Samsung Galaxy S9 news: Exynos 9 chip first to support six-carrier aggregation, boasts iPhone X-like features

Samsung Galaxy S9 is expected to debut later this year.REUTERS/SeongJoon

Samsung has recently revealed the processor that will be the heart of its upcoming flagship phone, Samsung Galaxy S9. Called the Exynos 9 Series 9810, the processor will be able to handle popular features on the iPhone X like Animoji and FaceID.

Aside from the expected performance upgrades, the Exynos 9 is said to be better at handling artificial intelligence (AI) tasks. However, Samsung has not revealed yet whether the processor has a built-in AI or if it was just built to be better at handling AI asks, as The Verge notes.

In any case, it seems that one of the biggest draws of Exynos 9 is its iPhone X-like features.

The company said that the processor will be able to reliably handle "realistic face-tracking filters," which is basically what Animoji does, although Samsung will probably distinguish its filters from the iPhone's cute animals.

The processor will also offer "stronger security when unlocking a device with one's face," which sounds similar to what FaceID does.

However, the Exynos 9 also has features that make it a great processor for Samsung's upcoming flagship.

It can reach speeds of up to 2.9 gigahertz (GHz). This speed is achieved through four performance cores. The processor also has a separate set of four efficiency cores, which will be utilized when there is need to conserve power. It is likely that the Exynos 9 is modeled after ARM's Cortex-A75 and Cortex-A55 processor architecture.

The modem in the chip is no pushover. It is the first to support six-carrier integration, which means that it can theoretically reach maximum speeds of up to 1.2 gigabits per second (Gbps), via LTE connectivity.

The processor will also be able to record high-resolution videos at 120 frames per second. For comparison, human eyes experience smooth video playback at 60 frames per second.

The Galaxy S9 is expected to be launched later this year, most likely in February or March.