iPhone processor found: 620MHz ARM CPU

Looks like today's morning's firmware leak turned up some well hidden details about the iPhone's hardware engine -- and also confirming some reports we'd previously received. From what we can tell, it looks like the iPhone's got a 620MHz ARM chip running under the hood. Specifics:

• ARM1176JZF chip with TrustZone (enables trusted computing environment for media, apps, network, OS, etc. -- very bad for hackers)
• Can vary in clock speed up to 700MHz or more, depending on implementation (thanks, Nigma)
  
• ARM Intelligent Energy Manager (claimed to reduce power consumption 25-50% in portables)
• 16K / 16K cache
• Features vector floating point coprocessor ("for embedded 3D-graphics")
• ARM Jazelle enabled for embedded Java execution (hmm...)
• SIMD, high perf integer CPU (8-stage pipeline, 675 Dhrystone, 2.1 MIPS)
• 0.45 mW/MHz power draw (with cache)

Whatever it is Apple's got that thing doing, they're doing it right. Thus far our iPhone battery life tests have far exceeded expectations (more on that soon).

Update: Sascha at Gear Log seems to think given the recently discovered Samsung chip in the iPhone, perhaps the processor in question is a Samsung S3C6400, a recently-produced 667MHz ARM1176JZF-based CPU that seems to fit the bill.

[t1m1 @ Jul 1st 2007 2:55PM]

The most surprising thing in there is the ARM Jazelle... Why did they include it if there's no Java on the iPhone at all? Perhaps we'll see a firmware update soon.

[Fatima @ Jul 1st 2007 2:58PM]

I hope so! Along with Flash support!

[Big @ Jul 1st 2007 3:56PM]

can the iphone watch Youtube?
can the Iphone watch PORNOTUBE?
can the Iphone play music embedded in webpages?


If the answer to any of these questions is "no" then I will wait for a phone whose answers are "YES !"

[derek @ Jul 1st 2007 5:35PM]

hey Big, the iPhone can play YouTube. And no PornoTube for you, why don't you get off the computer, stop f**in yourself, and get a job. Than maybe you could afford an iPhone and learn a little more about it.

[dogarms @ Jul 1st 2007 9:05PM]

"...can the Iphone play music embedded in webpages?..."

that is the single dumbest reason for not buying an iPhone I've ever heard.

[Dr. Dabbles @ Jul 2nd 2007 6:22PM]

"They" didn't include it. Jazelle is a function on-chip from Samsung. Has nothing to do with Apple.

[Harbinger @ Jul 2nd 2007 2:40AM]

re: dogarms

He's got a valid point. If the iPhone works with an m3u that can reference back to a server like http://www.codewave.de/products/mytunesrss/
then 8gb is a limitation that can be immediately addressed.

[StoneCypher @ Jul 9th 2007 3:20PM]

Jazelle has nothing to do with Samsung; it's an ARM thing. All licensors of ARM designs have access to Jazelle. Intel, Hyundai, Philips and Actel manufacture ARM designs with Jazelle inside, as (probably) do other manufacturers.

[AdvWar @ Jul 1st 2007 3:01PM]

NEWSFLASH-The iPhone has a processor!!!!

[John Doe @ Jul 1st 2007 3:06PM]

No newsflash the iPhone is using trusted computing components.

[morcheeba @ Jul 1st 2007 5:15PM]

All the new cell phone processor chips have trusted-computing-like features. It costs the manufacturers very little to include this, and even if it results in just one design win, it'll be worth it. It also allows chip manufacturers (such as TI and Samsung) to differentiate their products when they all use the same arm cores.

[James Ryan Worrell @ Jul 1st 2007 3:07PM]

wtf happened to the post on the Kaiser?

[AdvWar @ Jul 1st 2007 3:08PM]

He abdicated

[carlo @ Jul 1st 2007 3:10PM]

There was a post on the Kaiser?

[James Ryan Worrell @ Jul 1st 2007 3:12PM]

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/01/htc-p4550-kaiser-gets-the-hands-on-treatment/

[carlo @ Jul 1st 2007 3:19PM]

Boy Genius report says it may be bumped up for release in July...

It's gonna be spensiiiiiiiive!! But packed with stuff! 3mp camera, 3g...

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2007/05/24/htc-kaiser-unboxing/

Don't forget though, if that law suit doesn't get cleared up, we won't be seeing those imported here by any carriers. Have to get an unlocked one.

[ryanworrell @ Jul 1st 2007 3:26PM]

awesome, i hope it gets here. Kaiser > Herald.

[Atanas Boev @ Jul 1st 2007 3:30PM]

And the comments are growing there :)

Maybe they removed it, but it is still on my google homepage.

[varish @ Jul 1st 2007 3:08PM]

could it be that the GUI effects are java based?

[whothehellareyu @ Jul 1st 2007 6:30PM]

No, Apple has made it pretty clear that they use CoreAnimation, which they made a big deal about in Leopard. Correct me if I'm wrong though, as it happens often

[AdvWar @ Jul 1st 2007 3:08PM]

By the way, what makes you so sure that the iPhone isn't running on a 320Mhz processor Ryan? Many HTC phones run on slower processors that that, so it doesn't sound too unrealistic

[paul @ Jul 1st 2007 3:17PM]

as someone who has used an iPhone and a couple other winmo devices, i can assure you iPhone has a processor significantly faster, there can be no question.

[craig @ Jul 1st 2007 3:40PM]

Paul, you can't assure anyone of that. Windows Mobile devices are pathetically slow because the software sucks. Just because the iPhone seems quick doesn't mean you know what the processor speed is. Old PalmOS devices were responsive and they had crap for processors.

Doesn't matter anyway. The iPhone is what it is and it seems fast enough.

[Kyle @ Jul 1st 2007 3:08PM]

Damn. All the hype about this phone had convinced me that it ran on magic.

[brendan Sheehan jnr @ Jul 1st 2007 3:39PM]

There's no such thing as magic you know.

[ukbigbird @ Jul 1st 2007 3:48PM]

Would Magic Johnson not disagree?

[Nigma @ Jul 1st 2007 3:18PM]

ARM Jazelle is a standard feature on all ARM processors ARM9 onwards. Wether Apple have made use of it or not is anybody's guess.

Just to clarify the processor speed: The processor does NOT come in "two versions". The figures listed on the ARM website a purely implementation examples using two different technologies. The processor is designed to run at speeds between 300 - 700mhz ish, but this depends on the implementation. I think recently someone did an ARM1176 implementation at around 750Mhz.

[Chris Wein @ Jul 1st 2007 11:16PM]

Yes, Jazelle is standard since ARM9. And as most developers know, the hardware accelerator has been significantly slower than s/w JIT compilers for awhile and pretty much no one uses it.

[Mak @ Jul 1st 2007 3:20PM]

UNSUBSCRIBE

Totally sick of iPhone stories.... I can't believe such a crap product is getting so much hype...

[David Balogh @ Jul 1st 2007 3:33PM]

I love the 'iPhone is crap' comments, makes me chuckle. What do you consider not crap? Are you using a C-64 as a cell phone? The ringtones would be pretty cool, that's for sure. Yes, I will agree to a lot of coverage being a little much, and I will agree that it may not have everything that everyone needs, but for the majority of the population it has everything that most would need, and since it's Gen 1, I'm sure we'll see many enhancements in the future.

God forbid a company limit the amount of features they put in a product to ensure they can deliver the most quality product they can make, with every intention to add functionality in the future via free software updates. Alas. I know full well the other side of spectrum (I'll give you a hint, Ryan does too...), biting off more than you can chew tends to make for MANY more errors and broken experiences. This may be off topic slightly, but I've been reading too much and need to post some kind of retaliation on the idiots who deem themselves haters.

[craig @ Jul 1st 2007 3:48PM]

There is only one "iPhone is crap" comment here, David.

"God forbid a company limit the amount of features they put in a product to ensure they can deliver the most quality product they can make, with every intention to add functionality in the future via free software updates."

Stating speculation as fact, David?

"Alas. I know full well the other side of spectrum (I'll give you a hint, Ryan does too...), biting off more than you can chew tends to make for MANY more errors and broken experiences."

The iPhone isn't bugfree. I have one friends who's experiencing a lot of problems. Perhaps Apple bit off more than could chew.

"This may be off topic slightly, but I've been reading too much and need to post some kind of retaliation on the idiots who deem themselves haters."

Perhaps you should stick to facts then. Your personal speculation is worthless.

[David Balogh @ Jul 1st 2007 5:19PM]

I'm not stating anything 'fact,' just basing off past experience with Apple's products. Since they decided to create the iPhone on an OS X platform, I'd say either free software updates and/or paid downloads within iTunes are implied.

I will admit the 'free' part may have been a little over-speculative on my part, but I don't discount it from happening. As for bugs, Apple is pretty methodical on fixing them when they arise. Hey, it's first gen, surprise there's bugs, but really how many compared to any other phone company? Or just any company in general where quantity always take first place over quality?

What's worthless is listening to people complain incessantly over a product they don't like, instead of biting their lip and not reading the posts. My 'personal speculation' may be worthless, but I never claimed authority on the subject. I'm sure many people here don't. Next time step back and count to 10 before you rip into people, big man.

[brendan Sheehan jnr @ Jul 1st 2007 7:01PM]

"I will admit the 'free' part may have been a little over-speculative on my part"

I wouldn't say that considering Apple has already said that will be free: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/04/25/apple_to_build_new_features_into_iphone_apple_tv_free_of_charge.html

[craig @ Jul 1st 2007 8:32PM]

David, why don't you admit was it really is--100% pro-Apple speculation. You know nothing of the internal design decisions, future product plans or initial quality details of the iPhone.

All companies are methodical in fixing bugs i.e. they employ a "method". I bought an early MBP and a year later they finally released their first battery firmware update. Hardly very prompt. As for iPhone quality, who knows how many bugs there are and who knows if Apple isn't just another company "where quantity always take first place over quality"?

"What's worthless is listening to people complain incessantly over a product they don't like, instead of biting their lip and not reading the posts."

Nicely said, hypocrite. You couldn't just bite YOUR lip and not read the one, single negative comment with going off on a fanboy rage?

[carlo @ Jul 1st 2007 3:23PM]

WHY DID YOU GUYS TAKE DOWN THE KAISER POST???

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/01/htc-p4550-kaiser-gets-the-hands-on-treatment/

Something to hide?

[carlo @ Jul 1st 2007 3:33PM]

Thanks for bringing it back. Phew! *sigh of relief*

[derek @ Jul 1st 2007 5:40PM]

crap audio player??? what are you smoking??? it is the most advanced audio player on any device! ESPECIALLY A PHONE!!!! You need to go use an iPhone before saying dumb shit.

[carlo @ Jul 1st 2007 6:04PM]

what is wrong with this derek guy?

@derek calm yourself down, seriously. if it's as good as you want it to be then there's no reason to be so angry because in the end, you are right--it's as good as you want it to be.

others will criticize it because it's out there to be criticized. it's got an fast processor and it looks great. we all know that. as for usage preferences it's going to be up to the individual to determine whether or not it meets their individual expectations.

calm down.

[shawnz @ Jul 2nd 2007 1:31AM]

"crap audio player??? what are you smoking??? it is the most advanced audio player on any device! ESPECIALLY A PHONE!!!! You need to go use an iPhone before saying dumb shit."

yeah, er, except on palms, pocketpcs, smartphones, blackberries, sidekicks etc...

[Mak @ Jul 1st 2007 4:19PM]

Convergence is usually bad. The iPhone is a good example of this. It's a poorly featured phone, and a crap audio player, it's got Apples usual shoddy build quality..

The only good thing here, is Apple's marketing...

[jilie @ Jul 1st 2007 3:34PM]

i was asking this right yesterday, with all the hype and fuzz noone really was caring about this important specs. finally some "REAL" information on Engadget
+1

[paintbal @ Jul 1st 2007 3:52PM]

Its taking forever to activate my iPhone can anyone tell me whats the longest they have waited. Thanks

[Malcolm @ Jul 1st 2007 5:57PM]

i waited like 36 hours. the phone itself is active.. but i cant send or recieve calls or use edge.

[Sean @ Jul 1st 2007 4:27PM]

36 hours wow thats along time. And just wondering did you switch from verizon and try to keep your number.
Thanks

[Ben @ Jul 1st 2007 8:06PM]

After my phone activated and I could use all the features of the phone on wifi but nothing over AT&T, I tried powering off the phone and turning it back on forced it to search for AT&T's network and I was up and running. Not sure if this will help you, but it worked for me (after 9 hours of waiting and then trying this).

[abes @ Jul 1st 2007 3:54PM]

The one strange thing about the jazelle being in there, is that I believe Jobs is quoted as saying that the iPhone doesn't support Java because it's too slow. Which I have a hard time believing if it has a dedicated processor. I'm not a big fan of Java, but it's at least a step in the right direction (plus, there's always Jython).

As for the hackability of the iPhone, it will be interesting to see if they use TCE to lock down the iPhone. To my knowledge, they really only have used this is the past to keep people from running OS X on non-apple hardware. Maybe they want to stop people from cloning the iPhone, and stealing the SW?

[harpreet @ Jul 1st 2007 4:04PM]

cool...if a 620mhz processor can run the mac os x with such smooth graphics..then i guess using 1.0ghz apple tv with entire mac os x on it is an amazing device for normal computing like checking mails and surfing the net

[TitaniumLizzard @ Jul 1st 2007 9:46PM]

Just remember that the iPhone has a screen resolution of 320 x 480

[David @ Jul 1st 2007 11:45PM]

Without knowing the specifics of the processor designs, clock speed comparisons are meaningless. Than be high frequency-clocked "slow" processors and vice versa.

[Johan S @ Jul 1st 2007 4:12PM]

I bought an iPhone .. I was wondering .. are they going to stop producing iPods? If they are going to keep producing iPods .. they better hell have nearly all the iPhone features .. including wifi. I also found it interesting that this samsung block diagram has NTSC out stuff etc. I wonder if they will use this same thing for new video ipods? Hmm maybe the new video ipods will have a 1024 pixel wide resolution graphics LCD? And yes that resolution is usable .. I can see the iPhone pixels clearly from 10 inches so there is room for at least a doubling of resolution dots per inch). They should also throw in a GPS there. But then the problem becomes why buy an iPhone when you can just have an iPod and maybe the upcoming RAZR (which is useless crap for web browsing) that has two cameras and in call realtime video conferencing so you can show the person you are calling what you're looking at.

As far as hardware goes, if the next iPhone has GPS, video conferencing, and an even higher res display .. it will be perfect.

Software - I see no reason for the "Clear" and "Missed calls" buttons .. the missed calls are clear in red .. and I dont get that many missed calls. Also, numbers dial far too easily so if I am scrolling ... sometimes it misinterprets my finger movement and starts calling the number. There are a few other quirks like that (eg. better phone locking .. i like to be 1000% certain the phone wont dial in my pocket) .. I think they can fix it in software as users bitch about it.