MediaTek debuts MT6572 dual-core SoC designed for entry-level smartphones

Taiwanese semiconductor company MediaTek has announced its latest system-on-a-chip (SoC), the MT6572, designed for use in low-cost smartphones.

In a world first, the MT6572 is the only dual-core SoC with integrated Wi-Fi, FM, GPS and Bluetooth radios, the company said yesterday. At the heart of the MT6572 is a dual-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor with a maximum clockspeed of 1.2GHz. ARM claims that the Cortex-A7 is the most energy efficient CPU developed by them.

MediaTek MT6572 is expected to be seen in smartphones soon

Smartphones based on the MT6572 SoC can be equipped with 5 megapixel cameras that can record videos at 720p. The possible screen resolution is up to 960 x 540 pixels; the MT6572 also integrates MediaTek’s HSPA+ modem, which means it can bring 3G speeds to low-end devices, potentially leading to a proliferation of 3G devices.

More from News & Analysis

What is the US HIRE Bill and why is India’s $250-billion IT sector worried? Is the internet dead? What's this theory that OpenAI's Sam Altman says might be true?

While we don’t know what smartphones powered by the MT6572 will sell for, ARM claims Cortex-A7-based smartphones could retail for as low as $100 in 2013 or 2014, while delivering performance that’s more or less the same as a 2010-era $500 high-end smartphone.

With the debut of the MT6572 SoC, MediaTek now has two major products in its portfolio. With the highly cost-effective MT6589 quad-core processor already a hit in emerging markets, the new chipset will only help increase MediaTek’s market share in such regions. The first smartphones based on the MT6572 will start shipping in June, according to the company. We fully expect Indian manufacturers to embrace the new chip considering the integrated radio solutions and the potential savings in manufacturing of smartphones.