In another sign that device makers and carriers are paying close attention to the lower end of the smartphone market, fabless chip designer MediaTek said it is tailoring its latest offering to entry-level and mid-range products. The MT6575 platform will bring a single-core 1 GHz ARM processor running Android 4.0 to entry-level smartphones.
Taiwan’s MediaTek is a world leader in mobile processor shipments, but has been slow to break into the smartphone market. Many of its customers have been Chinese handset makers who used MediaTek’s software solutions to design phones around the company’s chips. Although MediaTek has more recently started to address the higher end of the market with dual-core processors, the company is playing to its strength by focusing on the lower end with the MT6575 platform.
MediaTek says MT6575 consumes less power than any competing chipset, and offers the industry’s most comprehensive integration of hot-swap dual‐SIM capability compatible with the Android platform. Hot-swap dual-SIM capability enables a user to have two SIM cards in a smartphone and to switch from one SIM card to the other without turning off the phone.
Dual SIM cards in one phone allow individuals to use the same device for business and personal use, or to take advantage of two different pricing plans. In emerging markets, dual SIM card phones are very popular as many people do not have phone service at work or at home, or may share a phone with a relative. Samsung’s latest dual-SIM offering, the Galaxy Y Duo, just went on sale in Russia and Greece, while Motorola launched the EX212, EX 119 and Motorola EX109 dual SIM phones in India.
In the United States, some carriers have been slow to offer dual SIM phones since they encourage use of competing plans. However, the market for used mobile phones that can accomodate two SIM cards appears to be growing rapidly.
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