Imagination Technologies, the company that provides GPUs to Apple's iPhones, aims to bring high-quality VR experiences to low-end phones.
Imagination Technologies' Series8XE Plus GPUs Family
According to Tech Report, Imagination Technologies' PowerVR GPUs are performing tile-based rendering. The same technique is still used in the Series8XE Plus family, company's latest mobile GPUs. Three 8XE Plus designs were launched by Imagination Technologies on Tuesday, Jan. 17: the GE8320, GE8325, and GE8340.
These three new Imagination processors are upgraded versions of the base Series8XE GE8300 design, as expected from the "Plus" GPUs family. The company aimed at achieving superior compute performance of the new designs. According to Imagination, the GE8320 and 8325 offer double the per-clock shader throughput, compared to the GE8300.
Compared to the base model, the GE8340 should offer quadruple the per-clock shader throughput. With such impressive performance, the GE8340 can compete with the top-end PowerVR XT-series models.
Imagination Technologies is also releasing a couple of updates to existing GPUs, besides the new designs. These updates are the high-powered GE8430 and the ultra-low-end GE8100. The GE8100 graphics processor consists basically of half of a Series8XE GE8200.
The GE8430 comes at the far opposite end of the product stack, being a very powerful mobile GPU that can handle 4K displays. Both these two versions include the "micro-architectural enhancements" implemented by Imagination Technologies in the other Series8XE Plus GPUs.
These Imagination graphics processors designs cater to the SoCs in smartphones and tablets, as well as set-top boxes and smart TVs. According to the website anandtech.com, Imagination's new GPUs aim to power devices with 1080p resolution, as this will be the most commonly-used resolution in every market segment through at least the year 2020. Imagination did not focus on the higher 4K resolution because most budget smartphones will continue to rely on full HD video for many years, according to executive vice president for PowerVR at Imagination, Mark Dickinson.
VR Experience To Low-End Android Smartphones
GPUs from Imagination Technologies are used in Apple's iPhones, as well as in Android mobile devices. The latest PowerVR Series8XE Plus GPUs will be installed in low-cost Android smartphones priced in the range between $200 and $400. The company is trying to gain some of that low-end smartphone market share back.
Recently, tech experts noticed a fast growing trend of implementing virtual reality capabilities in Android devices. However, the most VR-capable phones are expensive because of their high-resolution screens and powerful GPUs, like the ones supporting Google's DayDream platform. There are some cheap VR headset alternatives such as Google Cardboard that can be used with inexpensive phones, but the VR experience provided is uneven.
With Imagination Technologies' Series8XE Plus, low-end smartphones will be capable of better graphics. The new Imagination GPUs can provide a good VR experience on mobile devices, as they are able to handle full HD video at 60 frames per second. According to Computerworld, the Series8XE Plus can also improve video experiences and mobile gaming, beyond VR.
It is expected that the new GPUs will be used in Android smartphones starting next year. They won't be installed in the iPhone, which used instead, the high-end PowerVR XT GPU.
