瞄準(zhǔn)不斷成長的中階和入門級(jí)智能手機(jī)市場(chǎng)，聯(lián)發(fā)科(Media)稍早前推出全新雙核心手機(jī)平臺(tái) MT6577 ，可提供媲美高階智能手機(jī)的功能，如蘋果(Apple)的 iPhone 4S 。 新平臺(tái)內(nèi)含兩個(gè)1GHz的 Cortex-A9 應(yīng)用處理器，以及聯(lián)發(fā)科經(jīng)驗(yàn)證的 3G/HSPA調(diào)制解調(diào)器，并采用Imagination Technologies的 PowerVR Series5 SGX 繪圖處理單元，以及最新的 Android 4.0 ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’操作系統(tǒng)。 對(duì)聯(lián)發(fā)科來說， MT6577 的使命非常明確：將今天600美元智能手機(jī)上的多媒體功能導(dǎo)入中階和入門級(jí)的150~200美元智能手機(jī)之中，進(jìn)而改寫2012和2013年全球智能手機(jī)市場(chǎng)版圖。 聯(lián)發(fā)科北美及西歐業(yè)務(wù)開發(fā)總監(jiān)Finbarr Moynihan 表示，MT6577 使用臺(tái)積電(TMSC) 40nm 制程，并已開始和主要客戶展開設(shè)計(jì)。“預(yù)計(jì)今年第三季，首款采用 MT6577 的產(chǎn)品就會(huì)問世?！? Forward Concepts公司總裁Will Strauss表示，“顯然，雙Cortex-A9核心和HSPA調(diào)制解調(diào)器是整合在相同的晶粒上，目前其最大的競爭對(duì)手就是高通(Qualcomm)?！? 聯(lián)發(fā)科已經(jīng)在全球手機(jī)市場(chǎng)取得領(lǐng)先，“這是指產(chǎn)量而言“但不包含營收”，”Moynihan說。 未來五年內(nèi)，中階及入門級(jí)智能手機(jī)的年復(fù)合成長率預(yù)期將高達(dá)45%，而Moynihan將之形容為“智能手機(jī)民 主化的趨勢(shì)”。 全球智能手機(jī)銷售情況 (單位：百萬部)

紅色：超高階智能手機(jī)(>$300)；粉紅色：高階智能手機(jī)(>$191~ $299)；黃色：中階智能手機(jī)($100~190)；綠色：入門級(jí)智能手機(jī)($ 36~99美元)
資料來源：Strategy Analytics80Resmc

他進(jìn)一步指出，“中國是目前規(guī)模最大的智能手機(jī)市場(chǎng)?！敝袊M(fèi)者對(duì)功能較少的手機(jī)不感興趣，Moynihan解釋道?！八麄兿矚g功能豐富的手機(jī)，”這些手機(jī)可以執(zhí)行各式應(yīng)用軟件，擁有豐富的多媒體功能、游戲，可以連接移動(dòng)網(wǎng)絡(luò)。而隨著推出全新 MT6577 平臺(tái)，聯(lián)發(fā)科也預(yù)計(jì)將趕上中國的智能手機(jī)熱潮。聯(lián)發(fā)科的新手機(jī)平臺(tái)應(yīng)該會(huì)在歐洲這些已開發(fā)市場(chǎng)的電信業(yè)者之間受到歡迎，Moynihan補(bǔ)充道，因?yàn)樵S多 電信業(yè)者都計(jì)劃推動(dòng)以資料服務(wù)為主的移動(dòng)設(shè)備，以緩和因補(bǔ)貼智能手機(jī)而升高的成本。他表示，MT6577應(yīng)該有助于提升中階到入門級(jí)智能手機(jī)的部署量。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 本文下一頁：MT6577 vs. iPhone 4S性能大比拼

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{pagination} 聯(lián)發(fā)科計(jì)劃運(yùn)用該公司現(xiàn)有的 HSPA 智能手機(jī)平臺(tái)優(yōu)勢(shì)，包括 MT6573 和 MT6575 在內(nèi)。新的 MT6577 平臺(tái)也與該公司現(xiàn)有的單核心裝置接腳兼容，手機(jī)制造商可以輕易地在新系統(tǒng)中采用新的雙核心平臺(tái)。 聯(lián)發(fā)科的全新雙核心1GHz ortex-A9 CPU可作為高性能多媒體子系統(tǒng)的主控端，這些子系統(tǒng)包括800萬像素相機(jī)、立體3D相機(jī)、1080p 30fps/15fps影片播放和錄制能力；以及1,280 × 720 的先進(jìn)顯示功能。 舉例來說，若手機(jī)廠商想要開發(fā)一款具備立體3D相機(jī)的智能手機(jī)，那么新的MT6577平臺(tái)便可支持雙CMOS相機(jī)傳感器的能力，而且“幾乎不需要額外費(fèi)用，因?yàn)镸T6577并不需要橋接芯片，也不需要其它的芯片來支持這些功能?！?MT6577 vs. iPhone 4S的功能比較MT6577 可實(shí)現(xiàn)HD720顯示，相當(dāng)于三星(Samsung) Galaxy S3 所搭載的 720p 分辨率。相較之下，目前 iPhone 則是使用640 × 960的顯示屏幕。 Moynihan 表示，“這并不是我們的重點(diǎn)，事實(shí)上MT6577還能用在入門級(jí)的7寸平板設(shè)計(jì)中，而且能提供相當(dāng)不錯(cuò)的顯示品質(zhì)?！彼又赋?， MT6577 具備視訊后處理能力，可提升智能手機(jī)和智能電視上的影像品質(zhì)。

MT6577可提供更高階的智能手機(jī)體驗(yàn)。
資料來源：聯(lián)發(fā)科80Resmc

MT6577 中整合了許多先進(jìn)多媒體功能，該平臺(tái)結(jié)合了基頻和應(yīng)用處理器──而這點(diǎn)出了未來行動(dòng)市場(chǎng)上基于德州儀器(TI) OMAP 的獨(dú)立應(yīng)用處理器將面臨的問題。Forward Concepts的Strauss指出，該公司一直預(yù)測(cè)整合基頻和應(yīng)用處理器的組件將在多元化的手機(jī)市場(chǎng)成為要角……，事實(shí)上，F(xiàn)orward Concepts也一直不看好獨(dú)立型基頻和應(yīng)用處理器。 此前，聯(lián)發(fā)科宣布收購臺(tái)灣的晨星半導(dǎo)體(MStar Semiconductor)。(請(qǐng)見：大小M牽手還會(huì)有波折，其它廠商開始緊張)。聯(lián)發(fā)科預(yù)計(jì)2013年初完成合并。 長期來看，Strauss表示，晨星在中國的傳統(tǒng)2G白牌市場(chǎng)一直與聯(lián)發(fā)科處于競爭狀態(tài)，因此，此次合并將可整合雙方實(shí)力，擴(kuò)展其市場(chǎng)占有率。 編譯： Joy Teng 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 本文下一頁：參考英文原文：MediaTek to bring premier smartphone features to $150 - $200 handsets ，by Junko Yoshida

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{pagination} MediaTek to bring premier smartphone features to $150 - $200 handsets Junko Yoshida PARIS – Gunning for a growing market in mid- and entry-level smartphones, MediaTek Inc. (Hsinchu, Taiwan) is rolling out today a new dual-core mobile phone platform, dubbed MT6577, offering advanced multimedia features similar to those available on high-end smartphones such as Apple’s iPhones 4S. The new platform, which combines a dual 1GHz Cortex-A9 application processor from ARM with MediaTek’s proven 3G/HSPA modem, features a PowerVR Series5 SGX graphics processing unit from Imagination Technologies, and runs the latest Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” operating system. For MediaTek, the MT6577’s mission is clear: Piling together the multimedia features available on today’s $600 smartphone to mid- to entry-level $150 - $200 smartphones , and thus changing global smartphone market dynamics in 2012 and 2013. The MT6577, fabricated by using a 40nm process technology at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., is already in active design-in activities with lead customers, according to Finbarr Moynihan, director of business development, North America and Western Europe. “First models using the MT6577 will emerge in the third quarter of this year.” Will Strauss, president of Forward Concepts, said, “Clearly, with dual Cortex-A9s and HSPA modem on the same die, its biggest competitor is Qualcomm.” MediaTek already commands the number one position on the global mobile phone chip market, “in terms of volume [but not in revenue],” said Moynihan. Forecasting a whopping 45 percent compound annual growth rate for mid- to entry-level smart phones over the next five years, Moynihan described the trend as the “democratization of smartphones.” Global smarpthone sales by wholesale price tier (millions of units) Red: Premium smartphones (>$300); Pink: High-end smartphones (>$191-$299); Light yellow: Mid-level smartphones ($100-$190); Green: Entry-level smartphones ($36-$99) He added, “China is becoming the largest smartphone market now.” Chinese consumers aren’t looking for mobile phones with less features, Moynihan explained. “They prefer feature-rich phones,” designed to run apps, rich multimedia, games and mobile Internet. With the new MT6577, MediaTek plans to ride China’s smartphone wave in a big way. MediaTek’s new mobile phone platform should be popular among operators in developed markets like Europe, added Moynihan, because many operators, poised to drive the data-centric mobile devices in their networks, are suffering from the rising cost of subsidies for smartphones. The MT6577 should help increase the volume deployment of mid- to entry-level smartphones, he explained. MediaTek plans to take advantage of the company’s existing, popular HSPA smartphone platforms – such as the MT6573 and MT6575. By making the new MT6577 a pin-to-pin compatible with the current single-core devices, handset vendors can simply drop in the new dual-core device on the same footprint in a system. MediaTek’s new dual-core 1GHz Cortex-A9 CPU is designed to enable a host of high-performance multimedia subsystems. They include: 8-Megapixel camera; stereo 3-D camera; up to 1080p 30 frames per second/15 frames per second video playback and record capability; 1280 x 720 advanced display capabilities. For example, if a handset vendor wants to create a smartphone with a stereo 3-D camera, the new MT6577 platform can offer the ability to support dual CMOS camera sensors “with almost no additional cost,” said Moynihan, as the MT6577 requires neither a bridge chip nor a support chip to enable that. Comparisons on feature sets: MT6577 vs. iPhone 4S The MT6577 enables an HD720 display, equivalent to the 720p resolution display featured in Samsung’s Galaxy S3 smartphone. The current iPhone, in contrast, features a 640 x 960 display. Moynihan said, “Although it is not our main focus, the MT6577 could be also designed into a good, entry-level 7-inch tablet with reasonably good display quality.” He added that the MT6577 comes with video post processing capabilities, enhancing picture quality both on smartphone and smart TV substantially – in terms of color depth and richness. The stuffing of this many advanced multimedia features packed into the MT6577 – which combines baseband and apps processor – poses issues for Texas Instruments’ OMAP-based standalone app processor in the future mobile market. Forward Concepts’ Strauss noted, “Forward Concepts has long forecast the combo baseband and application chip will be the plurality in the cell phone market... as opposed to separate basebands and application processors.” He added, “That doesn't mean that OMAP is out of the business, but TI has to be addressing a diminishing market opportunity, unless they get back into the baseband business.” MediaTek last Friday announced a tender offer to acquire shares of MStar Semiconductor, also based in Taiwan. Through this tender offer, MediaTek plans to acquire MStar shares for 0.794 MediaTek shares and NT$1 in cash per MStar share. Upon completion of the tender offer and subject to approval from relevant authorities, MediaTek also said it plans to conduct a follow-on merger with MStar and expects to complete the merger process in early 2013. The subsequent merger requires consent from the board of directors and shareholders of both companies, MediaTek added. Forward Concepts’ Strauss, asked about the merger, said, “MStar was eating into MediaTek's traditional 2G whitebox market in China, so the ‘merger’ was necessary to protect that market share.”