheap gimmicks with the SD 818 and the Helio X20, MTK and QCOM are showing that are unable to compete with Samsung’s Exynos and Intel’s Atom on performance anymore. This is exactly what AMD started doing once they realized they couldn’t compete with Intel in terms of actual performance.
Most real-world applications are not optimized for any more than four cores, so what on earth would anyone do with these redundant battery guzzlers?
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It’s true. We don’t need that many cores except we have a largeeeeeeeee battery.
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Just saw Snapdragon 818 with deca core is just a fantasy?
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