Telecom Lead U.S: The Qualcomm 28nm chip used in the
recently launched HTC One S is a top dual-core performer but it is not as power
efficient as expected, according to ABI Research’s HTC One S Teardown report.
Scoring 25 percent higher than its older 45nm siblings
(MSM8260 or APQ8060, which are 33 percent larger die) in CPU performance
benchmarks shows Qualcomm has delivered on its promise for higher performance
CPU (both cores were running at 1.5GHz). The graphics core performance remained
on par with prior generation designs.
HTC One S is touted as the highest performing dual-core
handset/tablet on the market. It is the first to use the new Qualcomm S4
production platform consisting of MSM8260A, PM8921, WCN3660 connectivity, and
WCD9310.
The phone demonstrated on par battery performance
compared to prior generation devices, except for video encode, which was
poorer. HTC One S boasts very small footprint for the complete modem,
application processor, and connectivity solution.
The HTC One S sports an Adreno 225 GPU core. The HSPA phone
running Android 4.0.3 combines the 28nm shrink and the higher-performing Qualcomm core to provide the best user experience found in
any Android phone.
The performance, ergonomics, and efficiency of the HTC
One S design set a new benchmark for all around user experience. Don’t expect
much on battery life improvement though,” said Jim Mielke, vice president of
engineering. The current drain for most tests was in line with the prior
generation’s design, and the video encode was actually poorer, although the
actual cores were found to draw 33% less power. The cores are not the limiting
factor in the handset design.”
TriQuint and Avago have shared the best PA design while
Knowles continues its strong position in the MEMS microphone market.
editor@telecomlead.com
