Samsung’s new wearable chip Exynos W930 released

Approximately two years ago, Samsung introduced the Exynos W920, the industry’s first wearable chip manufactured using a 5nm Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process. Recently, Samsung unveiled its upgraded version, launching the next-generation Exynos W930, featured in the newly debuted Galaxy Watch 6 series of smartwatches.

The Exynos W930 continues to be fabricated using the 5nm process, encompassing two Arm Cortex-A55 cores that are both efficient and energy-saving. Its frequency has been elevated to 1.4GHz, marking an 18% increase over the previous generation. The GPU is an Arm Mali-G68 MP2, capable of delivering a maximum video playback of 21fps on a display screen with a resolution of 960×540, providing an enhanced user interface and swifter application launch. The integrated DRAM can be expanded up to 2GB, a 33% increase in capacity compared to its predecessor, and it supports 16GB of eMMC storage.

Additionally, the Exynos W930 embeds a 4G LTE Cat.4 modem, offering 150Mbps download speeds and 75Mbps upload speeds. It supports the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) L1, including GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, and Galileo, ensuring heightened location accuracy and enabling tracking of parameters such as speed, distance, and altitude during outdoor activities.

While boasting greater performance and additional features, the Exynos W920 employs the market’s most advanced packaging technologies, including FO-PLP and SiP-ePoP solutions. These technologies combine the Power Management IC (PMIC), LPDDR4 memory, and eMMC storage into a compact package, occupying minimal PCB space. The reduced size limitations allow devices like smartwatches to accommodate larger battery capacities and offer more fashionable design aesthetics.

For wearable devices, Always-on Display (AoD) represents a crucial feature, allowing constant access to time, notifications, and missed calls, for instance. The Exynos W930 manages this through the activation of two specialized low-power consumption Arm Cortex-M55 cores, effectively reducing power consumption. Moreover, the new chip lowers the energy required for Bluetooth connectivity, enhancing power efficiency and extending connection time.