Samsung Offers Close Look at Possible Galaxy S4 Feature

At CES 2013, Samsung unveiled a brand-new Exynos 5 processor dubbed the Exynos 5 Octa, a powerful new chip that delivers performance while significantly improving battery life. It’s a feature that may arrive with the Samsung Galaxy S4, and today, Samsung has given an up close look at the processor that could power the company’s next high-end devices.

Read: Samsung Galaxy S4: Why It’s Worth The Wait.

Through its SamsungExynos Twitter account, Samsung has offered a glimpse at its new processor, the Exynos 5 Octa, a processor that made its debut on stage earlier this month at CES 2013. The picture doesn’t offer much except for the branding and a look at the inside of the chip itself, but it’s nice to see Samsung promoting the chip online, something that could point to it emerging in the not-so-distant future.

The Exynos 5 Octa chip is Samsung’s latest Exynos processor and while it sounds like a octa-core processor, it’s name is a little misleading. Instead, the Exynos 5 Octa is a quad-core processor that utilizes a set of four separate cores depending on phone usage. High performance will be handled by the more powerful Cortex A15 cores while the low-level usage will be tackled by the four Cortex A7 cores.

One of the biggest advantages that Samsung says the Exynos 5 Octa has over previous Exynos processors, including the Exynos 5 chip found in the Nexus 10 tablet, is that it offers substantially better battery life. According to Samsung, the Exynos 5 Octa uses 70-percent less power than a typical quad-core Cortex A15 processor. Battery life is a huge need for smartphone owners these days and the Exynos 5 Octa could help Samsung offer fantastic battery life on its high-end devices.

Read: Samsung Galaxy S4 Display Rumors Take New Twist.

Thus far, we’ve heard that the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 could employ the technology. A benchmark for the Galaxy S4 pointed to a Exynos 5 Octa on board and reports suggest that Samsung will include it on the Galaxy Note 3.

Samsung obviously hasn’t confirmed anything yet but the fact that it’s teasing the processor through its social media accounts is a sign that this processor is likely part of its plans in the near future rather than in the distant future like the flexible display technology it announced alongside the Exynos 5 Octa at CES.