The Unisoc 9863 can be known as an MTK 9863, the Spreadtrum 9863, a 9863A, or the SC9863A SoC processor.
Is the 9863 a good processor for an android headunit?
Yes. The SC9863 is a mid-range processor good for an Android head unit. It is not the fastest SoC; it outclasses all the Quad-Core chips.
Is the SC9863 a quad-core?
No. The SC9863 is not a QuadCore SoC, and the SC9863 is an Octa-Core processor.
Do the SC9863 android head unit have more than 2 GB RAM?
Yes. The SC9863 can have more than 2 GB RAM, depending on how much the manufacturer fits.
Is the 9863 SoC a fast processor?
The SC9863 is a mid-range phone chip. So, this puts it at the higher end of the Android headunit scale.
What speed is the 9863 processor?
The SC9863 is typically clocked at 1.6 GHz
How many cores does the SC9863 have?
The SC9863 has 8 cores of ARM Cortex A55
SC9863 Cores
The 9863 Android head unit SoC (processor) has 8 cores. This makes the Spreadtrum SC9863 an Octa-Core processor. These 8 cores are of the ARM Cortex-A55 variety. The 8 cores are configured into 2 clusters. Typically 4, these cores are clocked at 1.6 GHz for high performance, and the remaining 4 are clocked at 1.2 GHz for power saving.
ARMv8.2-A enabled SoC cores with NEON co-processor and Floating Point Unit for improved processing performance.
Octa-Core
The Spreadtrum SC9863 is considered an Octa-Core processor, and this is due to its 4-core + 4-core configuration. The total number of ARM Cortex-A55 cores is Eight (4+4).
Cortex-A55 uses the Armv8-A (Harvard) instruction set, providing 64-bit processing support for modern and future apps.
Phone Processor
The SC9863 is another middle-of-the-road phone processor that has entered the Android headunits. These mid-range phone chips are used in the higher-end Android headunits, and there is phone-specific silicon within the SoC that doesn’t get used in the Android headunit. It is making this processor not the most cost-efficient way of powering a car head unit.
The 4 + 4 core configuration is divided to give a performance and battery-saving processing solution. The 2 differently clocked clusters are used to give a good battery life or, as needed, boost processing power for intensive tasks. This is great for a phone with premium battery life but irrelevant to an Android head unit. The car head units are connected to an unlimited power source, making using a phone processor a questionable move, and it is certainly not an ideal use of silicon.
RAM
The SC9863 can access the current RAM levels that the older ones, while the very limited Quad-Cores cannot. This enhanced architecture of the Octa-Core SC9863 means up to 8 GB RAM is fitted. Although the manufacturer can fit less RAM, it is not a good selling point. Customers of Android headunits are looking for at least 4 GB RAM. Units with 6 GB RAM or 8 GB RAM are more appealing, so fitting less than 4 GB would be pointless in the sales pitch.
RAM Technology handled by SC9863:
- LPDDR3
- LPDDR4/4X
Graphics Capabilities
The SC9863 employs the PowerVR Series8XEP Graphics Processors and supports:
- Vulkan 1.2
- OpenGL ES 3.x/2.0/1.1 + Extensions
- OpenCL 3.0
- Android NN HAL
SC9863 Overall
Overall, the SC9863 Octa-core processor is a vast improvement over the dire quad-core offerings in Android headunits. The processing power is light years ahead of the 8227L and its clones. The extra RAM that all the modern Android headunit processors are a valuable boost to performance over the 32-bit Quad-Cores. The 9863 is a low to mid-range phone processor from around 2018, and don’t expect modern high-end phone-style performance from it. The SoC just isn’t capable. But it can do a pretty good job for your Android head unit. If you are looking for the fastest Android head unit processor, this is not it by a long measure. What that SC9863 Octa-core can do is blow all the quad-cores out of the water.
