MediaTek might be a name that you aren’t all that pleased with, or one you might even really know about. In the U.S., the primary chips we see in our Android powered devices are usually Qualcomm or NVIDIA. There are some Intel ones running around too. MediaTek usually popped up in Chinese variant devices, knock-offs or the likes. The processor manufacturer has just unveiled their next big thing though, a Octa-Core ARM Cortex A17 chip, called the MT6595.
The new octo-core MT6595 is said to be the first of its kind to have Category 4 LTE support falling back to HSPA+ 42. This makes it a prime candidate for AT&T and T-Mobile here in the states. All built along with Ultra HD H.265 video capabilities. The MT6595 boasts 4 ARM Cortex A17 cores and 4 lower-powered ARM Cortex A7 cores. Giving the processor high performance when needed, but battery saving abilities when idle and during remedial task.
The 6595 also sports PowerVR Series6 graphics, 4k video recording, 24bit 192 kHz audio playback and is designed for device displays that push up-to 2560 x 1600. MediaTek also says the new chip is the first to support 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Not to mention support for Bluetooth LE, ANT+ and multimode wireless charging receiver.
From the sounds of it all, the new MT6595 could start appearing in various devices by the second half of 2014. With PCMag talking under $200 for high-res screens and all the other goodies mentioned above.
“There is really no good reason why phones with good displays should cost $700-800,” Bhushan said. “For $100-200, we can provide phones based on platforms like this one.”
After having my hands on a MediaTek powered Lenovo Yoga 8 tablet (which houses a MTK 8125 Quad-Core A7 ) , I can say that I am pretty happy with the performance. It isn’t a NVIDIA SHIELD, or iPad Air, but it wasn’t supposed to be. The MediaTek processor handles everything I throw at it, including Modern Combat 4 and Dead Trigger 2. It should be interesting to see where the new MT6595 chip lands. We don’t expect to see HTC or Motorola starting to use them anytime soon, but a next gen Yoga tablet or some of the more interesting non name brand phones could see some success with one.
Source: MediaTek
