The next-gen Samsung Exynos 4412 has been announced as a dual-core chip back in September, but a recent code check-in description from Samsung suggests that a quad-core version of the chip is coming. ” This patch adds Samsung EXYNOS4412 SoC support. The EXYNOS4412 integrates a ARM Cortex A9 quad-core.” the description from Changhwan Youn and Kukjin Kim (both work for Samsung) says.The 4412 is a 32nm chip that has been designed originally as a dual-core SoC using the now-classic Cortex A9 CPU core designed by ARM. In its dual-core form, it should deliver 25% more CPU power, and 30% more graphics speed, says Samsung. I’m not sure where the 25% number comes from, but that’s Samsung’s official estimate.
Today’s news hints that a quad-core version based on the same design is in the works, and possibly in the labs. It is not clear if Samsung already has early silicon in house, but it may very well be possible. The dual-core variant should be in the hands of customers now for development. The quad-core Exynos is rumored to be used in the Galaxy S3 handset, but it may also be only for tablets – we’ll see. [chocoberry (KR) via sammyHub]