Learn About Smartwatch SoCs

What is it?

It stands for system on a chip (SoC). It is a chip that contains the CPU, GPU, memory, and many more crucial components needed for the operation of the system. Some SoCs contain the cellular modem in them as well. They tend to be designed with maximum power efficiency in mind. Due to their compact all in one design and efficiency, SoCs are mainly used in small devices such as tablets, mobiles and smartwatches.

How does it work?

SoCs work by doing the following (over simplified) steps:

1. Retrieve program from memory
2. Execute program
3. Store results in memory

Look for

• Performance

  Check if the smartwatch feels fast while using it, with no stuttering

• Memory Size

  Check how much memory does it come with

  Usually, SoCs come with enough memory for them to operate well. However, having more memory can help in extending the life of your device without making it feel slow. Because newer software use more memory, and can lead to making your device feeling slow with future software updates.

Avoid

• Spec Comparisons

  Do not compare SoCs based on their specs

  Every SoC is based on many architectures, and every architecture is designed differently. For example, a 2 Core SoC CPU can be twice as fast as a 4 Core SoC CPU, hence, it is pointless to say that the 4 is more than 2, so it must be better. Same thing with L2 cache size, and any other metrics. The best thing to do is check the benchmarks and real world use cases.

• Clock Speeds Comparisons

  Do not compare SoC CPUs based on their clock speeds

  All modern SoC CPUs adjust their clock speeds based on usage and power/cooling headroom to save on power and maximize performance. As a result, if you have a fast SoC CPU clocked at 2 GHz, but your power/cooling headroom is only enough for it to run sustainably at 1 GHz, then it will run at 1 GHz, even though it is a 2 GHz SoC CPU. Also, a SoC CPU from architecture X with clock speed of 1.5 GHz can out perform a SoC CPU from architecture Y running at 2 GHz. Instead, you should check out how much your SoC CPU power/cooling headroom is.