Apple A4

Last updated
Apple A4
Apple A4 Chip.jpg
General information
LaunchedApril 3, 2010
DiscontinuedSeptember 10, 2013
Designed by Apple Inc.
Common manufacturer(s)
Product codeS5L8930X [1]
Performance
Max. CPU clock rate 800 MHz to 1 GHz
Cache
L1 cache 32 KB instruction + 32 KB data [2]
L2 cache512 KB [2]
Architecture and classification
ApplicationMobile
Technology node 45 nm
Microarchitecture ARM Cortex-A8
Instruction set ARMv7-A
Physical specifications
Cores
  • 1
GPU(s) PowerVR SGX535 [3]
History
Predecessor(s) Samsung S5L8920
Successor(s) Apple A5

The Apple A4 is a 32-bit package on package (PoP) system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. and manufactured by Samsung. [4] [5] It was the first SoC Apple designed in-house. The first product to feature the A4 was the first-generation iPad, followed by the iPhone 4, fourth-generation iPod Touch, and second-generation Apple TV. [6]

Contents

The last operating system update Apple provided for a mobile device containing an A4 (iPhone 4) was iOS 7.1.2, which was released on June 30, 2014 as it was discontinued with the release of iOS 8 in September 2014. The last operating system update Apple provided for an Apple TV containing an A4 (second-generation Apple TV) was Apple TV Software 6.2.1, which was released on September 17, 2014.

Design

Apple engineers designed the A4 chip with an emphasis on being "extremely powerful yet extremely power efficient." [6] The A4 features a single-core ARM Cortex-A8 central processing unit (CPU) manufactured on Samsung's 45 nm fabrication process [7] using performance enhancements developed by chip designer Intrinsity (which was subsequently acquired by Apple) [8] in collaboration with Samsung. [9] The resulting CPU, dubbed "Hummingbird", [10] is able to run at a far higher clock rate than previous Cortex-A8 CPUs while remaining fully compatible with the Cortex-A8 design provided by ARM. [11] The same Cortex-A8 used in the A4 is also used in Samsung's S5PC110A01 SoC. [12] [13] The A4 also features a single-core PowerVR SGX535 graphics processing unit (GPU). [14] The die of the A4 takes up 53.3 mm² of area. [15]

The clock rate of the Cortex-A8 in the A4 used inside the first-generation iPad is 1 GHz. The clock rate of the Cortex-A8 in the A4 used inside the iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod Touch is 800 MHz (underclocked from 1 GHz). It is unknown what the clock rate of the Cortex-A8 in the A4 used inside the second-generation Apple TV is.

The A4 uses the PoP method of installation to support RAM. The top package of the A4 used inside the first-generation iPad, the fourth-generation iPod Touch, and the second-generation Apple TV contains two 128 MB LPDDR chips, providing a total of 256 MB of RAM. [16] [17] The top package of the A4 used inside the iPhone 4 contains two 256 MB LPDDR chips, providing a total of 512 MB of RAM. [18] [19] [20] The RAM is connected to the A4 using ARM's 64 bits wide AMBA 3 AXI bus. [21]

Products featuring the Apple A4

iPhone 4 Main Logic Board with Apple A4 SoC. IPhone 4, model A1332 - mainboard-7795.jpg
iPhone 4 Main Logic Board with Apple A4 SoC.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OMAP</span>

The OMAP family, developed by Texas Instruments, was a series of image/video processors. They are proprietary system on chips (SoCs) for portable and mobile multimedia applications. OMAP devices generally include a general-purpose ARM architecture processor core plus one or more specialized co-processors. Earlier OMAP variants commonly featured a variant of the Texas Instruments TMS320 series digital signal processor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arm (company)</span> British multinational semiconductor and software design company

Arm is a British semiconductor and software design company based in Cambridge, England whose primary business is the design of ARM processors (CPUs). It also designs other chips, provides software development tools under the DS-5, RealView and Keil brands, and provides systems and platforms, system-on-a-chip (SoC) infrastructure and software. As a "holding" company, it also holds shares of other companies. Since 2016, it has been owned by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nexus S</span> 2010 smartphone by Google and Samsung

The Nexus S 4G is a smartphone co-developed by Google and Samsung and manufactured by Samsung Electronics for release in 2010. It was the first smartphone to use the Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" operating system, and the first Android device to support Near Field Communication (NFC) in both hardware and software.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samsung Wave II S8530</span> Cell phone model

The Samsung Wave II S8530 is the successor of the Samsung Wave S8500 smartphone running the Bada 1.2 operating system designed by Samsung, which was commercially released in October 2010. The Wave is a slim touchscreen phone powered by Samsung's "Hummingbird" CPU, which includes a 1 GHz ARM Cortex-8 CPU and a built-in PowerVR SGX 540 graphics engine, "Super LCD" display and 720p high-definition video capture capabilities.SlashGear speculated that the phone could be the result of a rumored AMOLED panel shortage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A5</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A5 is a 32-bit system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. and manufactured by Samsung. The first product Apple featured an A5 in was the iPad 2. Apple claimed during their media event on March 2, 2011, that the ARM Cortex-A9 central processing unit (CPU) in the A5 is up to two times faster than the CPU in the Apple A4, and the PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphics processing unit (GPU) in the A5 is up to nine times faster than the GPU in the A4. Apple also claimed that the A5 uses the same amount of power as the A4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple silicon</span> System-on-chip processors designed by Apple Inc.

Apple silicon is a series of system on a chip (SoC) and system in a package (SiP) processors designed by Apple Inc., mainly using the ARM architecture. They are the basis of Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, AirPods, AirTag, HomePod, and Apple Vision Pro devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A5X</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A5X is a 32-bit system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. and manufactured by Samsung. Apple used it only in the third-generation iPad. The A5X is a high-performance variant of the Apple A5. Apple claimed during their media event on March 7, 2012 that the quad-core PowerVR SGX543MP4 graphics processing unit (GPU) in the A5X is two times faster than the GPU in the A5, as the A5X GPU contains two more cores than the dual-core version GPU in the A5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A6</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A6 is a 32-bit package on package (PoP) system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. that was introduced on September 12, 2012 at the launch of the iPhone 5. Apple states that it is up to twice as fast and has up to twice the graphics power compared with its predecessor, the Apple A5. Software updates for the chip ended in 2019, with the release of iOS 10.3.4 on the iPhone 5, since it was unsupported with the release of iOS 11 in 2017.

The Apple A7 is a 64-bit system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. It first appeared in the iPhone 5S, which was announced on September 10, 2013, and the iPad Air and iPad Mini 2, which were both announced on October 22, 2013. Apple states that it is up to twice as fast and has up to twice the graphics power compared to its predecessor, the Apple A6. It is the first 64-bit SoC to ship in a consumer smartphone or tablet computer. On March 21, 2017, the iPad mini 2 was discontinued, ending production of A7 chips. The latest software update for systems using this chip was iOS 12.5.7, released on January 23, 2023, as they were discontinued with the release of iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A6X</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A6X is a 32-bit system-on-a-chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc., introduced at the launch of the 4th generation iPad on October 23, 2012. It is a high-performance variant of the Apple A6 and the last 32-bit chip Apple used on an iOS device before Apple switched to 64-bit. Apple claims the A6X has twice the CPU performance and up to twice the graphics performance of its predecessor, the Apple A5X. Software updates for the 4th generation iPad ended in 2019 with the release of iOS 10.3.4 for cellular models, thus ceasing support for this chip as it was discontinued with the release of iOS 11 in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple motion coprocessors</span> Series of motion coprocessors by Apple

The Apple M-series coprocessors are motion coprocessors used by Apple Inc. in their mobile devices. First released in 2013, their function is to collect sensor data from integrated accelerometers, gyroscopes and compasses and offload the collecting and processing of sensor data from the main central processing unit (CPU).

The Apple A8 is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. It first appeared in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which were introduced on September 9, 2014. Apple states that it has 25% more CPU performance and 50% more graphics performance while drawing only 50% of the power of its predecessor, the Apple A7. The latest software updates for the 1.1GHz and 1.4GHz variants systems using this chip are iOS 12.5.7, released on January 23, 2023 as they were discontinued with the release of iOS 13 in 2019, and 1.5GHz variant for the iPad Mini 4 is iPadOS 15.7.7, released on June 21, 2023 as it was discontinued with the release of iPadOS 16 in 2022, while updates for the 1.5GHz variant continue for Apple TV HD. The A8 chip was discontinued on October 18, 2022, following the discontinuation of the Apple TV HD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A8X</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A8X is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. and manufactured by TSMC. It first appeared in the iPad Air 2 and only is used in the iPad Air 2, which was announced on October 16, 2014. It is a variant of the A8 inside the iPhone 6 family of smartphones and Apple states that it has 40% more CPU performance and 2.5 times the graphics performance of its predecessor, the Apple A7. The latest software update for the iPad Air 2 using this chip was iPadOS 15.7.7,released on June 21, 2023, as it was discontinued with the release of iPadOS 16 in 2022 due to hardware limitations of the A8X.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A9</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A9 is a 64-bit ARM-based system-on-chip (SoC), designed by Apple Inc. Manufactured for Apple by both TSMC and Samsung, it first appeared in the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus which were introduced on September 9, 2015. Apple states that it has 70% more CPU performance and 90% more graphics performance compared to its predecessor, the Apple A8. On September 12, 2018, the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus along with the first-generation iPhone SE was discontinued, ending production of A9 chips. The latest software updates for the iPhone 6S & 6S Plus including the iPhone SE 1st generation variants systems using this chip are iOS 15.7.6, released on May 18, 2023 as they were discontinued with the release of iOS 16 in 2022, and for the iPad 5th generation using this chip was iPadOS 16.5, released on May 18, 2023, as it was discontinued with the release of iPadOS 17 in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A10</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A10 Fusion is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC), designed by Apple Inc. and manufactured by TSMC. It first appeared in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus which were introduced on September 7, 2016, and is used in the sixth generation iPad, seventh generation iPad, and seventh generation iPod Touch. The A10 is the first Apple-designed quad-core SoC, with two high-performance cores and two energy-efficient cores. Apple states that it has 40% greater CPU performance and 50% greater graphics performance compared to its predecessor, the Apple A9. The Apple T2 chip is based on the A10. On May 10, 2022, the iPod Touch 7th generation was discontinued, ending production of A10 Fusion chips. The latest software updates for the iPhone 7 & 7 Plus including the iPod Touch 7th generation variants systems using this chip are iOS 15.7.7, released on June 21, 2023 as they were discontinued with the release of iOS 16 in 2022, while updates for the iPad variants systems using this chip are still supported.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple A15</span> System on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc.

The Apple A15 Bionic is a 64-bit ARM-based system on a chip (SoC) designed by Apple Inc. It is used in the iPhone 13 and 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max, iPad Mini, iPhone SE, iPhone 14 and 14 Plus and Apple TV 4K.

early iPhone systems-on-chip Chips used for the first iPhones

iPhone and iPod Touch models released between 2007 and 2009 used system on a chip (SoC) circuits designed by Samsung and manufactured to Apple's specifications. Two such SoCs were used: the Samsung S5L8900, used in the first-generation iPhone, the iPhone 3G, and the first-generation iPod Touch, and the Samsung S5L8920, used in the iPhone 3GS and the third-generation iPod Touch. Both chips belong to Samsung's S5L family of SoCs.

References

  1. ↑ "iOS 5.1 code hints at simultaneous A5X and A6 processor development". 27 February 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-05-02. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
  2. 1 2 Cheng, Jacqui (March 14, 2011). "Ars reviews the iPad 2: big performance gains in a slimmer package / The Apple A5". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  3. ↑ Klug, Brian; Lal Shimpi, Anand (June 30, 2010). "Apple's iPhone 4: Thoroughly Reviewed". AnandTech. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Updated: Samsung fabs Apple A5 processor". EETimes.com. March 12, 2011. Archived from the original on 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2011-03-15. The company conducted a cross-section analysis of the chip that revealed details indicating Samsung made the chip in its 45nm process, the same process and fab Apple used for its previous generation A4 SoC.
  5. ↑ Clark, Don (2010-04-05). "Apple iPad Taps Familiar Component Suppliers - WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-19. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
  6. 1 2 "Apple Launches iPad" (Press release). Apple. 2010-01-27. Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
  7. ↑ "Chipworks Confirms Apple A4 iPad chip is fabbed by Samsung in their 45-nm process". Chipworks. April 15, 2010. Archived from the original on 21 September 2010.
  8. ↑ Stokes, Jon (2010-04-28). "Apple purchase of Intrinsity confirmed". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 28 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
  9. ↑ Merritt, Rick. "Samsung, Intrinsity pump ARM to GHz rate". EE Times . Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  10. ↑ "Samsung Jointly Develop the World's Fastest ARM® Cortex™-A8 Processor Based Mobile Core | Samsung Semiconductor Global Website". samsung.com (Press release). Archived from the original on 2019-05-31. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  11. ↑ Keizer, Gregg (2010-04-06). "Apple's iPad Smokes Past the iPhone 3GS in Speed Test". PC World. Archived from the original on 20 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  12. ↑ Boldt, Paul; Scansen, Don; Whibley, Tim (16 June 2010). "Apple's A4 dissected, discussed...and tantalizing". EE Times . Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  13. ↑ "Microsoft PowerPoint - Apple A4 vs SEC S5PC110A01" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  14. ↑ Khullar, Kunal (2017-09-13). "From A4 to the A11 Bionic: The Evolution of Apple 'A' mobile chips". PCMag India. Archived from the original on 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  15. ↑ "Chipworks Confirms Apple A4 iPad chip is fabbed by Samsung in their 45-nm process". Chipworks. April 15, 2010. Archived from the original on 21 September 2010. The die was approximately 7.3 mm square, giving a die area of 53.3 mm²,
  16. ↑ "Teardown of Apple's 4th-gen iPod touch finds 256MB of RAM". Appleinsider.com. 2010-09-08. Archived from the original on 11 September 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
  17. ↑ "Apple TV 2nd Generation Teardown". iFixit. 2010-09-30. Archived from the original on 2 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
  18. ↑ "Apple reveals iPhone 4 has 512MB RAM, doubling iPad - report". Appleinsider.com. 2010-06-17. Archived from the original on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  19. ↑ "A Peek Inside Apple's A4 Processor". iFixit. 2010-04-05. Archived from the original on 2013-05-28. Retrieved 2010-04-06.
  20. ↑ Greenberg, Marc (2010-04-09). "Apple iPad: no LPDDR2?". Denali. Archived from the original on 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2010-04-18.
  21. ↑ Merritt, Rick (2010-04-09). "iPad equipped to deliver richer graphics". EE Times Asia. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2010-04-14.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.