Huawei has presented its new Kirin 990 processor, a chip with interesting novelties that looks really good on paper. It will be necessary to see later what real impact it has on the day-to-day life of the user, but for now it is a step forward and a commitment to offer the best in the company's flagships.
Kirin 990, Huawei's latest smartphone processor
During IFA in Berlin Huawei has presented a new processor for mobile devices that, in all probability, It will be the one that integrates the future Mate 30 that the company will launch at the end of the month and of which it has already Confirmed date for your presentation event. But what is special about this Kirin 990? That is what we are going to try to tell you in the simplest way possible.
As you already know, phones are becoming more capable and complex at the same time. The processor is largely responsible for all this, and if you want it to be able to take better advantage of the whole artificial intelligence issue, apply effects in real time in the camera application, use augmented reality and connect to faster networks they have to improve year after year.
El new Kirin 990 we could say that it is all that. For the company it represents an important step for several reasons, as they have commented. Is the first SoC to integrate a 5G modem, also the first to support both 5G NSA (Non Stand Alone) and SA (Stand Alone) networks, has GPU with 16 cores and a significant size reduction without losing the essential NPU unit for AI. But let's go in parts.
The chip is fabricated using a 7nm FinFET Plus lithography. This means that it allows to include a greater number of transistors and at the same time reduce the size of the chip. Here we have a chip that is 36% smaller than its direct rivals from Qualcomm and Samsung (Snapdragon 855 and Exynos 9825). This information is also important for the better energy management and heat reduction to dispel.
With 16 cores, the Mali-G76 graphics will substantially improve the graphics performance of the devices that integrate it. To run increasingly demanding games, for augmented reality, for desktop modes, etc., it is also an important advantage. In the demos that have been seen, a Chrome can be applied in real time and being able to detect up to 8 people.
Finally, linking two concepts such as 5G connectivity and artificial intelligence, Huawei has talked about how both can benefit from this new Kirin 990 processor. By including a 5G modem integrated into the processor itself, communication between the cloud and the device would facilitate the exchange of data in real time. That would improve the use of the AI that right now benefits from the double NPU.
It is also important that said 5G modem offers support for both 5G NSA and SA networks. In other words, the first are 5G networks that base their operation on a 4G structure. While the latter are exclusive 5G networks, with the true performance and advantages that we have been saying for years that they will arrive. Therefore, the Kirin 990 is the first processor capable of offering support for both, which represents an investment in the future.
The value of Huawei's Kirin 990
With two versions, one with unique support for 4G networks and others with the addition of being compatible with 5G networks thanks to the integrated Balong 5G modem, the real value of Huawei's Kirin 990 lies in how they have managed to position themselves as a real alternative to the popular Qualcomm Snapdragon 8XX.
This is important for Huawei and for the user as well. That a manufacturer is able to design its own chip and offer high performance is very positive. Firstly, because all competition is always welcome, and secondly, because it allows us to further optimize certain processes that then improve the day-to-day user experience.
Huawei has been doing a great job in recent years with its processors. With the Kirin 990 they show they are on the right track, and now they just need to see and clarify what will happen to the Google services and future versions of Android. They may like it more or less, but it is one of the few manufacturers in the industry that at the moment would be able to place itself at the level of Apple, designing its entire product from start to finish and including its own key components.