Intel's new mobile processor technology, the Atom X3, is going to Windows-based handsets, particularly those that run on Windows 10. This renewed tandem of Wintel can bring full-featured smartphones at affordable prices, with the bonus of full Windows support.
Intel announced at the Mobile World Congress that the Windows 10 for mobile phones will be powered by upcoming Atom X3 chips. Gadgets powered by the X3 chips will have a price range of $75 to $249.
The chip maker mentioned in its announcement that the integration of 64-bit multi-core Intel Atom processors with 3G or 4G LTE connectivity, along with communications SoC, applications processor, image sensor processor, graphics, audio, connectivity and power management components, in a single chipset allows for full-featured smartphones, tablets, and phablets to become affordable. That's not to mention that the phones come with full Windows support.
The Atom X3 chips will also support low-cost Android phones. 3G smartphones that run on first dual-core Atom X3 chips will be available in the first quarter of the year, while LTE devices that are powered by quad-core X3 chips are arriving in the second half.
Intel will make entry-level Atom X3-based smartphones at its best with quality graphics, high-definition video, and a 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front camera.
Intel is specifically eyeing the new X3 chip at gadgets under $75, while the X5 and X7 are targeted for devices priced at $119 or more. The X3 will be Intel's first processing technology to integrate a modem into a system-on-a-chip, but both the X5 and X7 are also notable being Intel's first 14nm mobile chips. That should allow devices to deliver fast performance without significantly affecting the battery.
The tech manufacturer claims that the X7 is 50 percent faster in 3DMark, and twice faster than its Atom heavyweight counterpart, the Z3795, in terms of GFXBench.
Most handsets use ARM-based processors, including Windows and the upcoming Windows 10. Intel is attempting to break the monopoly by making smartphones that run on Windows 10 also compatible with Intel's X3 chips.
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