Samsung Electronics has developed a processor that integrates an LTE modem to bring more efficient performance to wearable devices.

The Exynos W920 processor integrates an LTE modem and is built with a 5nm extreme ultra-violet (EUV) process node.

“Wearables like smartwatches are no longer just a cool gadget to have,” said Harry Cho, vice president at South Korea-based Samsung Electronics. “They’re now a growing part of our lifestyles to keep you fit, safe and alert. With the Exynos W920, future wearables will be able to run applications with visually appealing user interfaces and more responsive user experiences while keeping you connected on the go with fast LTE.”

The processor packs two Arm Cortex-A55 cores and an Arm Mali-G68 GPU that improves CPU performance by around 20 per cent and enables ten times better graphics performance than its predecessor. With upgraded cores and improved performance, it enables faster application launches and a more interactive eye-catching 3D graphical user interface on a device’s qHD (960 × 540) display.

It is claimed to come in the smallest package available in the market for wearables with fan-out panel level packaging (FO-PLP). The technology incorporates the W920, power management IC, LPDDR4 and embedded multimedia card in the same package using a system-in-package-embedded package-on-package (SiP-ePoP) configuration. This allows smartwatches to house larger batteries or don sleeker designs.

Always-on-display (AOD) for wearables, especially for smartwatches, is a widely adopted feature as it makes it effortless to take a quick look at the time, notifications, missed calls and more without the need to wake the watch up from sleep mode. Rather than powering up the main CPU, the W920 activates a low-power display processor, the Cortex-M55, reducing display power consumption under AOD mode compared with the previous Exynos model.

For seamless connected experiences on the go, the W920 is embedded with a 4G LTE cat-four modem as well as a GNSS L1 for tracking speed, distance and elevation during outdoor activities.

It supports the unified wearable platform Samsung built jointly with Google, and will be first applied to an upcoming Galaxy Watch model.