China-based chip manufacturer Allwinner recently introduced two new processors: the dual-core A20 and the quad-core A31.
Both chips are targeted at Android tablets, TV sticks and other low-power devices.
As Liliputing’s Brad Linder notes, the Allwinner A10 single-core SoC has been a relatively popular chip with Chinese device makers due to its low price and performance capabilities. In fact, the Allwinner A10 powers the original MK802 (Android) PC-on-a-stick, along with a number of other uber-mini PCs, most of which are capable of running Ubuntu Linux as an alternate operating system.
Essentially, the new chips are based on ARM’s Cortex-A7 core and boast more powerful graphics than its predecessor.
The Allwinner A20 can best be described as a dual-core chip with 512MB of L2 cache and 128KB of L1 cache, dual-core Mali 400 graphics, along with support for 2160p HD video playback. As an added bonus, the chip is pin-to-pin compatible with the Allwinner A10, meaning device manufacturers can quickly upgrade existing products with the new processor.
Meanwhile, the quad-core Allwinner A31 is loaded with 1MB of L2 cache, 256KB of L1 cache and PowerVR SGX 544 graphics that support 4K ultra HD video decoding. It should be noted that the A31 variant is not pin-to-pin compatible like its A20 counterpart.
