A7 Processor Manufactured by Samsung, M7 is Standalone Processor From NXP

Friday September 20, 2013 11:52 am PDT by Jordan Golson
Chipworks is performing a more in-depth examination of the iPhone 5s than the one performed by iFixit last night.

A7 Processor
Among its discoveries, Chipworks found that the A7 chip is manufactured by Samsung, a big win for that firm after rumors surfaced earlier this year that Taiwan Semiconductor Company (TSMC) might win the contract for the new chip. Code discovered in iOS 7 back in July did suggest that Samsung would remain the primary manufacturer for the A7.

Chipworks also found what it believes to be the M7 motion coprocessor, which iFixit dubbed the "magical" chip because it couldn't be found on the logic board during the original teardown. Instead, the M7 is a discrete processor from NXP:

M7 Coprocessor
Luckily, we’ve been able to locate the M7 in the form the NXP LPC18A1. The LPC1800 series are high-performing Cortx-M3 based microcontrollers. This represents a big win for NXP. We had anticipated the M7 to be an NXP device based on input from industry analysts and our partners and we are happy to see this to be the case.

The M7 is dedicated to processing and translating the inputs provided to it by the discrete sensors; the gyroscope, accelerometer and electro magnetic compass mounted throughout the main printed circuit board. Traditional Apple techniques lead us to believe that the these discrete sensors will most likely be STMicroelectronics for the accelerometer and the gyroscope while the electro magnetic compass would again be an Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM). We have since confirmed the compass to be AKM’s AK8963.
Chipworks will be continuing its teardown throughout the day.

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kunai
83 months ago

I hate the fact that samsung is manufacturing this chip.
I dont feel comfortable with it...who knows what kind of insight that gives to this lowlife company!


Then you need to grow up. Samsung makes the Retina display, the fastest SSD disks that Apple uses in the MacBook Pro Retina, and makes the best ARM chips in the industry.

If you can't handle that, you're a deluded fanboy, and they're not "a lowlife company." They make good products for those who want to have the best specs over a curated user experience.

Just because we prefer the iPhone does not make it justified to bash a company for making a phone with rounded corners, and especially one that makes 50% of the technology in your beloved Apple devices. Excellent technology, I may add; they're at the top of the industry with hardware. Nobody makes better chips or components than they do.
Rating: 30 Votes
Avatar
kunai
83 months ago
Cue fanboys who will buy the iPhone despite the fact that it has Samsung-made parts and then bash Samsung endlessly using pejoratives like "Scum$sung" in 3,

2,

1...
Rating: 18 Votes
Avatar
taptic
83 months ago
This affects me big time! I am so glad someone found where the new chip is!
Rating: 15 Votes
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kdarling
83 months ago

I hate the fact that samsung is manufacturing this chip.

I dont feel comfortable with it...who knows what kind of insight that gives to this lowlife company!


You mean, like the way that Apple hired away Samsung's top CPU designer last Fall?

:rolleyes:
Rating: 13 Votes
Avatar
Yojimbo007
83 months ago
I hate the fact that samsung is manufacturing this chip.
I dont feel comfortable with it...who knows what kind of insight that gives to this lowlife company!
Rating: 11 Votes
Avatar
TWSS37
83 months ago

Makes you feel kinda sad, doesn't it? :P


Ask any of my friends and family, and they'll confirm that I get angry about many, many stupid things.

Being upset about who fabricates a chip for my smartphone is not even within the realm of possibility of something I could be angry about.

My suggestion is that in order to be able to post something anti-Samsung you have to sign an affidavit pledging that you own nothing with parts made by Samsung. Otherwise, you're just a hypocrite.
Rating: 9 Votes
Avatar
Renzatic
83 months ago


Oh give me a break..
Man the degree of ignorance is amazing.
Yup sure apple copies samsung. Lol
Does that make u sleep better?


Show me where in that sentence he claimed Apple copied Samsung.

Samsung does not design apple components? They are spec manufactures.. And copiers of other peoples technology!


Yeah, because designing the chip is the only hard part of making a processor. Mass producing cutting edge technology is cake in comparison.
Rating: 9 Votes
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teknikal90
83 months ago

This proves that regardless of all the lawsuits, Samsung is still Apples lapdog.


or the other way around......they hate them, but noone else can make their stuff as well as samsung.
how many threads do we have about LG retina displays?
Rating: 9 Votes
Avatar
notjustjay
83 months ago

Cue fanboys who will buy the iPhone despite the fact that it has Samsung-made parts and then bash Samsung endlessly using pejoratives like "Scum$sung" in 3,

2,

1...


Head explosions about a chip being made by Samsung (for reasons why this truly bothers people on this forum, still unknown) in 3, 2...


You guys are both too late, look at the posts above yours.

I don't know why people have such hate for Samsung. You know they make refrigerators, oil tankers, and sell life insurance and medical equipment too right? Are you going to dismiss all of those because you think their cell phone division copied Apple?

By the way, Chipworks is just down the street from where I'm sitting right now. Wish I could stroll over and see them working...
Rating: 8 Votes
Avatar
kunai
83 months ago

My concern is the lowlife and shameless ways samsung goes about doing business
I have zero respect for that.. And the sooner apple rids itself of these scumbags the better it ill be!

----------


Oh give me a break..
Man the degree of ignorance is amazing.
Yup sure apple copies samsung. Lol
Does that make u sleep better?


Being fair towards a company is not trolling. You think a company that offers heavily discounted medical imaging equipment, MRI and CT machines, and heart monitors, should go away?

Because they imitate Apple's design?

Your attitude towards this is ridiculous. I love Apple to death, but I'm quite sick of the Samsung-bashing. It's not even like they make the best Android phones, that crown goes to Google's Nexus devices by LG and HTC.

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You guys are both too late, look at the posts above yours.

I don't know why people have such hate for Samsung. You know they make refrigerators, oil tankers, and sell life insurance and medical equipment too right? Are you going to dismiss all of those because you think their cell phone division copied Apple?

By the way, Chipworks is just down the street from where I'm sitting right now. Wish I could stroll over and see them working...


The logic is running low in this thread.
Rating: 7 Votes

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