The world of processors has always been very competitive, but this is especially sensitive when we go into Android, since in the Google ecosystem there are many models from different manufacturers. But if we have to choose two in particular, there is no doubt that Qualcomm and MediaTek are the prominent firms, and also there has always been controversy around the second.
While it is true that Dimensity chips have achieved a great balance between price and performance that has seen MediaTek rise to the throne of the mobile processor market, your updates keep bringing tail. MediaTek has always had a reputation for updating less and slower than its direct competition, Qualcomm, and now Xiaomi has shed light on the matter. Xiaomi’s Li Ming has publicly commented on why this is happening.
Xiaomi tells us: Qualcomm is bigger than MediaTek
The usual operation in the case of processor updates (saving the distance with Apple since they control the process from point to point) is that the creator of the operating system, Google provides chipmakers with the necessary code prior to system release. This allows processor manufacturers to adapt their different platforms before the arrival of the system and thus shorten deadlines.
Although the Android code is supplied to everyone at the same time, MediaTek usually comes after Qualcomm to almost every part of the process. That is why phones with a Qualcomm processor tend to have the fastest updates and MediaTek usually ranks second, and many times in third because even Samsung anticipates the Taiwanese with its Exynos.
Now, Xiaomi has wanted to explain why this happens and the truth is that it is not only a logical explanation but it is something that was already assumed, without knowing the ins and outs of each manufacturer. Xiaomi says that the main problem when it comes to having the processors ready for each update is the size of the development team. Qualcomm has more staff to develop the new drivers and that makes it come first. The MediaTek team is smaller and therefore its development process is longer.
According to Xiaomi, Qualcomm updates all packages at the same time while MediaTek goes batch by batch
In addition, Xiaomi indicates that the way of working in Qualcomm and MediaTek is also different based on the volume of their development team. Li Ming says that while Qualcomm is updating all the necessary packages in parallel, and thus completes the update practically at the same time, in MediaTek the process is executed in batches. In MediaTek the necessary packages are updated batch by batch, which also lengthens the deadlines. However, Li Ming acknowledges that MediaTek’s way of proceeding is safer, as it shortens time limits when it comes to solving problems, but that it is “an unavoidable choice.” As we say, because of the size of the team.
So if you ever suspected that MediaTek was slower because it had fewer staff dedicated to updating tasks than its competition, you were correct. At least that’s what they tell us from Xiaomi, of course, although mobile phone manufacturers have a very close relationship with semiconductor producers, and they are more than likely to know the whole chip upgrade process first hand.
Via | Gizmochina