What is a smartphone processor and what does it do

Smartphones have become the backbone of our digital lives. A smartphone is often the first screen that we look at when we wake up and also the last screen we look at before going to bed. They are so ubiquitous in our lives that we upgrade them frequently and struggle to detach from them.

We are so attached to our phones that we often forget how complicated and densely packed these devices are. A smartphone, as a device, is not much different from a computer, in terms of architecture. There is a processor that powers the device, a screen that acts as an output device, and then there is a touchscreen for input.

However, a smartphone does differ from a classical computer, wherein the processing unit is not separate from the rest of the hardware. This is because of ARM architecture, a family of reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architecture that forms the brain of mobile computing.

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Now that we have set some context for smartphone processors and how the underlying architecture for a mobile processor is the same across product categories, let us understand smartphone processors in depth.

What is a smartphone processor?

A smartphone processor can be dubbed as the brain of a mobile device. Also known as a chipset, it is a component that controls the key functions and actions being performed on your smartphone. From a basic function like scrolling to playing an adventure game, everything is possible because of the processor.

Unlike your computer, a smartphone’s processor does not separate the processing unit from the rest of the hardware. It means that the CPU cores are part of the physical platform while other hardware functions responsible for input and output are also on the same physical platform.

This kind of design, where all the key components are placed on the same integrated circuit, is called a system on a chip or SoC. This tight packaging and integration makes ARM architecture suitable for a mobile device.

This ARM design is licensed by the likes of Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek to design the processors for smartphones. Their smartphone processor designs are further fabricated by a semiconductor contract manufacturing and design company. Whenever we talk about a smartphone processor, we are actually talking about the SoC.

Smartphone processor: What does it do?

A smartphone processor receives and executes every command, often performing billions of calculations per second. When you open a picture on your smartphone, the action of opening the phone’s photo gallery and then clicking on the image is registered by the processor and stored in your device’s memory.

This action is then translated into ones and zeros, the language your smartphone’s processor understands. The processor then transmits the ones and zeros, and the result is you can open pictures in an app on your smartphone. All of these actions happen in the background so quickly that we often forget the speed at which our smartphone processor can process all the instructions.

The fundamental difference comes down to the type of application you are using on your smartphone. When you are simply texting your friend or viewing images stored on your device, the processor does not need to work very hard to execute these functions.

However, when you try to play an online multiplayer game, view turn-by-turn navigation or record 4K videos, the load on the processor is higher.

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To ensure that these apps run smoothly, the processor is also responsible for efficient communication between all its components, such as the modem, graphics, and multimedia engines.

Processor speed and clock speed: What you need to know

Now that we know what a smartphone processor is, what it does or how it works, and the key players in this space, there are other terminologies at play as well. One of the common questions people ask about processors is how fast they are. The speed at which a processor performs certain actions depends on the number of processor cores and the clock speed of each processor core.

A general understanding is that a processor with a higher number of cores and a higher clock speed will [mostly] be faster than a processor with fewer cores and a low clock speed. The clock speed is the measure of how many instructions the processor can execute per second. A processor with a clock speed of 1GHz can process 1 billion instructions per second.

One of the fastest smartphone processors right now is Apple A17 Pro, which is the industry’s first 3-nanometer chip. It is a 6-core CPU with two performance cores and four efficiency cores powering iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, one of the fastest smartphone processors for Android phones, has an octa-core CPU with one prime core clocked at up to 3.4GHz, five performance cores clocked at up to 3.2GHz, and two efficiency cores clocked at up to 2.3GHz. It is found on smartphones like Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, OnePlus 12, Xiaomi 14, and others 

These processor cores and the fabrication process decides how they distribute the work when you are using your smartphone without draining the battery much. A less intensive task is viewing notifications, scrolling through apps or viewing photos will be handled by efficiency cores. In contrast, gaming and other processor-intensive tasks will be handled by performance cores.

Smartphone processor in a nutshell

Every time you touch your smartphone’s screen or look at the front-facing cameras to unlock your device, the processor makes it possible. The actions that you think of doing on your smartphone are turned into reality by the processor. However, their job is not just restricted to the smooth function of your smartphone. They are responsible for much more than that.

A smartphone processor is today responsible for not only performing key actions but also anticipating your next move and predicting them. Smartphone makers use clever software to make it happen on the screen and the processor works hard to ensure that it happens immediately.