CES: Samsung reveals Exynos 5 eight-core smartphone processor

LAS VEGAS: Samsung has unveiled its eight-core 'Octa' Exynos 5 chipset at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which is likely to feature in its forthcoming Galaxy S4 smartphone.

Samsung showed off the eight-core chip designed for use in smartphones and tablets claiming that it is much faster than its previous processors including the Exynos 4, and boasts much lower power consumption.

That is because the chip is split into two sets of quad-core processors which both use ARM's new Big.little processor technology, pairing an energy-efficient ARM Cortex A7 chip with a more powerful Cortex A15 multi-core chip.

According to Samsung, the chip is faster than its current Exynos 5 dual-chipset which features in the Google Nexus 10 - currently the fastest Android market available on the market. Samsung claimed it will bring a new level of processing power to mobile devices.

It said this chip will bring a much more impressive gaming experience to its next-generation mobile products too, and will easily handle HD media streaming.

Samsung also claimed its Octa processor will increase energy efficiency by 70 percent over previous Exynos chips.

There is no word yet on when the Exynos processor will start shipping, but it would be very surprising if it did not appear in the firm's next-generation Galaxy flagship, making it likely that more will be revealed at Mobile World Congress in February.