14 DAY TRIAL // Qualcomm isn't the only chip maker to announce a 64-bit mobile processor platform at MWC 2014, as Intel has jumped in the same bandwagon not so long ago.
Intel has pulled the veil off the 64-bit Merrifield and Moorefield mobile processors. The first new Intel mobile CPU is an Atom Z3480 and arrives with two 2.13GHz cores. It’s based on Intel’s 22nm Silvermont microarchitecture and takes advantage of PowerVR Series 6 Grahpics IP core from Imagination Technologies.
Intel says it has bundled a new smart tech here and Merrifield is the first Atom SoC to take advantage of it. The “Integrated Sensor Solution” reportedly manages sensor data to keep applications running smoothly even if the device is in a low-power states. Expect Merrifield devices to appear somewhere around Q2 2014.
As for the second new Atom processor, Intel specifies it has been built for Android mobile devices. Moorefield comes with four cores clocked up to 2.3GHz and will bundle an advanced GPU capable of sustaining faster memory. Moorefield devices will arrive in the second half of 2014.
Moorefield is optimized for this year’s LTE platform, Intel XMM 8260, which offers advanced LTE capabilities, including “carrier aggregation” (a technique used to add support for TDD LTE and TD-SCDMA).
Intel also took the opportunity to announce partnerships with Lenovo, ASUS, Dell and Foxconn. ASUS and Lenovo will be launching both smartphones and tablet based on the new chip architecture this year.
Dell will be bringing out into the world both Android and Windows tablets (as the leaked Dell roadmap suggested last week), while Foxconn will be launching only Android tablets.
Peter Hortensius of Lenovo stated the company was happy to work with Intel again and hopes their future products will still manage to impress.
“We have a strong history of working with Intel to bring compelling, computing experiences to market with products like our K900 smartphone, Yoga line of multimode laptops, MIIX 2 and ThinkPad 8 tablets.”
“We look forward to an even stronger future together - delivering exciting mobile experiences from stylish smartphones to high-performance tablets with Intel inside.”
Samsung is also expected to unveil its own 64-bit processor later today, in the form of the Exynos Infinity. Stay tuned!
