The Taiwanese chip maker is looking to bring high-end capabilities to a booming part of the larger smartphone space.
MediaTek is coming out with a dual-core ARM-based processor designed for
low-cost smartphones, a booming part of the overall smartphone market.
The MT6577, based on the Cortex-A9 architecture at ARM, is aimed
specifically at smartphones costing less than $200 and running Googles Android
4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich mobile operating system. The Taiwanese chip maker is
looking to bring dual-core chip performance to the entry-level segment of the
market for devices that normally are powered by single-core processors.
Most mainstream smartphones run dual- or quad-core chips, though less costly
devices are gaining market share, particularly in such areas as emerging
markets.
Dual-core processors account for more than 20 percent of the smartphone chip
shipments in 2011 and should see growth over the next two years, becoming more
prevalent in entry-level smartphones by 2013 as architectures like ARMs
Cortex-A5 take greater hold, according to
market
research firm Strategy Analytics.
Most smartphone chip makers, including Qualcomm, Nvidia, Samsung Electronics
and Texas Instruments, offer dual-core processors, but they normally are found
in devices above the entry-level stage and cost more than $200.
In addition, smartphones in the mid- and entry-level segment will continue
their fast-growth pace, according to Strategy Analytics analyst Stuart
Robinson. Robinson is forecasting shipments in this segment to grow from fewer
than 200 million units this year to more than 500 million units in 2016.
MediaTek is looking to take advantage of that growth with the MT6577,
according to company President Ching-Jiang Hsieh.
The MT6577 adds the next level of performance and enhanced user experience
to the MediaTek smartphone family, delivering enhanced user interactivity,
mobile connectivity and rich multi-media experience previously only available
on high-end devices, Hsieh said in a statement.
MediaTek already offers two smartphone platformsthe MT6573 and MT6575which
currently are being used by such smartphone makers as Lenovo and top-tier
Chinese OEMs, according to the company.
MediaTeks MT6577 chip is a 1GHz processor with a PowerVR Series5 SGX GPU
from Imagination Technologies and MediaTeks own 3g/HSPA modem. Its ability to
run Android 4.0 also sets it apart from other chips aimed that the low-cost
smartphone market.
With the dual-core capabilities, the chip can boost application and browser
performance by as much as 40 percent over single-core platforms, according to
company officials.
The chip also supports 8-megapixel cameras, high-definition 1080p video
playback and high-resolution displays up to HD720 (1,280-by-720) resolution.
Theres also support for 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and FM radio.
MediaTek officials said smartphone manufacturers are beginning to
incorporate the MT6577 dual-core platform into their designs, though they
declined to name those companies. They expect the first smartphones based on
the new chips to hit the market in the third quarter.
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