MediaTek has made lots of inroads in the last few years thanks to its chips being used in most budget devices the world over. As result, it is one of the most visible chipmakers on the planet and is even going head to head with big names like Qualcomm. It looks like it is not satisfied with just. Its ambitions are big and nowhere is that being shown than in its new series of chips targeted at the burgeoning smartwatch market.
MediaTek’s MT2523 is being touted by its makers as “the world’s first system-in-package (SiP) to offer GPS, dual-mode Bluetooth Low Energy, and a MIPI-supported high-resolution mobile screen”.
While we wouldn’t fault MediaTek for blowing its own horns loudest, what this means mostly is that you can expect to see quite a number of smartwatches hitting the market from players you least expected since the Taiwanese semiconductor company has an extensive network of budget device makers as partners. A Tecno smartwatch anytime soon? Maybe you should start counting on that since the MT2523 will be made available to device makers by the end of the first half of the year.
It is easy to understand our obsession with wearable devices like smartwatches but it doesn’t mean that those are the only ones that MediaTek has its sights on. Other emerging technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) are also well covered by the MT7697 while fans of the smart home fans should wait to see if the MT8581 SoC (also being hailed by its makers as the first one of its kind) that will be arriving in 4K Blu-ray players will bring any improvements in display clarity and contrast on those devices.
