Today, we are bombarded with tons of different smartphones in the market. Also, different tech jargons have become more widespread. One such term is “quad-core processor”. So what is a quad-core processor? How does it work? Let’s find out today!

Quad-core processor in layman’s terms

By definition, a quad-core processor is a chip, with four independent units called “cores”. Its purpose is to read and execute central processing unit’s (CPU’s) instructions. These instructions include adding, moving data, and branching. So, to put it simply, it allows your phones to run apps smoothly. We can see that the processor is an extremely important part of the phone already.

As we said before, a quad-core processor has four independent units called “cores”. Each core will operate in conjunction with other circuits such as cache, memory management, and input/output (I/O) ports. Each individual core can run multiple instructions at the same time. Thus, they increase the overall speed of programs compatible with parallel processing. These cores are usually integrated onto a single semiconductor wafer or onto multiple semiconductor wafers within a single IC (integrated circuit) package.

How can quad-core processor help?

So, it’s quite clear that, the more cores a chip has, the more processing power there is. Quad-core can run better than dual-core and single-core, and will lose out to hexa-core and octa-core, for example. However, one common misconception is that, a quad-core processor will run exactly two times faster than a dual-core processor, and four times faster than a single-core processor. It is definitely better and faster, but not by that exact margin. There are some factors affecting this: the habit of users, the nature of the programs, and the compatibility of the processor with other hardware in the system.

Quad-core and higher multi-core processors have become common in computing for both PC, smartphones and tablets. Quad-core processor has become the bare minimum of smartphones and tablets from the mid-range up. Now that you know what a quad-core processor is, you will have one less thing to worry about when buying technology devices.