Samsung unveils brand new Exynos processor that's made for the Galaxy Watch4 series

Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Watch4 series' processor, the Exynos W920, just a day before the smartwatch's official unveiling. The new processor is based on Samsung Foundry's latest 5nm process and features two ARM Cortex-A55 CPU cores and the ARM Mali-G68 GPU.

According to Samsung, the new processor is 20% faster than its predecessor, the Exynos 9110, in CPU tests and a whopping 10 times faster graphics performance as well. The new GPU can handle displays with up to 960 x 540 pixels (qHD resolution).

“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, vice president 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 overall package of the new processor is the smallest we have ever seen in the wearable segment, Samsung claims. The new packaging is called Fan-Out Panel Level Packaging (FO-PLP) and it includes the new Exynos W920 along with a power management chip, LPDDR4 RAM, and eMMC storage. All of this is tightly integrated together to make use of the small physical space as efficiently as possible. This allows wearables to save space for larger batteries as well.

For handling the always-on display, the chipset has a dedicated low-power Cortex-M55 display processor. This allows smartwatches to be more power-efficient. Along with the display processor, it also comes with an integrated Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) L1 which is used for tracking speed, distance, and elevation during outdoor activities. Other features include a 4G LTE modem, Wi-Fi b/g/n, and Bluetooth 5.0. The new processor will also support the new Wear OS that is co-developed by Google and Samsung.

The new chipset will be used to power the Galaxy Watch4 series which is expected to launch at the August 11 Galaxy Unpacked event.