Telecom Lead India: MediaTek, a fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions, said the first handsets powered by its dual-core MT6577 smartphone platform is ready to hit Indian telecom market.
Spice and Micromax have selected the MT6577 to power their upcoming handsets. Spice plans to launch Mi 500, and Micromax will introduce the dual core version of its Superphone A90 along with two other models based on MediaTek dual core platform MT6577, expected to launch later this month.
MT6577 is set to break the price barrier for mid-entry smartphones, according to MediaTek. The Dual Core, Android 4.0, 3G Smartphone Platform helps handset manufacturers in providing consumer the superior application and browsing experience at affordable price. The chip solution is developed specifically for the fastest growing sub-$200 smartphone segment.
“MediaTek believes that the budget-friendly smartphones powered by the MT6577 will surge the next growth of entry level smartphones industry in India. This platform promises lucrative prospects to developers and their customers by providing features such as improved user interactivity, mobile connectivity and rich multi-media experience at affordable prices,” said Grant Kuo, managing director, MediaTek India.
MT6577 platform will help bring unprecedented levels of user experience by boosting the application and browser performance of these handsets by upto 40 percent, compared to single-core platforms.
The MT6577 features a dual 1GHz Cortex-A9 application processor from ARM, a PowerVR Series5 SGX GPU (graphics processing unit) from Imagination Technologies, MediaTek’s proven 3G/HSPA modem, and runs the latest Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” (ICS) operating system. The platform integrates a dual-core application processor architecture widely deployed in the majority of today’s premium smartphones.
Additionally MT6577 can support rich multimedia experiences with an 8MP camera, up-to 1080p Full-HD video playback and the ability to support high-resolution displays up to 720p (1280×720) resolution. The platform also supports dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth4.0, GPS and FM, by pre-integrating MediaTek’s leading 4-in-1 connectivity combo.
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, according to market research firm Strategy Analytics.
Dilip Modi, co-founder, Si2i Mobility, said, “Thanks to low-cost superior technology that is now available, we see a growing base of Indians switching from basic feature phones to advanced and rich multimedia smart phones. We believe that our upcoming mobile handset(s) powered by MediaTek’s MT6577 will help us bring the market to an inflection point in terms of mid and entry smart phone prices, and set in motion a new era of telecom revolution for the knowledge economy.”
“We at Micromax understand and respect the value driven choice of our customers. We believe that the new MediaTek platform will allow us to take pocket-friendly innovation to a whole new level by providing exceptional communication and multimedia experiences to customers from all across India,” said Deepak Mehrotra, CEO, Micromax.
