Samsung Starts Production of New Multi-Mode Exynos 5G Chipsets
Samsung Electronics has started mass production of 5G communication solutions.
The 5G multi-mode chipsets include the previously-introduced Exynos Modem 5100 as well as a new single-chip radio frequency transceiver, the Exynos RF 5500, and supply modulator solution, the Exynos SM 5800, all supporting 5G New Radio (5G-NR) sub-6-gigahertz (GHz) spectrum and legacy radio access technologies.
Exynos Modem 5100 is Samsung’s first 5G modem solution that had completed preparations for commercialization in August, 2018, with a successful over-the-air (OTA) 5G-NR data call test. The modem supports virtually all networks from 5G’s sub-6GHz and mmWave spectrums to 2G GSM/CDMA, 3G WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, HSPA and 4G LTE networks in a single chip.
The modem is paired with RF and supply modulator solutions, Exynos RF 5500 and Exynos SM 5800 respectively.
Samsung’s Exynos RF 5500 supports legacy networks and 5G-NR sub-6GHz networks in a single chip. RF transceivers are key components that allow smartphones to transmit and receive data over the cellular network. When transmitting voice or data from a smartphone to a carrier, the RF up-converts the modem’s baseband signal to high GHz-range cellular frequencies so that data can be sent swiftly over the connected network. Vice versa, when receiving, the signal is down-converted by the RF to baseband frequencies for it to be processed by the modem. The Exynos RF 5500 has 14 receiver paths for download, and supports 4×4 MIMO (Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output) and higher-order 256 QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) scheme to maximize the data transfer rate over the 5G network.
The Exynos SM 5800 is a low-power supply modulator solution for 2G to 5G-NR sub-6GHz that supports up to 100MHz envelope-tracking (ET) bandwidths. Maintaining a highly efficient RF has become more critical in ensuring a longer battery life in a mobile device. Samsung says that the Exynos SM 5800 demonstrates up to a 30-percent power reduction by dynamically adjusting the supply voltage according to the modem’s RF input signal. With a power optimizing ET solution for RF, data can be transmitted more efficiently and reliably over the incredibly fast 5G network.
LG Electronics Inc. also plans to launch its first 5G smartphone, V50 ThinQ, on April 19.