MediaTek Inc (聯發科) yesterday unveiled its premium 5G processors — the Dimensity 1200 and Dimensity 1100 — as it vies for a larger slice of the world’s rapidly growing 5G smartphone market.
Manufactured using Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (台積電) 6-nanometer process technology, the Dimensity 1200 processor performs 22 percent better than the previous generation Dimensity 1000+ processor, and is 25 percent more power-efficient, MediaTek said.
Chinese smartphone brands Xiaomi Corp (小米) and Realme Mobile Telecommunications (Shenzhen) Co (銳爾覓移動通信) are to be the first adopters of the latest Dimensity chips, the companies said during a virtual media briefing.
Photo courtesy of MediaTek Inc
Xiaomi plans to equip its first flagship gaming smartphone with the new processor and release the phone later this year, said Lu Wei-ping (盧偉冰), who is in charge of Xiaomi’s Redmi family.
It was also one of the first smartphone vendors to use MediaTek’s Dimensity 1000+ in its premium phone — Redmi K30 Ultra — last year, Lu said.
The first devices equipped with the new Dimensity 1200 and 1100 processors are expected to hit the market from the end of this quarter to the beginning of next quarter, MediaTek said.
Two other Chinese brands — Vivo Communication Technology Co (維沃) and Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp (歐珀) — said they also intend to deepen their partnerships with MediaTek.
China is the world’s biggest 5G smartphone market, with shipments last year estimated to total nearly 130 million units, MediaTek said.
The company “continues to expand its 5G portfolio, with highly integrated solutions for a range of devices from the high-end to the mid-tier,” J.C. Hsu (徐敬全), corporate vice president and general manager of MediaTek’s wireless communications business unit, told reporters.
With a diversified product portfolio, MediaTek shipped 45 million Dimensity processors last year, Hsu said.
That meant it captured a 22.5 percent share of the world’s 5G market last year, as more than 200 million smartphones were powered by 5G processors.
“We believe the 5G market is set to deliver high-speed growth this year, more than doubling [from last year]. It is a market with plenty of growth opportunities,” Hsu said.
The Hsinchu-based company expects about 500 million phones would support 5G technology this year, as more than 200 telecoms worldwide are to deploy 5G networks this year, up from about 120 companies last year, he said.
Qualcomm Technologies Inc, a subsidiary of Qualcomm Inc, on Tuesday unveiled a new high-end 5G processor, the Snapdragon 870.
“Snapdragon 870 will power a selection of flagship devices from key customers including Motorola Inc, iQOO, OnePlus (一加), Oppo and Xiaomi,” Qualcomm said in a news release.
Commercial devices based on Snapdragon 870 are expected to be announced this quarter, the company said.
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