INTEL ATOM Z2460 FOR SMARTPHONES

 
INTEL ATOM Z2460 FOR SMARTPHONES

Intel’s new smartphone chip, which promises longer
battery life and even more powerful handsets

YOU may know the Intel Atom processor - it has been used in numerous netbooks before now. But now Intel has introduced a new version specifically designed for smartphones and tablet. And, at CES 2012, the chip giant also announced the Lenovo K800 would be the first smartphone featuring the new processor. But it's the tech behind this new handset which is of real interest and could really compete with ARM-based chips over the next few years.

ARM-based chips are used in pretty much all smartphones and tablets from the Apple iPhone and iPad, new Nokia Lumia 800, Asus and Samsung tablets and many more - even though these contain processors with names such as the Apple AS, Nvidia Tegra and Qualcomm Snapdragon, they are all based on the ARM design. Intel wants to compete with this and gain a slice of what has become a very lucrative market.

In addition to the announcement about Lenovo, Motorola will be next to launch handsets based on Intel Atom. The handsets will feature the Atom processor Z2460 platform, formerly known as Medfield. The chip is a single-core and, while this pales in comparison, to rivals such as the quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3, Intel hopes that by opting for a more efficient 32nm it can deliver better power efficiencies. Whether this works in practice naturally remains to be seen.

Posted in: chip,intel atom z2469,Smartphone