ARM updates its processor design, will bring high-end features to more affordable devices

Good news if you’re looking to upgrade your smartphone – thanks to updates ARM made to its chip technology, the next device you select will not only perform better, it’s probably going to be a bit less expensive, too.

The new ARM Cortex-A17 design is being compared to the 2014 version of the Cortex-A9 found in chips like Nvidia’s Tegra 3 and Apple’s A5. The biggest difference with its new chip is that it’s much more energy efficient (about 60% more energy-efficient than the A9), which means developers will be able to include many more features.

One company that bought into the A17 model right away is MediaTek, the company responsible for powering about 250 million devices worldwide. The issue the company’s faced in the past is the fact that it has a weak, borderline non-existent, presence here in the States. This is due in large part to the fact that the company targets a mostly low-end consumer base (If you purchased an Android phone in a place like Thailand or India for a couple of bucks, the device most likely has a MediaTek processor in it).

A MediaTek A17-based MT6595 processor, on the other hand, could provide the company with a first-class ticket to America. You see, set atop a piece of silicon is a full system-on-a-chip design with eight independent cores and LTE network compatibility (release 9).

With this new, more energy-efficient design, the MediaTek processor can run 4K video, support 20-megapixel cameras, and allows for Quad HD phone display. It can also connect to other devices via Bluetooth Smart and ANT+.

Early estimates by MediaTek suggest that with their new chip, manufacturers will be able to offer devices capable of handling all of these features to consumers for approximately $200 or less, unsubsidized.

The latter point is particularly worth noting, as the timing for a device like this could not be more perfect, what with the fact that more and more U.S. carriers are signaling they’re getting ready to end phone subsidies altogether (T-Mobile has already gone this route).

Via: MediaTek.com