VIDEO: Understanding the ARM processors in your smartphone or tablet

To the uninitiated, the world of ARM-based processors used in your smartphone can seem confusing.

What are the differences between a Tegra and a Snapdragon? Why do you want quad-core over dual core? Where did ARM processors come from to begin with, and why don’t we use the same Intel processors we use in our PCs in our smartphones?

While it’s confusing, processor design is essential because it determines what your smartphone is capable of, as well as the features and performance available to your favourite apps.

The videos below will explain some of these key issues.

First, an introduction to the current ARM landscape:

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This next video goes into a little more depth about what a CPU does, as well as the key differences between a CISC processor (like the Intel chip in your PC) and a RISC chip (such as the ARM-based chip in your smartphone).

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As previously noted on SmartCompany, the ARM processor was originally developed as the processor for the follow up to the popular British BBC Micro B computer.

In this interview, one of the original designers of the ARM chip, Steve Furber, describes its development process:

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Finally, here’s a video from a British program from the 1980s demonstrating one of the first home computers to use an ARM chip:

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