Samsung Unveils Exynos 1680: A New 4nm Powerhouse for Mid-Range Smartphones

Samsung has officially introduced its latest mobile processor, the Exynos 1680, designed specifically for mid-range smartphones. As the successor to last year’s Exynos 1580, this new chip promises higher performance, improved energy efficiency, and a more modern set of connectivity features.

Architecture and Performance

The Exynos 1680 is manufactured using Samsung Foundry’s advanced 4nm process. The chipset features an 8-core CPU configuration consisting of five high-performance Cortex-A720 cores and three energy-efficient Cortex-A520 cores. The primary Cortex-A720 core operates at 2.9 GHz, while the other four run at 2.6 GHz. The Cortex-A520 efficiency cores are clocked at 1.95 GHz.

Graphics are handled by the Xclipse 550 GPU, based on the AMD RDNA 3 architecture. It includes two rendering blocks and two workgroup processors, delivering a 16% increase in graphical performance. The chip supports Full HD+ displays with refresh rates up to 144 Hz. Furthermore, the updated 8K MAC NPU provides 19.6 TOPS of AI performance, a 33% improvement over the previous generation.

Multimedia Capabilities and Connectivity

The Exynos 1680 supports high-speed LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage. Its multimedia suite is impressive, supporting camera sensors up to 200 MP and 4K video recording at 60 fps with 10-bit HDR. A new Image Signal Processor (ISP) ensures better detail, color accuracy, and noise reduction in low-light conditions.

In terms of connectivity, the integrated 5G modem offers download speeds up to 5.1 Gbps and upload speeds up to 1.28 Gbps in sub-6 GHz networks. For LTE, it reaches 1.2 Gbps download and 211 Mbps upload. The chip also supports modern standards including Bluetooth 6.1, Wi-Fi 6E, NFC, GPS, and USB Type-C 2.0. The first device to feature this chip is expected to be the Galaxy A57, slated for debut on March 25.