By Ashraf Eassa
A spell back, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC ) in addition to longtime PC partner ASUS announced the ZenFone serial of smartphones. The ZenFone 4, 5, in addition to half dozen all sported older generation Clover Trail+ Atom processors along amongst Intel's 3G modems. Around the same fourth dimension every bit this household unit of measurement of phones launched, Intel announced that it had signed a multiyear, multidevice strategic human relationship amongst ASUS for a whole household unit of measurement of smartphone in addition to tablets. Interestingly enough, according to VR-Zone China, ASUS' side yesteryear side smartphone -- an LTE-capable 4.5-inch device that looks similar to the Intel-powered ZenFone job -- volition live powered yesteryear Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM ) silicon.
It's that integration
The low-cost, LTE-capable telephone from ASUS volition sport a low-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 400. This chipset has proven exceptionally pop in addition to has powered everything from Samsung's Milky Way S4 Mini to hordes of white-box smartphones inwards Asia. It is non a peculiarly zippy chip, sporting 4 low-end ARM (NASDAQ: ARMH ) Cortex A7 cores, but it is highly integrated in addition to comes amongst a Qualcomm LTE modem every bit good every bit 802.11ac connectivity built correct onto the processor.
What does Intel convey to offering inwards this space? Well, for a low-cost LTE product, ASUS would convey 2 master copy options:
Intel's prior-generation 32-nanometer Clover Trail+ platform paired amongst discrete connectivity combo in addition to Intel's XMM 7160 modem; and
Intel's latest-generation 22-nanometer Merrifield platform paired amongst discrete connectivity in addition to Intel's XMM 7160 LTE modem.
With the Qualcomm processor, ASUS gets a lot of value integrated onto a unmarried chip. With the Intel platform, ASUS needs to non entirely purchase Intel's processor, but it every bit good needs to purchase a carve upward LTE modem in addition to a connectivity combo chip. Not entirely does this growth the printed circuit board footprint, but it every bit good probable impacts ability consumption to around non-trivial degree.
Why is this? In Qualcomm's case, both the Wi-Fi in addition to cellular modem are built on the lower-power 28-nanometer LP process. In Intel's case, the discrete modem every bit good every bit the connectivity combo are probable built on the aging 40-nanometer procedure for Merrifield, although for Moorefield the province of affairs gets a lot ameliorate every bit the modem is built on 28-nanometer. That said, inwards gild to fully capture the manufacturing lead that it has, Intel needs all of the performance/power sensitive components inwards the platform bespeak to live built on the latest manufacturing technology.
Do y'all instantly encounter why Intel needs SoFIA?
One of the kickoff "big" moves that Intel's novel CEO, Brian Krzanich, made was to position a production known every bit SoFIA on the smartphone/tablet route map. This is a TSMC-built 28-nanometer high-K/metal gate (this is the faster of the 2 28-nanometer mobile offerings from TSMC) purpose that integrates the cellular modem into the master copy processor in addition to the connectivity into the RF transceiver.
While the apps processor doesn't larn the create goodness of Intel's latest-and-greatest procedure technology, the entire platform should live much cheaper in addition to potentially lower ability relative to the Merrifield (22-nanometer) + XMM 7160 (40-nanometer baseband/65-nanometer RF transceiver) combination. This would hold out allow Intel to compete on even-footing for mass-market smartphones.
Intel's SoFIA is a game changer, but this could live fifty-fifty bigger
While Intel's smartphone production pipeline continues to improve, just hold off until y'all encounter this. The side yesteryear side large matter afterwards smartphones is on the way, in addition to only similar buying Intel earlier it became the world-class PC in addition to server fight house, y'all instantly convey an chance to brand it on this chance earlier the solid set down catches on! Click here to larn the total storey inwards this eye-opening novel report.
Source: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/05/13/why-didnt-intel-win-this-new-asus-phone.aspx
Tag :
News
