Smartphone chipset solution providers have recently stepping up efforts to win more orders for system chips, including image signal processors, modems, and RF (radio frequency) chips, instead of focusing competition on the core number of their CPUs, according to industry sources.
MediaTek is currently promoting its octa-core Helio X20 CPUs, and Samsung Electronics and HiSilicon Technologies are producing 8-core products as mainstream CPUs for 2016. Qualcomm is focusing on its quad-core Snapdragon 820 CPUs and Apple uses mainly dual-core A9 chips for its iPhone 6s/6s Plus devices.
However, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chips appears to have won the competition against Samsung's Exynos 8890, HiSilicon's Kirin 950 and MediaTek's Helio X20 as most smartphone vendors have decided to use the Snapdragon chips for their high-end smartphones to be released in the first half of 2016, the sources indicated.
CPUs account for only 15% of entire performance of a smartphone, and its performance can be boosted to a great extent by other chips, including image signal processors, modems, and RF chips, commented the sources.
As a result, Qualcomm, Samsung, HiSilicon and MediaTek have all recently strengthened the profiles of modem chips, the sources indicated.
Qualcomm has launched high-speed LTE modems, the X12 and X16, with the latter model featuring a download speed of up to 1Gbps. Meanwhile, MediaTek's Helio X20 and P20 chips are equipped with MediaTek's latest modem technology supporting WorldModeLTE Cat.6 and 2x20 carrier aggregation at 300/50Mbps data speeds.
Additionally, Qualcomm and TDK set up a joint venture recently for development and production of front-end modules of RF chips and RF filters, as MediaTek, Samsung and HiSilicon have also enhanced their presence in the RF sector through acquisitions or internal efforts, said the sources.
