Is ARM-Cortex Also a Mobile Processor/System on Chip?

Today, we are going to be unravelling must of the misconceptions and misunderstanding regarding certain aspect of Mobile Processors often called System on Chip (SoC).

We are in jet age where technological advancement is at its peak and one of the commonest pieces of technological tool/gadget that almost every Tom, Dick and Harry possess and use on daily basis is the smartphone.

No doubt that smartphones have come to stay in our world today and smartphones as you might know are also qualified as mini-computers.

And when we talk of smartphones or mini-computers, the most important inbuilt hardware component of your smartphone is the Processor; it performs most of the computing function in your device and thus defines your device effectiveness and efficiency.

Therefore, even the less techy folks out there and every other person is all interested in knowing the type or maker of the processor their device is packed with.


There is often this confusion that sets in when folks out there, mostly the less techy fellows begin to see or hear names related to Mobile Processors as; ARM-Cortex, Qualcomm Snapdragon, Mediatek (MTK), Exynos, Nvidia, Spreadtrum etc.

And the most confusing name amongst this list is the ARM-Cortex, which appear more times than the rest when checking out a mobile device processor model/make and hence the question arise;

Is ARM-Cortex also a mobile processor/Soc?

When you check to see the processor type and model of most of your modern smart-devices, if you observe well, you will notice that mostly ARM-Cortex is inclusive in the processor naming.

For example, you see processor models/type as MSM8994 ARM-Cortex-A7,Mt6582 ARM-Cortex A53, ARMv7 SC8830 and so on.


Now let’s break down the true meaning of the ARM-Cortex that you often see as part of your mobile processor model.

From the list above that included ARM-Cortex, Qualcomm Snapdragon, MediaTek etc. ARM-Cortex is the only one that is not a type of Processor/SoCwhereas the rest are different types of processors you have in most of your mobile devices.


So whenever you see ARM-Cortex included as part of a mobile processor model, it does not in any way imply that the processor of the said device is ARM-Cortex processor.


Now what then is ARM or ARM-Cortex that you often see alongside the model/type of your processor?


ARM – we want to say in an un-techy man’s voice is simply the software aspect of the main Processor/SoC of your mobile device and not the processor itself.


Now in details; ARM or ARM-Cortex is a set of instruction architecture that is based on Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) developed by British Company known as ARM Holdings.


When we say RISC here, it is referring to computing best suitable for mobile (miniaturized) devices unlike what you have in previous larger computers.


On the bases of RISC, you have processors that are built with things like fewer transistors thereby reducing cost, bulkiness and enhancing performance on mini-computers like smartphones.


Now companies like Qualcomm, MediaTek, Nvidia etc. that manufactures mobile Processors/SoC often contracts this other ARM Holdings for their Processor instruction set Architecture and thus you often see those processor makers include ARM-Cortex in their processor models.


The Cortex you see there is just mini-architecture while ARM is the main Architecture and company that designs the Cortex.

And other implementation of the ARM-Cortex Architecture is the Cores of the processor of your smartphones.

In summary, Qualcomm, Nvidia, MediaTek, Exynos, Spreadtrum are all types of mobile processor while ARM-Cortex is instruction set Architecture that can and are normally adopted to those Processors/SoC.