ARM Cortex-A7 processor continues to drive mobile evolution

Looking back at the continuously evolving smartphone market, it is amazing to note the role that the ARM Cortex-A7 core has played.

Previously the processor which initiated the uptake of multicore processing in mobile, the ARM Cortex-A7 is now an increasingly popular choice in energy-efficient mobile computing, enabling devices to achieve high-end functionality alongside all-day battery life and a very competitive price point. Devices based on the mature Cortex-A7 can now be typically found for well under $200, and this is driving widespread uptake in emerging markets such as Brazil and India.

(Figure 1: ARM Cortex-A7 processor design)

On top of its extreme energy efficiency, the Cortex-A7 incorporates many features of the high-performance Cortex-A15 and Cortex-A17 processors, including virtualization support in hardware, Large Physical Address Extensions (LPAE), NEON®, and 128-bit AMBA® 4 AXI bus interface. It provides up to 20% more single thread performance than the Cortex-A5 and provides similar performance to mainstream Cortex-A9 based smartphones in 2012. This profile makes it an ideal choice for smartphones aimed at providing an excellent specification within a limited cost envelope. As one of ARM’s most mature and energy-efficient processors, the Cortex-A7 is ideal for use in smartphones, and has long been one of the most popular choices in this market.

One device which has successfully utilized a Cortex-A7 processor design is the Moto G which this year became the most successful, highest-selling smartphone in Motorola's history. Inside it is a quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 based Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SoC, with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. The Cortex-A7 processor is a very energy-efficient applications processor designed to provide rich performance in entry-level to mid-range smartphones, high-end wearables and other low-power embedded and consumer applications. Figure 2 below shows the excellent score of the Moto G in a battery benchmark test.

(Figure 2: Arstechnica battery benchmark test)

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