Skyworks Solutions Inc of Woburn, MA, USA (which manufactures analog and mixed-signal semiconductors) says that Huawei's newest flagship P9 and P9 Plus smartphones are being enabled by a broad suite of its devices, ranging from highly integrated modules to analog control ICs. Specifically, Huawei's latest mobile platforms are utilizing the low-, mid- and high-band architectures of the SkyOne Ultra 2.0, featuring integrated filters and SkyBlue technology, antenna tuners, power management devices and multi-throw switches. Skyworks says that its products address LTE advanced carrier aggregation standards and support up to nine global combinations, including the two most challenging mid-band/mid-band cases.
"Huawei's adoption of multiple solutions from our broad portfolio further solidifies Skyworks leadership position with the world's leading smartphone providers," says Carlos Bori, VP of sales & marketing. "Given our systems expertise and innovative designs, Skyworks is able to offer customers highly configurable and customized architectures that reduce complexity and deliver unparalleled performance. We are adeptly addressing carrier aggregation challenges and increasing frequency bands, while minimizing board size and optimizing battery life to provide competitive advantages and reduced time to market," he adds.
"Skyworks' advanced solutions are enabling unrivaled new features in the P9 and P9 Plus including a virtual triple-antenna architecture designed for consumers who need robust and seamless connectivity to cellular and Wi-Fi networks, allowing them to fully harness the power of the mobile Internet no matter where they are in the world," says Huawei.
According to a forecast by GfK, China smartphone demand in 2016 is stronger than expected and could reach 442 million units (up 7% on last year). In 2012, Huawei became the world's third largest smartphone manufacturer and in 2015 was the first Chinese company to sell more than 100 million mobile phones in one year.
The following solutions are powering Huawei's P9 and P9 Plus platforms:
SkyOne Ultra 2.0 - a highly integrated single stock-keeping-unit (SKU) LTE platform (including the SKY78113 low-band, SKY78114 mid-band and SKY78117 high-band 3G/4G Tx-Rx SkyOne modules) with flexible antenna support and a baseband-agnostic interface that contains the firm's SkyBlue technology for what is claimed to be best-in-class power efficiencies and linear power capability: SKY77360-12 - 2G power amplifier module; SKY87020-11 - RF front-end power management IC; SKY19003 and SKY19225 - antenna tuners; SKY13351 - Wi-Fi single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch; SKY13552 – double-pole 12-throw (DP12T) switch; and SKY13598 – high-isolation antenna swap switch.
