Tag Archives: mediatek

Panasonic P51 breaks into the Indian phone market with a 5-inch screen and stylus (updated)

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Panasonic brings smartphones to India with the 5-inch P51

Although Panasonic's cellphones have traveled far from Japan, the company has left the hot Indian market relatively untapped -- until today, that is. The company is staking its first proper claim in the country with the launch of the P51. The Android 4.2-toting smartphone reflects the local market's taste for big-screened yet modest phones between its 5-inch, 720p LCD and quad-core 1.2GHz MediaTek processor, but comes across as a sort of Galaxy Note lite: Panasonic bundles both a capacitive stylus and a magnetic flip cover in the box. The remaining hardware is a slightly unusual mix of budget and premium components, with the so-so 1GB of RAM and 4GB of expandable storage buffered by an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 1.3-megapixel front camera and support for both HSPA+ and dual SIM cards. The P51 will be comparatively expensive for India at 26,900 rupees ($517) contract-free when it's available next week, but it should be a bargain next to its pen-packing Samsung counterpart.

Update: Panasonic is being a bit clever with its Indian foray -- we now know that the P51 shares a TCL-built design template with the Alcatel Scribe Easy, keeping the French phone's basic formula while upgrading the processor, camera and screen resolution. However, the P51 is definitely identical to the TCL Y900 in China.

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Via: FoneArena

Source: Panasonic

i-mobile flaunts IQ X and IQ XA Android smartphones with 8MP front and 18MP rear cameras, laughs at megapixel myth

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imobile flaunts IQ X and IQ XA Android smartphones with 8MP front and 18MP rear cameras, laughs at megapixel myth

Once upon a time (2007) in a land far, far away (Thailand) lived the i-mobile 902, a pseudo Sony Ericsson W800 clone featuring a trick five-megapixel autofocus camera with a Sony-made CCD sensor and xenon flash. At the time, it produced shots with the most detail and best low-light performance we'd ever experienced on any cameraphone, ever -- make no mistake, it took several years before CMOS-based shooters caught up. It was a well made handset, but fell somewhat short in every other area besides imaging. Fast-forward to yesterday, when Thai phone manufacturer i-mobile published a series of pictures of the IQ X and IQ XA, a pair of thin, handsome-looking Android 4.2 devices with a 4.7-inch 720p display and MediaTek's quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A7 SoC (MT6589). Read on and we'll run through the some of the more curious specs -- not least the resolution of the rear camera.

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Via: Siamphone

Source: i-mobile Thailand (Facebook)

MediaTek’s new chip offers entry-level smartphones a dual-core SoC with HSPA+ on the cheap

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MediaTek chip

As glad as we are that MediaTek ushered in affordable, quad-core SoC designs with the MT6589, even that silicon can only go so far in making smartphones accessible. The company's new MT6572 might be frugal enough to lower some of those few remaining barriers. The all-in-one part mates a cheaper dual-core, 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A7 processor with HSPA+ 3G, China-focused TD-SCDMA, Bluetooth, GPS and WiFi, dropping the construction costs beyond what even the chip's quad-core sibling can manage. While the MT6572 can only handle up to a qHD display, a 5-megapixel camera and 720p video, that's more than enough to improve baseline features in a category where many recent entry-level phones still tout single-core CPUs and WVGA screens. Its rapid arrival in the marketplace may be crucial, too. MediaTek expects the first phones based on the MT6572 to roll out in June -- just in time to keep the world's transition to smartphones moving at full steam.

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Source: MediaTek

Huawei’s Ascend G700 exposed, may be Ascend D2’s cheaper cousin

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Image

Watch out, Richard Yu! Not long after the China launch of the 6.1-inch Huawei Ascend Mate earlier today, the notorious @evleaks tweeted out the above two press shots of an Ascend G700, as well as referring to an old tweet from the often reliable @paopao0128 (of Blog of Mobile fame) who suggested the G700 will feature Android 4.2, a quad-core MediaTek MT6589 SoC (as opposed to the quad-core Huawei HiSilicon K3V2 chip on the Ascend Mate and the Ascend D2), an "HD" LCD (our money's on 720p only, like the leaked G710) and both WCDMA and TD-SCDMA flavors.

Another fresh G700 leak we found shows a hands-on photo obtained from Sina Weibo (which has since been deleted, but it's also right after the break), and it also mentions that the phone will have a 5-inch display plus 2GB of RAM. There's no info on pricing, but the careless leakster on Weibo reminded us that the budget-minded G series devices never go over ¥2,000 or about $320 unsubsidized. To put that into perspective, the quad-core, 5-inch full-HD D2 is currently available for almost twice as many yuans. Well, it shouldn't be long before Chinese consumers get yet another 5-inch device to stuff their pockets.

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Source: @paopao0128 (Twitter), @evleaks (Twitter), Baidu Tieba

Neo N003 may deliver a 1080p smartphone for $145, but don’t expect miracles

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Neo N003 may deliver a 1080p smartphone for $145, we wouldn't expect miracles

Neo is known for building smartphones with price tags so low that a Nexus 4 would seem like a luxury. If GizChina's contact (and convenient product render) is accurate, that bang-for-the-buck ratio may grow especially wide in the near future. The N003 will supposedly include a 5-inch, 1080p display and a quad-core processor for a target price of ¥899 ($145) in China for a basic Youth version, and ¥1,499 ($241) for a Premium model -- both big deals for the size, we'd reckon. However, there's little doubt that the N003 at those prices would be slower than a truly high-end phone like the HTC Butterfly, especially considering its pedigree. The N002 uses a MediaTek chip and just 4GB of storage, and earlier rumors have the N003 using MediaTek's frugal MT6589 alongside either 8GB or 32GB of space for its respective trim levels. Neo hasn't confirmed the details as of yet, let alone set expectations. Any alignment between the claims and reality could nonetheless see the N003 punching well above its weight, even if most Americans would never feel the impact.

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Via: Unwired View

Source: GizChina

MediaTek plans a tablet-focused processor for Q3

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MediaTek plans a tabletfocused processor for Q3

MediaTek may have only just reached quad-core smartphones in earnest, but its aims are expanding -- in a more literal sense. The company's Xie Qingjiang says that plans are underway to build a tablet-specific processor that would ship in the third quarter of the year. While other details are scarce, it's safe to say the chip will take advantage of all the extra breathing room for more performance. The real questions surround just who will use the new creation: there's no guarantee that Acer will find a fit for the design inside of its future 8- and 10-inch budget slates, for example. When MediaTek is seemingly making generational leaps in a matter of months, though, we suspect that there won't be a shortage of customers.

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Via: Unwired View

Source: Sina (translated)

Acer hints at very low-cost, quad-core 8- and 10-inch tablets

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Acer Iconia B1-A71

Acer pushed the boundaries of price for major brand tablets with its $150 Iconia B1. It's not about to quit with just one model under its belt, however. The company's Greater China head, Linxian Lang, explained to China Times that there should also be 8- and 10-inch tablets on the way with "aggressive" prices. Acer isn't just adding more glass, either, as it's looking at quad-core MediaTek processors for a speed jump. There's no word on just when the larger budget slates might appear, although we wouldn't count on them coming to the US when the B1 has already been ruled out.

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Via: Notebook Italia (translated)

Source: China Times (translated)

ZTE U956 poses for pics, said to offer a 5-inch 720p screen, quad-core CPU

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ZTE's 'affordable' U956 poses for pics, reportedly offers 5inch 720p screen, quadcore CPU, 8megapixel camera

ZTE's no stranger to phones that provide more bang for your buck, so it's hardly surprising to see evidence of a new mid-range phablet from the Chinese outfit. The leaked images may not point towards another world first, but the U956 apparently runs Android 4.1.2 and is rumored to pack a 5-inch, 1,280 x 720 display and a quad-core MediaTek MT6589 SoC. There's also support for China's TD-SCDMA networks, while an 8-megapixel camera joins some China Mobile branding on the back. Some specifications are still missing, but if the pricing is as low as expected, the smartphone could likely be an option for penny-pinchers who can't afford its designer cousin.

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Via: PhoneArena, GizChina

Source: Sina Weibo

Runbo X5 and X3 rugged Android phones moonlight as walkie-talkies, cost just $320

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Runbo X5 and X3 Androids

We've seen a handful of rugged Androids in our time, but none are as affordable and as weird as these ones at CES. The backstory here is that a couple of Chinese guys in camouflage gear approached us at our CES stage, and after an awkward conversation, it turned out that they just wanted to show us the three rugged phones they brought all the way from Shenzhen. Starting from the right we have the Runbo (like Rambo?) X1 IP67-certified featurephone cum walkie-talkie, which packs a 2-inch 176 × 144 display, a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, a laser pointer, quad-band GSM plus 800MHz CDMA cellular radios, 400 to 470MHz range for the software-configurable walkie-talkie, a surprisingly loud speaker and a 2,200mAh battery. This will be available for ¥980 or about $160 on Taobao online store (the Chinese equivalent of eBay) in the next couple of days, and we've been told that there will also be a variant with GPS added.

But the real stars of the show are the two brick-sized vanilla Android 4.0.4 devices. The phone pictured in the middle is the Runbo X5, a device featuring a 1GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 MTK6577 chipset, 1GB RAM, 4GB storage, microSD expansion, a 4.3-inch 800 x 480 IPS display, an app-triggered laser pointer, an eight-megapixel main camera, a 0.3-megapixel front camera, a super loud speaker (again) and a massive removable 3,800mAh battery. And yes, this also comes with a 400 to 470MHz walkie-talkie radio (up to 10km range; with detachable antenna), along with the additional 850/1900/2100 WCDMA radio, two SIM slots (WCDMA plus GSM), WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS. These specs are the same for the Runbo X3 on the left, except for the smaller 3.5-inch 800 x 480 IPS panel to make space for the QWERTY keyboard below it. The best part here are the prices: both of these IP67-certified devices are available on Taobao or the official website for just ¥1,999 or about $320, which is a bargain for both the ruggedness and the fact that these double as standard walkie-talkies. US folks can also order directly from eBay for $380, which is also a steal. But does this surprisingly low price reflect the quality? Find out in our hands-on after the break.

Gallery: Runbo X5, X3 and X1 hands-on

Gallery: Runbo X5 hands-on

Gallery: Runbo X3 hands-on

Gallery: Runbo X1 hands-on

Continue reading Runbo X5 and X3 rugged Android phones moonlight as walkie-talkies, cost just $320

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Source: Runbo, eBay

Huawei G520 outed as an inexpensive, quad-core smartphone for China

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Huawei G520 outed as an inexpensive, quadcore smartphone for China

Huawei put its best foot forward (twice) last week at CES, but it seems that the company has yet another smartphone up its sleeve: a 4.5-inch Android device known as the G520. According to Gizchina, the phone is said to wield a quad-core 1.2GHz Mediatek MT6589, but its key selling point will be the price -- it's said to be in the neighborhood of ￥1,399 ($225). The specific resolution of the G520 is currently known, and the same is true for the version of Android it'll ship with. That said, Ice Cream Sandwich seems most plausible, as the smartphone includes just 512MB of RAM. The Huawei G520 also includes a 5-megapixel rear camera and is said to go up for sale on January 21st within China. Hopefully by then, we'll know a bit more about this one.

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Via: Unwired View

Source: Gizchina