Mediatek processors aren’t typically used in devices in markets like Europe and America, however in Asia and emerging markets, they are used in practically every device. A large part of this is because the chips are so much cheaper, and although they are aren’t quite a fast or optimized as some of their counterparts from companies like Qualcomm, the pricing difference makes it a lucrative business for Mediatek. Which brings us to the Mediatek MT2601, a processor announced today that is specifically designed for Android Wear devices. Assuming that pricing for this new chip is in line with its mobile chips, it’s possible that the Mediatek MT2601 could spearhead a generation of Android Wear wearables that are more affordable.
In real terms, the Mediatek MT2601 possesses a dual-core Cortex A7 processor clocked to 1.2GHz and can support up a display resolution of up to 960×540. While that is less powerful than one of the benchmarks of Android Wear performance, the LG G Watch with a 1.4GHz Snapdragon 400, you can see that if the Mediatek MT2601 is significantly cheaper than its competitors, it would be very easy to make a much cheaper device. That’s not to say Android Wear devices will get that much cheaper, but the possibility is there, and we like the chances. And the good thing is that these chips are already in mass production so we should be seeing them in devices sooner rather than later.
Source: DigiTimes via Phone Arena
