Qualcomm has targeted the high-end and mid-range smartphone market for its processing chips. MediaTek's octa-core processor forayed into the high-end smartphone market as an alternative to Qualcomm's Snapdragon. Qualcomm is now fighting back with a new system on a chip (SoC) aimed at low-end smartphones.
Qualcomm's latest chip will power budget smartphones and integrate high-end features like support for 4G LTE, 720p displays, improved cameras and quick-charge technology.
According to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 210 processor features quad-core ARM Cortex A7 CPUs with speeds up to 1.1GHz and Adreno 304 GPU. But the most highlighted feature of the new chipset is the support for 4G LTE connectivity along with dual-LTE for dual-SIM handsets in the entry-level space.
The Snapdragon 210 is not limited to enhanced connectivity, as it brings support to a slew of other features such as Full HD playback, camera sensors up to 8 megapixels, 720p display and the company's proprietary Quick Charge 2.0 technology, which promises 75 percent faster charging of the battery,Engadget reports.
According to market analysis firm, IDC, MediaTek has a profound base in the chip market and accounted for 40 percent of smartphones in China during the Q3 2014 compared to Qualcomm's 27 percent. Most smartphones were sub-$200 range, a popular choice for consumers in emerging markets like China and India.
The new Snapdragon 201 processors are expected to hit commercial availability during the first half of 2015, Qualcomm said.
