Some time ago it was announced that MediaTek he was working on developing quad-core processors that were cheaper than those that exist today. And from what is seen, his work has come to fruition since it has just been announced that April 1 will be a reality and, in addition, one of the companies that will use it will be Sony.
The truth is that the list of manufacturers that "have jumped on the bandwagon" as soon as the MediaTek MT6589 the market is quite wide and, some of its members, apart from the already mentioned Sony, are the following: ZTE, Lenovo, Huawei and TCL ... that is, there will be several devices that use it and, therefore, it will be necessary to be attentive to what it can offer.
As indicated in Digitimes, the cost of this new SoC is 10% lower than the existing ones (estimated at around $18). It has even been suggested that if mass production is achieved, the price could be even lowered further. This is certainly interesting news so that all users can have "a quad-core in their life."
Some details of the MediaTek MT6589 that Sony will use
The new development of MediaTek cannot be considered to be competition in the high-end product range, but it will allow an excellent performance for all kinds of tasks and at a really interesting price. These are some of the features of this new SoC:
- ARM Cortex-A7 architecture
- Frequency of each core: 1 GHz
- GPU included: PowerVR Series 5XT
- 3G connectivity (HSPA +)
- Maximum resolution up to 1080p, Dual SIM capability, and support for WiFi Miracast and camera up to 13 megapixels
- Multi-device Compatibility Android Jelly Bean (confirmed with Key Lime Pie)
- Reduced consumption, 11 more hours of autonomy are added to the usual ones (explanatory video below)
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In short, that the Midrange from some manufacturers such as Huawei or Sony can make an interesting qualitative leap with the arrival of the new MediaTek processor. And, obviously, users will be the beneficiaries since the capacity of the terminals, especially in regard to multimedia, will be much better.
Four efficient cores, full connectivity and 28nm process
Beyond the above, the MT6589 bets on a manufacturing of 28 nm, key to the Energy Efficiency . It integrates Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi and GPS/A-GPS, and introduces Dual SIM with HSPA+ on a single chip, something that the manufacturer itself presented as a milestone in its category. In image, it supports cameras up to 13 MP, 1080p recording, 3D content and Miracast for wireless video.
In the competitive field, it is placed against equivalent solutions of Qualcomm in the middle range due to its balance of features/price/autonomy, with a special focus on manufacturers looking to accelerate launches while keeping costs down.
Sony and the ecosystem: Xperia C and more brands with MT6589
The relationship with Sony Mobile It materialized in terminals such as the Sony Xperia C, with 5-inch qHD display (960 x 540), quad core 1.2 GHz, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB storage expandable, Android 4.1 with Xperia UI, camera Exmor R 8 MP with Full HD, dual SIM and a thickness of 8,88 mm. It was initially oriented to Asian markets where dual SIM is relevant.
In addition, prototypes were seen such as a Sony C3 associated with MT6589T (a variant to 1.5 GHz), an example of the firm's strategy to diversify its catalogue beyond its usual agreements.
The MT6589 also powered affordable phones like the GooPhone X1 (with a very low price for its time), and marked MediaTek's leap towards more ambitious catalogues while preparing LTE solutions and evolving to eight cores with the MT6592 (Cortex-A7 to 2 GHz, with results in Antutu which exceeded 30.000 points and rivaled options such as the Exynos 5410).
Catalog of mobile phones with MediaTek MT6589
Below is a representative list of business models that integrated this SoC, useful to evaluate its real reach in the market:
- 40 Cesium of Archos
- Micromax A116 Canvas HD
- Micromax A240 Canvas Doodle 2
- Lenovo A820
- Lenovo A830
- Huawei Ascend G610
- Huawei Ascend G610s
- Huawei Ascend G700
- Micromax Canvas 4 A210
- Micromax Canvas Win W092
- OPPO Clover
- Gionee Gpad G3
- ZTE Grand X Quad
- Gigabyte GSmart Aku A1
- Gigabyte GSmart Maya M1 v2
- Gigabyte GSmart Sierra S1
- Alcatel Idol Alpha
- Alcatel Idol X
- LG's Fine
- BLU's Life One
- BLU Life Play
- BLU's Life View
- Acer Liquid E2
- Acer Liquid E3
- Acer Liquid E3 Duo Plus
- Acer Liquid S1
- Mi-496 Spice Coolpad 2 by Spice
- Spice's Mi-510 Stellar Prime
- Spice Mi-515 Coolpad
- Spice Mi-525 Pinnacle FHD
- Mi-535 Stellar Pinnacle Pro by Spice
- Alcatel One Touch Fierce
- Alcatel One Touch Scribe HD
- Alcatel One Touch Scribe HD-LTE
- Alcatel One Touch Scribe X
- Alcatel One Touch Snap
- Panasonic P11
- Panasonic P51
- Lenovo P780
- XOLO Q1000
- XOLO Q2000
- XOLO Q3000
- XOLO Q600
- XOLO Q800 X-Edition
- XOLO Q900
- OPPO R819
- Lenovo S750
- Lenovo S820
- Karbonn S9 Titanium
- Lenovo S920
- BLU Studio 5.5
- Panasonic T11
- Sony Xperia C
For further reference, MediaTek paired the MT6589 with GPUs PowerVR SGX544MP and memories L in typical configurations of 1 GB of RAM, which, together with the 28 nm process and its four cores Cortex-A7, explains their good relationship performance/consumption and the push it gave to the mid-range segment in mobile phones and tablets (for example with solutions such as MT8125 for Android).
The binomial Sony + MediaTek MT6589 It is understood in terms of contained cost, double SIM y autonomy, without sacrificing key imaging and connectivity features; a combination that brought the quad-core experience to more users and opened the door to broader catalogs in global markets.