MediaTek has released several 5G SoCs, but none of them support millimeter-wave (mmWave) data transmission. Now the Taiwanese semiconductor company has announced a modem called the Helio M80 that supports mmWave.
The Helio M80 is the successor to the Helio M70 modem used in the Dimensity 1000 SoCs. The new modem not only supports mmWave, but also offers higher data transfer rates (uplink up to 3.76 Gbps, downlink up to 7.67 Gbps). This is a big boost over the Helio M70’s speeds of 2.5 and 4.7 Gbps, respectively.
MediaTek reports in a press release that the new modem supports both non-standalone (NSA) and stand-alone (SA) architectures, dual 5G SIM cards, both NSA and SA 5G networks, and Voice over New Radio technology (VoNR).
Helio M80 modem is equipped with MediaTek UltraSave technology for energy saving. UltraSave Network Environment Detection and UltraSave OTA Content Awareness technologies dynamically adjust power supply and operating frequency depending on the network environment. The modem will regularly stay in Connected Standby mode even when no data is available thanks to DRX Connected Mode technology.
The new modem will be available later this year.
MediaTek Dimensity 1200 Will Compete With Qualcomm Snapdragon 870
In the past, MediaTek chips did not perform well, and not many manufacturers were willing to choose to equip their machines with MediaTek processors. But now, it is quite different. With the help of the popularization of 5G, MediaTek surpasses Qualcomm in the third quarter of 2020 to occupy the first place with a market share of 31%!
Stand up with 5G
In the past 2020, MediaTek has occupied most of the market of low-end smartphones of various manufacturers with its own Dimensity 1000 Plus, Dimensity 800U, Dimensity 820, Dimensity 720 and other chips.
This is not only the reason for the peak of 5G replacement, but also the lack of Qualcomm’s low-end chips, and the shortage of Hisilicon Kirin chips. The performance of the Snapdragon 765G was not so impressive, and HiSilicon’s high-end and mid-range chips are all out of stock. In the mid-range market, various manufacturers are more willing to adopt the MediaTek Dimensity chip with low performance and low price.
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We can say that everything is so good in the market for MediaTek. Many chips have been welcomed and praised by cooperative customers. And though there is still no 5nm MediaTek chip on the market, the Dimensity 1100 and Dimensity 1200 chips based on TSMC’s 6nm process are already out.
If these two chips perform relatively well in terms of power consumption (manufacturer optimization should also be in place), they will be very good chips in the mid-range segment, forming a dislocation competition with Qualcomm.
Qualcomm has been on top for many years. And everyone knows how much efforts it takes from this company. MediaTek is also aware of its shortcomings and strengths. Qualcomm believes that what MediaTek is more willing to do at present is to seize in the high-end and low-end markets.
Competition between Qualcomm and MediaTek
This year’s 5nm chips generally perform unsatisfactorily. Although the performance of the Snapdragon 888 is impressive, it also brings an increase in power consumption. If the heat dissipation is not strong enough, the machine will overheat quickly.
Qualcomm seems to be aware of this, and launched the Snapdragon 870 chip. Many prove this is the upgraded version of the previous generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus. The clock speed of the Snapdragon 870 chip has been greatly increased (3.2GHz). Its performance is higher than that of the Snapdragon 865 and weaker than the Qualcomm 888!
In this regard, the Snapdragon 870 is going to directly compete with the Dimensity 1200. In the mid-range segment, the competition between these two chips will be very fierce. At present, Motorola’s new Edge S is the first to come with the Snapdragon 870 and it sells for 1999 yuan ($309). Redmi will also be the first to come with the Dimensity 1200 chip! As a reminder, this is another cost-effective handset.
Who Will Benefit Most? Consumers!
This kind of competition is a great thing for consumers. We mean as long as there is competition, there will be more cost-effective products with enhanced performance and lower prices.
According to the news from the press conference; MediaTek will also launch its own 5nm flagship chip (expected to be named Dimensity 2000) this year. If this 5nm chip has better power consumption control, then a big opportunity for MediaTek will come. With the 5nm flagship high-end core and the mid-range Dimensity 1200, this market share will be huge!
