[Superfly_FR]

What for ?

[morlock_man]

Why bother?

Do more with less and let your competitors push down the price trying to keep up.

[calicocat2010]

BlackBerry 10 devices unlikely to be quad-core

10th May 2012 | 08:52

RIM still accessing the merits of four cores

RIM has confirmed that it's unlikely to include quad-core processors in its first bunch of BlackBerry 10 devices.

Quad-core phones

Quad-core is one of the hot specs in mobile this year, with the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S3 already packing beefy chips, and we'll see the LG Optimus 4X HD and Huawei Ascend D Quad arrive later this year, both sporting four cores.

Although not all manufactures are jumping on the quad-core band wagon, with RIM joining Nokia in taking a cautious approach to the high-powered chips.

Quad-core is just a great spec to write on the spec sheet

Speaking to TechRadar, Andrew Bocking, RIM's SVP Software Product Management said: "It's interesting to see the dynamics between quad-core CPUS and dual-core CPUS and really where the big value is beyond the spec itself in the overall user experience.

"What we're seeing is that unless you're going to have a lot of applications running that require the four core environment, it's just a great spec to write on the spec sheet; it's like saying I've got a V8.

Bocking: "Having quad-core is like saying I've got a V8"
"Certain vendors can only compete on spec, so quad-core makes a ton of sense for them, but we want to make sure the performance of our device is the best and we will make sure we do the right thing for our users."

RIM isn't ruling out quad-core completely, but it's making sure its development is data driven and thus dual-core processors may result in the best performance for its devices for the time being.

The BlackBerry 10 handsets need to ensure they deliver the excellent user experience RIM has promised, as consumers could quickly view the mobiles as under-powered compared to the competition.

BlackBerry 10 devices unlikely to be quad-core | News | TechRadar

[calicocat2010]

What for ?

Sorry, I was having problems getting the article and link to post. I thought it had.

[Sith_Apprentice]

Makes complete sense to have it dual core to start. The new breed of dual core chipsets performs equally well as the quad cores. Besides, very little in a mobile device can even tax a quad core to where you will see any performance boost.

I am sure we will see quad cores eventually (perhaps next year?), but for the first devices i would rather not.

[bluetroll]

i would rather have a quality dual core and have good battery life and go with a quad a lose a couple hours of batt life.

[Superfly_FR]

Sorry, I was having problems getting the article and link to post. I thought it had.

No problem. Now I know I like(d) this post

P.S: you can edit your original post, may be clearer for next readers.

[jasonvan9]

Makes sense, when all these android phones come out, the only thing to differentiate themselves in the market is hardware... Biggest screen, most cores, fastest CPU.... They all run android at the end of the day and they all have the same UI experience... So they NEED to promote the hardware more than anything, which is when you'll get into the "well my phone has 4 cores, you only have 2? Psssht! That's soooo 2011...." I'd rather have my Blackberry bragging rights than a couple of extra cores that prove very little if any performance increase in my experience.... Taking a page from apple, they released laptops and desktops with outdated specs yet the experience was the same if not better than top spec PCs, because of the efficiency of the software, which is the same approach Blackberry is taking here

[simu31]

I agree that the quad-core is not really that useful as yet except for saying it's there.

If RIM write (and optimize) the BB10 software as efficiently as possible, I can't see any value added by making the hardware quad-core.

Besides, I've got a really bad feeling that quad-core is a MASSIVE battery drain for little or no real advantage.

Si.

[calicocat2010]

No problem. Now I know I like(d) this post

P.S: you can edit your original post, may be clearer for next readers.

Well, now that I have posted it, people are seeing it. Even if it's not at the top. Stupid Server.

[lnichols]

The current Quad core chipsets available are ARM A9 based. The dual core chipset RIM and Apple are waiting for are A15 ARM based. The dual core A15 offers twice the performance of a dual core A9 at the same clock rate while using 60% less power than A9. So the dual core chip RIM is going to use should be just as fast as the quad cores in the GS3, iPad2, etc, and be more efficient too. There won't be quad core A15 based chips till probably sometime in 2013.

Spec Whorz may be upset by this, but WP7 runs great on same processor in our Bold 9900, and iOS runs great on lower than high end Android processors. So in the end it boils down to the user experience the hardware and software combined provide.

[Dekerta]

Quad cores are completely useless in phones, at least they will be for several years. They are a result of the hyper competitive Android market, where dozens of manufacturers are each releasing several new models every year, and they have to keep increasing the specs to one-up the competitors and convince people to keep upgrading.

My desktop computer is dual core, and it runs Windows 7 with AutoCAD, movie editing software, HandBrake, and other processor intensive activities just fine. I seriously doubt any app you run on your phone will ever come close to being as processor intensive as those.

[Premium1]

Quad cores are completely useless in phones, at least they will be for several years. They are a result of the hyper competitive Android market, where dozens of manufacturers are each releasing several new models every year, and they have to keep increasing the specs to one-up the competitors and convince people to keep upgrading.

My desktop computer is dual core, and it runs Windows 7 with AutoCAD, movie editing software, HandBrake, and other processor intensive activities just fine. I seriously doubt any app you run on your phone will ever come close to being as processor intensive as those.

They aren't really useless, especially with the very graphic intensive games that are coming out for mobile, but other than that yes they won't tell much over dual core in everyday usage.

[palomartian]

People don't spend premium $ on the latest hot product because "it has adequate performance and the higher spec competition is just showboating." Companies in any industry with this philosophy are either bk or owned by their (former) competitors.

[Superfly_FR]

They aren't really useless, especially with the very graphic intensive games that are coming out for mobile, but other than that yes they won't tell much over dual core in everyday usage.

Isn't that what GPU are for ? Correct me if I'm wrong but I suspect BB10 devices to have onboard GPU in addition of the dual core CPU...

[anthogag]

It seems like QNX is really good at using cores. Would 4 cores be better for 'flow', 'open apps', multi-tasking, and more powerful-usefull apps...yes

[undone]

It seems like QNX is really good at using cores. Would 4 cores be better for 'flow', 'open apps', multi-tasking, and more powerful-usefull apps...yes

But if your current gen of quads compared to the up/coming dual are equal, then the 4 is > then 2 argument is out the windows. A faster, cooler, low wattage chip wins the day. Quality devices should hit all the high points, fast, cool (temp), and low power usage.

[gravymonster]

My playbook has never seemed like it needed more cpu I can certainly say that.

[jechow]

I hope that the new BB10 Bold (assuming its the flagship phone) will be quad-core. I agree with all of the posters here and Mr. Bocking but at the end of the day its about selling phones. I want on excuse for BestBuy staff not to promote RIM's flagship device. These individuals are eager to sell and looking for the easiest means of doing so (spec war). One caveat being that the quad core chip better have the ability to deactivate cores inorder to save battery life.

Again, I am not saying that quad core would improve fluidity or usability of BB10 phones but it is a easy way to sell phones and get Android bloggers to "Shut the FU".

[adrenaline_x]

If the dual cores have a higher Ghz rating then the quad cores, i would go with the duals. 4 Cores is betters when a) multiple applications are requesting cpu cycles and b) Applications are designed to ultilize multiple cores or c) the OS or host is able to take application cpu cycle requests and run them on the cpu with the lightest load.

quad cores in phones is cool, but i'm not sure its needed. At least with the intel sandy bridge Cpus they can overclock two cores when 4 cores aren't needed to achieve better performance from 2 cores running much faster while not exceeding thermal specifications.

[anthogag]

But if your current gen of quads compared to the up/coming dual are equal, then the 4 is > then 2 argument is out the windows. A faster, cooler, low wattage chip wins the day. Quality devices should hit all the high points, fast, cool (temp), and low power usage.

QNX can use cores...why would a 2 core be just as good as a 4 core for QNX

It looks like RIM's plans for QNX are based on seamless connectivity between devices...and automobiles...and...

Having 4 cores, does that mean we can have more powerful nav and augmented reality?

Can a 4 core BB10 phone be a mobile desktop computer?

[greatwiseone]

I don't know why people are so fixated at dual-core v. quad-core. As long as BB10 delivers the proper performance with dual-core processors, it should be fine. When I compare my PlayBook to my first gen Gal Tab 10.1, both have dual-cores, but the performance of Gal Tab 10.1 is crap. It can't even run 1080p youtube videos properly (studders like crazy) and Playbook lets me do all sorts of stuff while 1080p youtube videos are running.

[undone]

QNX can use cores...why would a 2 core be just as good as a 4 core for QNX

It looks like RIM's plans for QNX are based on seamless connectivity between devices...and automobiles...and...

Having 4 cores, does that mean we can have more powerful nav and augmented reality?

Can a 4 core BB10 phone be a mobile desktop computer?

If your dual core out performs your quad on all your requirements why use the quad? Its all about the real world benchmarks. There are great examples of CPUs that get released and are outperformed by there more mature older siblings (assumes the architecture doesnt change much).

I think BlackBerry users demand a Fast UI, superior battery usage, and security. If they can get it to run on a 286 I wouldnt care. Not like we are dropping LN2 on the device and see how fast we can overclock it.

[adrenaline_x]

QNX can use cores...why would a 2 core be just as good as a 4 core for QNX

It looks like RIM's plans for QNX are based on seamless connectivity between devices...and automobiles...and...

Having 4 cores, does that mean we can have more powerful nav and augmented reality?

Can a 4 core BB10 phone be a mobile desktop computer?

Does Having 4 cores mean a better, more powerful nav system? possibly buts seeing as google navigator runs smoothly on a dual core make me doubt that.

The question of 4 core vs 2 core is extremely hard to answer. There are so many varibles that affect the answer. Is the OS extremely efficent in dealing with alloted resources or is it inefficent? Is the os able to schedule resources similar to Vmware ESXi where it intercepts the request for the guest vm and schedules the resources based on its resource handling? Or do the apps have direct access to cpu and ram?

Is the code base minimalistic? Or is it bloated like Using asp.net to build a simple two page html website?

I think if bb10 runs perfectly with 50% or less utilization of resources on a dual core and allows for growth then a dual core is fine. If the resources are already taxed heavily with the dual core processor, then upgrading to a higher performance processor whether dual or quad core, would be a must.

[Premium1]

If your dual core out performs your quad on all your requirements why use the quad? Its all about the real world benchmarks. There are great examples of CPUs that get released and are outperformed by there more mature older siblings (assumes the architecture doesnt change much).

I think BlackBerry users demand a Fast UI, superior battery usage, and security. If they can get it to run on a 286 I wouldnt care. Not like we are dropping LN2 on the device and see how fast we can overclock it.

Well the new exynos quad that is in the samsung galaxy s3 is said to use only 80% of the power that their dual core exynos used and that alone would help save battery. Plus with more cores it can spread out the load of work and also help with battery life if the 4 cores are operating at lower speeds than having 2 cores operating at full speed.