CPU Compare Cortex-A720 vs A520 vs A510 vs A55: Phone CPU Specs August 12, 20252 views0 By IG Share Share The heart of every modern smartphone is a complex System-on-a-Chip, and at its core lies the CPU. Arm’s Cortex-A processors have defined the mobile landscape, but how have they evolved? This deep dive explores the critical shift from the workhorse Cortex-A55 to the ambitious Cortex-A510, and finally to the modern, efficiency-focused Cortex-A520 and the versatile Cortex-A720. Join us as we break down the architectural changes, performance gains, and strategic decisions that shape the device in your pocket, complete with interactive charts and data to help you see the full picture. Cortex Core Deep Dive: A520 vs A720 vs A510 vs A55 | Faceofit.com Faceofit.com Introduction Efficiency Cores Performance Cores System Enablers Decision Tree Comparison Market Impact Open main menu Introduction Efficiency Cores Performance Cores System Enablers Decision Tree Comparison Market Impact An Architectural Deep Dive From A55 to A720: A Story of Evolution, Efficiency, and the Shifting Landscape of Mobile CPU Design. Note: If you buy something from our links, we might earn a commission. See our disclosure statement. The Heart of the Matter: Performance vs. Battery The evolution of Arm's Cortex-A processors is a masterclass in balancing conflict. How do you deliver the raw power for demanding games and 8K video while sipping power for background tasks? A single processor core can't do both efficiently. This is the challenge that led to the creation of heterogeneous computing, the very foundation of modern mobile chips. From big.LITTLE to DynamIQ Arm's first answer was big.LITTLE, pairing "big" high-performance cores with "LITTLE" high-efficiency cores in separate clusters. The system would switch between them based on demand. It was revolutionary but clunky, with significant overhead in migrating tasks between clusters. The real game-changer was DynamIQ technology in 2017. Instead of separate clusters, DynamIQ allowed for a mix-and-match approach within a *single, integrated cluster*. This brought huge benefits: Flexibility: SoC designers could create novel configurations like 1 big + 7 LITTLE, or the 1+5+2 layouts we see today. Scalability: The DynamIQ Shared Unit (DSU) hub enabled more cores and larger shared caches. The latest DSU-120 supports up to 14 cores and 32MB of L3 cache. Efficiency: Moving tasks between cores became incredibly fast and low-power, eliminating the overhead of the old cluster-switching model. The Cortex-A55, A510, A520, and A720 were all born into this DynamIQ era. They are designed to work together, and understanding this context is key to understanding them individually. Infographic: The Evolution of Core Complexity A key indicator of a core's potential performance is its "decode width"—how many instructions it can look at simultaneously. This chart shows the clear progression in front-end capability from the simple A55 to the more complex A720. The Efficiency ("LITTLE") Core Story These cores are the unsung heroes of battery life. Their job is to handle the constant hum of background activity with minimal power draw. Their evolution is a fascinating tale of a stable baseline, an ambitious experiment, and a wise correction. Cortex-A55 (Ananke): The Enduring Standard Launched in 2017, the A55 (Armv8.2-A) was the workhorse. A simple, 2-wide in-order design that prioritized power savings above all else. It set the standard for years, offering a solid 18% performance and 15% efficiency gain over its predecessor, the A53. Cortex-A510 (Klein): The Ambitious Redesign The A510 (2021) was a radical, Armv9.0-A departure. It moved to a wider 3-wide in-order design with 3 ALUs and introduced a controversial "merged-core" concept where two cores share a single vector/FP unit to save area. Arm claimed a massive 35% performance uplift. The ambition of the A510, however, came with a hidden cost. The increased complexity appeared to compromise its primary mission: ultimate efficiency. Some analyses showed it could be less power-efficient than the four-year-old A55 at low-power states. Cortex-A520 (Hayes): The "Efficiency First" Correction The A520 (2023) is a direct, Armv9.2-A response to the lessons from the A510. It keeps the merged-core concept but makes a critical change: it removes one of the three ALU pipelines, resulting in a 2-ALU issue design. This was a deliberate trade-off, sacrificing a bit of peak integer performance for a huge gain in efficiency. The result? A much more balanced core. The A520 is up to 22% more power-efficient than the A510, for a more modest 8% peak performance gain. This shift in focus from raw performance to efficiency underscores Arm's strategic course correction. It is also AArch64-only, simplifying the design. Infographic: The A5xx Performance vs. Efficiency Trade-off This chart visualizes the strategic shift between the Cortex-A510 and Cortex-A520. The A510 chased a huge performance gain, while the A520 prioritized a massive leap in power efficiency, correcting the course for the "LITTLE" core lineage. The "Premium Efficiency" Core: Cortex-A720 (Hunter) The Cortex-A720 isn't just a "middle" core; it's the versatile workhorse of modern SoCs. Its job is to deliver high performance that can be *sustained* during long gaming sessions without overheating or draining your battery. Smarter, Not Just Bigger Unlike the radical shifts in the A5xx series, the A720's 20% efficiency gain over its A715 predecessor comes from a series of targeted, intelligent optimizations on its Armv9.2, AArch64-only architecture: Faster Branch Prediction: The penalty for guessing the wrong program path was reduced from 12 to 11 cycles. Quicker Cache Access: L2 cache latency was cut from 10 cycles to just 9. Smarter Data Fetching: It inherits a new L2 spatial-prefetch engine from the high-performance X-series cores, which proactively pulls data it thinks the core will need soon. The Strategic Masterstroke: Area-Optimized Configuration This is arguably the A720's most brilliant feature. Arm offers an optional, smaller configuration that has the same silicon footprint as the much older Cortex-A78. This smaller version still delivers 10% more performance than the A78 and includes all the modern Armv9.2 features like enhanced security and machine learning capabilities. This is a game-changer for the mid-range market. It gives manufacturers a powerful incentive to adopt the latest architecture without increasing costs, accelerating the entire ecosystem forward. System-Level Enablers: The Unsung Heroes The performance of individual cores is only half the story. The underlying system-level architecture—the DynamIQ Shared Unit (DSU) and the Instruction Set Architecture (ISA)—are critical enablers that unlock the full potential of the cluster. The DSU: The Conductor of the Orchestra The DSU is the central hub that binds the cores together. Its evolution has been key to enabling more complex and powerful SoCs. DSU-110 (A510 Gen): Supported up to 8 cores and a 16MB shared L3 cache. It was the foundation for the classic 1+3+4 cluster designs. DSU-120 (A520/A720 Gen): A major upgrade, supporting up to 14 cores and a 32MB L3 cache. This increased scalability is precisely what allows for the new 1+5+2 configurations that rely heavily on the A720's efficiency. The ISA: Building a More Secure and Intelligent Foundation The shift from Armv8 to Armv9 introduced features that are now standard across the latest cores, raising the baseline for the entire mobile ecosystem. SVE2 (Scalable Vector Extension v2): Introduced with Armv9.0 (A510), SVE2 provides a more powerful and flexible vector processing capability, crucial for accelerating machine learning and scientific computing workloads. MTE (Memory Tagging Extension): Also part of Armv9.0, MTE is a hardware-level security feature that helps detect and prevent memory safety bugs, a common source of software vulnerabilities. AArch64-Only & QARMA3 PAC: The move to an exclusively 64-bit architecture in the A520/A720 simplifies the design. The introduction of the QARMA3 Pointer Authentication Code (PAC) algorithm in Armv9.2 dramatically reduces the performance overhead of this critical security feature, making it more practical to deploy. Infographic: The Armv9 Feature Rollout This timeline visualizes how key Armv9 architectural features were introduced across the different core generations, raising the baseline for security and machine learning capabilities. Which Core is Right for You? Answer these questions to find the best core for your design goals. Click the "Reset" button to start over. What is your primary design driver? Sustained Performance Maximum Efficiency Are you targeting the premium/flagship market or the cost-sensitive mid-range? Flagship Mid-range Is supporting legacy 32-bit (AArch32) applications a requirement? Yes, 32-bit is required No, 64-bit only is fine What is more important: lowest cost or better performance? Lowest Cost (Proven IP) Better Performance (Armv9) Cortex-A720 (Full Config): The ideal workhorse for flagship SoCs, providing the best balance of sustained performance and efficiency for demanding tasks. Cortex-A720 (Area-Optimized): Perfect for mid-range. Delivers >10% more performance than an A78 in the same silicon area, with all the benefits of the modern Armv9.2 ISA. Cortex-A520: The premier choice for the high-efficiency role in modern, 64-bit only SoCs. It offers the best power efficiency for maximizing battery life. Cortex-A55: A viable, low-cost, and proven option for highly cost-sensitive designs that still require AArch32 support. Cortex-A510 (2022 Refresh): A transitional core that offers Armv9 features (SVE2, MTE) and better performance than the A55, while retaining optional 32-bit support. Reset Core Specification Showdown Filter the table to directly compare the architectural features of each core. Notice the shift from Armv8 to Armv9 and the move to 64-bit-only designs. Feature Infographic: The Shifting Landscape of CPU Clusters The Cortex-A720's incredible efficiency has completely changed how flagship chips are built. This chart shows the trend away from the traditional 1+3+4 layout to new configurations that rely on a larger number of "middle" A720 cores. In-Silicon Realities Let's see how these cores are used in real-world flagship SoCs from Qualcomm and MediaTek. Filter the table to see the evolution of chip design. SoC Name Cluster Config Prime Core Performance Cores Efficiency Cores Conclusion: The Best Core is Context-Dependent There is no single "best" core. The optimal choice depends entirely on the goal. Cortex-A520: The premier choice for the high-efficiency role, laser-focused on maximizing battery life in modern, 64-bit only SoCs. Cortex-A720: The most versatile and strategically important core. Its performance and efficiency have made it the new workhorse of the mobile world, fundamentally changing how SoCs are designed. The evolution from the A55 to the A720 shows a design process that is dynamic, responsive, and relentlessly focused on providing a flexible portfolio of cores to build better devices across all markets. Affiliate Disclosure: Faceofit.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Share What's your reaction? Excited 0 Happy 0 In Love 0 Not Sure 0 Silly 0
The Heart of the Matter: Performance vs. Battery The evolution of Arm's Cortex-A processors is a masterclass in balancing conflict. How do you deliver the raw power for demanding games and 8K video while sipping power for background tasks? A single processor core can't do both efficiently. This is the challenge that led to the creation of heterogeneous computing, the very foundation of modern mobile chips. From big.LITTLE to DynamIQ Arm's first answer was big.LITTLE, pairing "big" high-performance cores with "LITTLE" high-efficiency cores in separate clusters. The system would switch between them based on demand. It was revolutionary but clunky, with significant overhead in migrating tasks between clusters. The real game-changer was DynamIQ technology in 2017. Instead of separate clusters, DynamIQ allowed for a mix-and-match approach within a *single, integrated cluster*. This brought huge benefits: Flexibility: SoC designers could create novel configurations like 1 big + 7 LITTLE, or the 1+5+2 layouts we see today. Scalability: The DynamIQ Shared Unit (DSU) hub enabled more cores and larger shared caches. The latest DSU-120 supports up to 14 cores and 32MB of L3 cache. Efficiency: Moving tasks between cores became incredibly fast and low-power, eliminating the overhead of the old cluster-switching model. The Cortex-A55, A510, A520, and A720 were all born into this DynamIQ era. They are designed to work together, and understanding this context is key to understanding them individually.
The Efficiency ("LITTLE") Core Story These cores are the unsung heroes of battery life. Their job is to handle the constant hum of background activity with minimal power draw. Their evolution is a fascinating tale of a stable baseline, an ambitious experiment, and a wise correction. Cortex-A55 (Ananke): The Enduring Standard Launched in 2017, the A55 (Armv8.2-A) was the workhorse. A simple, 2-wide in-order design that prioritized power savings above all else. It set the standard for years, offering a solid 18% performance and 15% efficiency gain over its predecessor, the A53. Cortex-A510 (Klein): The Ambitious Redesign The A510 (2021) was a radical, Armv9.0-A departure. It moved to a wider 3-wide in-order design with 3 ALUs and introduced a controversial "merged-core" concept where two cores share a single vector/FP unit to save area. Arm claimed a massive 35% performance uplift. The ambition of the A510, however, came with a hidden cost. The increased complexity appeared to compromise its primary mission: ultimate efficiency. Some analyses showed it could be less power-efficient than the four-year-old A55 at low-power states. Cortex-A520 (Hayes): The "Efficiency First" Correction The A520 (2023) is a direct, Armv9.2-A response to the lessons from the A510. It keeps the merged-core concept but makes a critical change: it removes one of the three ALU pipelines, resulting in a 2-ALU issue design. This was a deliberate trade-off, sacrificing a bit of peak integer performance for a huge gain in efficiency. The result? A much more balanced core. The A520 is up to 22% more power-efficient than the A510, for a more modest 8% peak performance gain. This shift in focus from raw performance to efficiency underscores Arm's strategic course correction. It is also AArch64-only, simplifying the design.
The "Premium Efficiency" Core: Cortex-A720 (Hunter) The Cortex-A720 isn't just a "middle" core; it's the versatile workhorse of modern SoCs. Its job is to deliver high performance that can be *sustained* during long gaming sessions without overheating or draining your battery. Smarter, Not Just Bigger Unlike the radical shifts in the A5xx series, the A720's 20% efficiency gain over its A715 predecessor comes from a series of targeted, intelligent optimizations on its Armv9.2, AArch64-only architecture: Faster Branch Prediction: The penalty for guessing the wrong program path was reduced from 12 to 11 cycles. Quicker Cache Access: L2 cache latency was cut from 10 cycles to just 9. Smarter Data Fetching: It inherits a new L2 spatial-prefetch engine from the high-performance X-series cores, which proactively pulls data it thinks the core will need soon. The Strategic Masterstroke: Area-Optimized Configuration This is arguably the A720's most brilliant feature. Arm offers an optional, smaller configuration that has the same silicon footprint as the much older Cortex-A78. This smaller version still delivers 10% more performance than the A78 and includes all the modern Armv9.2 features like enhanced security and machine learning capabilities. This is a game-changer for the mid-range market. It gives manufacturers a powerful incentive to adopt the latest architecture without increasing costs, accelerating the entire ecosystem forward.
System-Level Enablers: The Unsung Heroes The performance of individual cores is only half the story. The underlying system-level architecture—the DynamIQ Shared Unit (DSU) and the Instruction Set Architecture (ISA)—are critical enablers that unlock the full potential of the cluster. The DSU: The Conductor of the Orchestra The DSU is the central hub that binds the cores together. Its evolution has been key to enabling more complex and powerful SoCs. DSU-110 (A510 Gen): Supported up to 8 cores and a 16MB shared L3 cache. It was the foundation for the classic 1+3+4 cluster designs. DSU-120 (A520/A720 Gen): A major upgrade, supporting up to 14 cores and a 32MB L3 cache. This increased scalability is precisely what allows for the new 1+5+2 configurations that rely heavily on the A720's efficiency. The ISA: Building a More Secure and Intelligent Foundation The shift from Armv8 to Armv9 introduced features that are now standard across the latest cores, raising the baseline for the entire mobile ecosystem. SVE2 (Scalable Vector Extension v2): Introduced with Armv9.0 (A510), SVE2 provides a more powerful and flexible vector processing capability, crucial for accelerating machine learning and scientific computing workloads. MTE (Memory Tagging Extension): Also part of Armv9.0, MTE is a hardware-level security feature that helps detect and prevent memory safety bugs, a common source of software vulnerabilities. AArch64-Only & QARMA3 PAC: The move to an exclusively 64-bit architecture in the A520/A720 simplifies the design. The introduction of the QARMA3 Pointer Authentication Code (PAC) algorithm in Armv9.2 dramatically reduces the performance overhead of this critical security feature, making it more practical to deploy.
Conclusion: The Best Core is Context-Dependent There is no single "best" core. The optimal choice depends entirely on the goal. Cortex-A520: The premier choice for the high-efficiency role, laser-focused on maximizing battery life in modern, 64-bit only SoCs. Cortex-A720: The most versatile and strategically important core. Its performance and efficiency have made it the new workhorse of the mobile world, fundamentally changing how SoCs are designed. The evolution from the A55 to the A720 shows a design process that is dynamic, responsive, and relentlessly focused on providing a flexible portfolio of cores to build better devices across all markets.
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