Qualcomm takes aim at budget tablets, phones with new Snapdragon 200 chips
The new Snapdragon 200 processors will show up in late 2013 and will be made using a 28nm process.
Qualcomm today announced that it is expanding its lineup of Snapdragon 200 mobile processors targeted at entry level phones and tablets by adding six new processors. According to a press release issued by Qualcomm, the new processors will be showing up in devices in emerging markets (like China and India) from late 2013 and will be manufactured based on a 28nm process. The processors will be available in both dual-core and quad-core variants.
The release continues to enumerate the kind of hardware that the new processors will support. These include two cameras- a rear 8MP one and a 5MP front-facing one, support for multiple SIM cards, HSPA connectivity and all popular operating systems such as Android, Windows Phone and Firefox. The new Snapdragon 200 chipset will also include an Adreno 302 GPU.
Considering the fact that Snapdragon has dominated the high-end segment with its Snapdragon 600 and 800 processors, it’s only understandable that it would want to do so in the budget segment as well. However, it may have a fight waiting for it in the entry-level segment in markets like India thanks to Taiwanese processor-maker Mediatek, whose quad-core processors are already present in popular products such as the Micromax Canvas HD, the XOLO Q700 and the Spice Stellar Pinnacle Pro. Hopefully, with Qualcomm putting renewed focus on the budget segment we will devices with more power at lower costs.