With dual-camera setup becoming the norm in today’s smartphone ecosystem, MediaTek is leapfrogging to introduce a processor optimized to handle the said workload. The latest system-on-chip (SoC) to join MediaTek’s family is an octa-core Helio P25 processor, developed using the 16nm technology. The said processor is expected to be available on the market in Q1 2017.
The said chipset is an evolution of the previous P20 processor, the very first MediaTek chip launched exclusively for dual-camera devices. It retains the power-saving technology and advanced multimedia capabilities from this chipset but adds onto it with dual-camera support. The said processor has also been designed to deliver more processing power and less heat (it possibly won’t explode! kaboom!).
Dual-camera support has been made possible due to the integration of Imagiq — a superior Image Signal Processor (ISP) technology. This provides users with advanced dual-camera effects, such as shallow depth of field or improved auto exposure, at their fingertips. This 12-bit Dual-ISP technology embedded within the processor offers:
Pioneering Resolution: Up to 24MP single camera or 13MP+13MP dual camera
Dual Camera-optimized: Color + Mono de-noise and real-time shallow DoF bokeh
High Dynamic Range: Video HDR with full preview
High Performance Auto Exposure: Turbo 3A to accelerate AE convergence speed by 30-55%
Further delving into the underlying technology, the use of 16nm FinFET process node improves the power efficiency of Helio P25 by up to 25 percent. The said processor is based on the ARM Cortex-A53 architecture and can be clocked at up to 2.5 GHz. It also packs the recently launched ARM Mali-T880 dual GPU clocked at up to 900MHz to cater to video and gaming needs of the device. The P series processor even supports up to 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM.
Talking about the launch of Helio P25, Jeffrey Ju, Executive VP and Co-COO at MediaTek says,
MediaTek Helio P25 paves the way for high-resolution and feature-rich smartphone cameras that enable amazing static shots and 4K/2K videos. Supporting two cameras up to 13MP each, the MediaTek Helio P25 redefines expectations for mobile photography and our multimedia features like MediaTek MiraVision technology, continuously enhance visual user-experiences.
Qualcomm, the leading mobile chipmaker, has recently also debuted its top-of-the-line Snapdragon 835 processor. But, the said processor isn’t being made available to all smartphone manufacturers at the moment. You ask why? There have been rumors that Samsung is hogging the entire supply of 10nm SD 835 processors, thus, LG might have to launch G6 with the older 821 processor.
