SMARTPHONES
just get smarter
With the roll-out of artificial intelligence accelerating
and leading to the creation of new applications, so the
market for smartphones continues to thrive. By Neil Tyler
T oday’s smartphones continue
to push the envelope in terms
of capability and new models
are able to deliver not just high-quality
photos and 8K videos, but can now
support console-quality games and
allow users to connect to the internet
at multi-gigabit data rates.
The changed circumstances of
the past twelve months has not only
forced businesses to adjust to a new
digital environment but has seen
technological trends and innovation
accelerate – whether that’s the rollout
of 5G, the development of faster
charging technologies, immersion
technologies or new screens. All are
having an impact on smartphones.
From new chip technology, such as
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chips
and developments at technology giants
like Apple and Google, where both are
looking to develop and take control of
their own hardware, to different styles
of phone and the roll-out of cheaper
handset designs the sector is witness
to changing consumer requirements
and new technological trends.
One of the most signicant
developments is that in 2021 most
premium and mid-level smartphones
will now come with 5G support.
At the end of 2020, MediaTek
unveiled the Dimensity 1200 and
Dimensity 1100 5G smartphone
chipsets - both of which are capable of
delivering AI, camera and multimedia
features for 5G enabled devices. These
6nm chipsets look to provide device
makers with a variety of options when
it comes to designing 5G smartphones
and are able to support a broad range
have removed the need to employ ever
bigger and more sophisticated camera
sensors.
The possibilities that 5G brings
with it, such as better quality
video creation and consumption,
faster downloads, immersive AR/
VR and gaming experiences, are
considerable. Consumers will benet
from much faster services whether
that’s downloading content or sharing
experiences of social media.
Both Google and Apple have moved
into the development of hardware and
in April last year Google unveiled a new
project codenamed “Whitechapel.” An
in-house SoC, it is to be manufactured
in conjunction with Samsung and
follows the lead taken by Apple in
developing and taking over the control
of hardware.
Google’s SoC comes with a number
of cores that are dedicated to machine
learning and the Google Assistant.
Much like Apple the move reects
the company’s desire to operate its
devices under one ecosystem and,
simply put, it wants better chips to
deliver improved camera performance
and overall usability.
Google’s move mirrors that taken
of camera features, graphics and
connectivity enhancements.
“MediaTek continues to expand
its 5G portfolio with highly integrated
solutions for a range of devices from
the high-end to the mid-tier,” said
JC Hsu, Corporate Vice President
and General Manager of MediaTek’s
Wireless Communications Business
Unit. He continued, “The Dimensity
1200 is able to deliver 200MP
camera support and advanced AI
capabilities, in addition to innovative
connectivity, display, audio and gaming
enhancements.”
The Dimensity 1200, for example,
comes with an octa-core CPU that’s
been designed with an ultra-core Arm
Cortex-A78 clocked up to 3GHz and, as
such, can deliver much greater levels
of performance.
Likewise, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon
888 comes with integrated 5G on the
SoC and the 5G modem no longer
comes separately, as is the case
with the Snapdragon 865 plus. This
integration means that it will now be
possible to develop more affordable
5G enabled smartphones – the
improved computational capabilities
10 9 March 2021 www.newelectronics.co.uk
/www.newelectronics.co.uk