Linux 5.12 – Main Changes, Arm, MIPS and RISC-V Architectures

Linux 5.12

Linux 5.12 release was expected last Sunday, but Linus Torvalds decided to release one more release candidate, namely Linux 5.12-RC8, to “make sure things are all settled down“, so the latest Linux kernel is now expected this weekend.  Tihs should not yield any significant changes, so we can check what’s new in Linux 5.12, notably with regards to Arm, MIPS, and RISC-V architectures often used in SoC’s found in embedded systems. Around two months ago, the release of Linux 5.11 added support for Intel’s software guard extensions (SGX) and Platform Monitoring Technology (PMT), AMD “Van Gogh” and “Dimgrey cavefish” graphics processors, MIPI I3C host controller interfaces, and much more. Some interesting changes in Linux 5.12 include: Added support for ACRN hypervisor designed for IoT & embedded devices Added support for Playstation DualSense & Nintendo 64 game controllers, as well as Nintendo 64 data cartridges Dynamic thermal power management via a […]

Linux 5.11 Release – Main Changes, Arm, MIPS & RISC-V Architectures

Linux 5.11 release

Linus Torvalds has released Linux 5.11 just in time for… “Valentine’s Day”: Nothing unexpected or particularly scary happened this week, so here we are – with 5.11 tagged and pushed out. In fact, it’s a smaller-than-average set of commits from rc7 to final, which makes me happy. And I already have several pull requests lined up for tomorrow, so we’re all set for the merge window to start. But in the meantime – and yes, I know it’s Valentine’s Day here in the US – maybe give this release a good testing before you go back and play with development kernels. All right? Because I’m sure your SO will understand. Linus Last time around, Linux 5.10 was an LTS release that added EXT-4 performance enhancements, improved post-Spectre performance, as well as the enablement of BCM2711 (Raspberry Pi 4) display pipeline, among other many changes. Some of the notable changes in […]

MediaTek Dimensity 1100 and 1200 5G mobile SoC’s reach up to 3GHz

Mediatek Dimensity MT1100 & MT1200

MediaTek has just unveiled not one, but two premium 5G SoC’s with Dimensity 1100 and Dimensity 1200 octa-core processors with the latter including an “Ultra” Arm Cortex-A78 clocked at up to 3GHz. Both chipsets are manufactured on TSMC’s advanced 6nm process technology, offer 5G connectivity up to 4.7Gbps download speed, and improvement in terms of performance, and camera compared to the earlier Dimensity 1000+ processor. MediaTek Dimensity 1100 and Dimensity 1200 share many of the same specifications: CPU DImensity 1100 4x Arm Cortex-A78 @ up to 2.6GHz 4x Arm Cortex-A55 @ up to 2GHz DImensity 1200 1x ultra-core Arm Cortex-A78 @ up to 3GHz 3x Arm Cortex-A78 cores 4x Arm Cortex-A55 cores @ up to 2GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G77 MC9 AI accelerator – Six-core MediaTek APU 3.0 VPU Video Playback – H.264, H.265 / HEVC, VP-9, AV1 Video Encoding – H.264, H.265 / HEVC Memory – Up to 16GB […]

MediaTek unveils Dimensity 700 5G processor, MT8192 & MT8195 SoCs for Chromebooks

Mediatek Dimensity 700

MediaTek announced three new 6nm and 7nm processors yesterday with Dimensity 700 5G processor for mainstream 5G mobile phones, and MT8192 & MT8195 SoCs for Chromebooks. MediaTek Dimensity 700 Key features and specifications with highlights showing differences against Dimensity 720: Octa-core Processor – 2x Arm Cortex-A76 @ up to 2.2 GHz, and 6x Arm Cortex-A55 @ up to 2GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G57 MC2 @ up to 950 MHz AI Accelerator – MediaTek APU System Memory – Up to 12GB LPDDR4x up to 2133MHz Storage – UFS 2.2 Display – Up to 2520 x 1080 resolution with 90Hz max refresh rate Camera ISP up to 16MP+16MP @ 30 fps dual camera, or 64MP @ 22 fps single camera Video Capture Resolution up to 3840 x 2160 Features – HDR-ISP, Multi-Frame NR, 3D Noise Reduction, Depth Engine, Warping Engine, AI-FD Video Encoding – H.264, H.265 / HEVC up to 2Kp30 Playback – […]

Linux 5.9 Release – Main Changes, Arm, MIPS & RISC-V Architectures

Linux 5.9 release

Linus Torvalds has just announced the release of Linux 5.9 on lkml: Ok, so I’ll be honest – I had hoped for quite a bit fewer changes this last week, but at the same time there doesn’t really seem to be anything particularly scary in here. It’s just more commits and more lines changed than I would have wished for. The bulk of this is the networking fixes that I already mentioned as being pending in the rc8 release notes last weekend. In fact, about half the patch (and probably more of the number of commits) is from the networking stuff (both drivers and elsewhere). Outside of that, the most visible thing is a reinstatement of the fbdev amba-clcd driver – that’s a noticeable patch, but it’s basically just mainly a revert. The rest is really really tiny (mostly some other minor driver updates, but some filesystem and architecture fixes […]

Teracube 2e is a user-serviceable, sustainable phone with a 4-year “premium care warranty”

Teracube 2E sustainbable phone

Most smartphones have limited software support, but in my experience with Xiaomi smartphones part of Android One, the hardware tends to fail even earlier than the 18 to 24-month support window for such phones. It’s also close to impossible to repair those by yourself. So it would be nice to have a phone with a longer warranty, software support, and that the user can service himself. If it was made of recycled materials, it would be a bonus too. That’s exactly what Teracube 2e phone provides with recycled materials, a fully biodegradable case, and a 4-year “premium care warranty” for hardware repairs, and since it runs Android 10 stock, you’d get 3-years of Android and security updates. Teracube 2 phone is also meant to be affordable going for $99 and up on Indiegogo with the following specifications: SoC – Mediatek Helio A25 octa-core Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.8GHz with IMG PowerVR […]

MediaTek Dimensity 800U Processor Supports Dual 5G SIM Technology

Dimensity 800U Dual 5G SIM

Mediatek already has several 5G SoC’s from the mid-range Dimensity 720 to the premium Dimensity 1000+ 5G mobile SoC, with so far only Dimensity 820 and Dimensity 1000+ supporting dual 5G SIM technology. MediaTek Dimensity 800 processor has just gotten a new variant with Dimensity 800U getting all the same features plus 5G+5G Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) technology, as well as support for dual Voice over New Radio (VoNR), and 5G two carrier aggregation (2CC 5G-CA). Dimensity 800U specifications: Octa-core Processor – 2x Arm Cortex-A76 @ Up to 2.4GHz, 6x Arm Cortex-A55 @ Up to 2GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G57 MC3 AI Accelerator – “Yes” Memory – Up to 12GB LPDDR4x @ 2133MHz Storage I/F – UFS 2.2 Display I/F – Up to 2520×1080 @ 120 Hz Camera ISP – 20MP+16MP dual camera, or 64MP single camera Max Video Capture Resolution – 3840 x 2160 Features – HDR-ISP, Multi-Frame […]

MediaTek Dimensity 720 5G SoC to Power Mid-Tier 5G Smartphones

MediaTek Dimensity 720 Mid-Tier 5G SoC

As 5G penetration and coverage slowly, but surely increase, 5G connectivity is moving from high-end SoC’s to mid-range processors with the likes of HiSilicon Kirin 820, Qualcomm Snapdragon 690, or Samsung Exynos 880. MediaTek already had Dimensity 800 & 820 SoC for the mid-tier market, but the company has now gone one step lower with Dimensity 720 5G SoC equipped with two Cortex-A76 cores clocked at up to 2.0 GHz, six Cortex A55 cores, a Mali G57MC3 GPU, and a 5G modem with 2.3Gbps peak (e.g. theoretical) download speed. MediaTek Dimensity 720 specifications: Octa-core Processor – 2x Arm Cortex-A76 @ up to 2GHz, and 6x Arm Cortex-A55 @ up to 2GHz GPU – Arm Mali-G57 MC3 AI Accelerator – MediaTek APU (but no details provided) System Memory – Up to 12GB LPDDR4x up to 2133MHz Storage – UFS 2.2 Display – Up to 2520 x 1080 resolution with 90Hz max […]