MediaTek is the second biggest SoC maker on the planet and although it is not competing in the high-end, it has quite a few things going for it. Besides, the high-end SoC market is overcrowded, with Qualcomm, Samsung, Apple and Nvidia all vying for a slice of the action. MediaTek wants to offer better value for money and bring the latest technologies to mid-range and entry-level devices.
As a result, the company hopes to have an $80 smartphone platform with LTE in tow next year. In an interview with the Economic Times, MediaTek's international sales and marketing head Finbarr Moynihan said:
"By year-end, you will see Mediatek in LTE phones that go from $400 range with premium features down to entry-level, which will be relevant for markets like India. We're looking at $79-80 LTE smartphones by next year."
Moynihan also talked about wearables. He said the primary focus of wearables is health and fitness, which may explain why many geeks aren't too interested. Moynihan adds that some consumers are interested in wearables as accessories, while another group sees them as devices that can complement their smartphones and other devices.
Although MediaTek is placing an emphasis on value, the company's roadmap also features a number of high-end SoCs, which may explain the other figure Moynihan mentioned - $400. The MT6595 is a big.LITTLE part with four Cortex A17 and four Cortex A17 cores, backed by PowerVR Rogue graphics. It is rolling out as we speak.
Rumours suggest that the new chip could end up in the LG G3, which means it may as well end up in the new Nexus. We cannot confirm this, of course.
