ZTE and NVIDIA have announced that they are going to bring the first Tegra 4 equipped smartphone to the market.
Which isn’t entirely surprising. They released a Tegra 2 phone last year, so you’d had expect another at some point.
The previous device the ZTE Grand X was Tegra 2 equipped when it’s competitors were using Tegra 3 chips. Needless to say the Grand X wasn’t the biggest hit.
With the Tegra 4 though it will be high end and a device packing a Tegra 4 chip would certainly be competition for the likes of the HTC One or the Samsung Galaxy SIV. Although it’s doubtful they’ll get it to market in time to make a difference. So far all they have said is first half of 2013 in China.
Whatever and whenever the Tegra 4 is going to be a gaming beast. The current Tegra 3 devices regularly get tweaked version of games or versions of games released before the normal versions. With 72 GPU cores as well it should be pretty good at whatever you throw at it.
Here is the press release from ZTE.
ZTE and NVIDIA Partner to Launch First Tegra 4 Super Phones
New Devices to Feature 72 Custom GPU Cores, Quad-Core Cortex-A15 CPU, Icera i500 LTE Chipset for High Performance, Power Efficiency, Fast 4G Networking
21 February 2013, Shenzhen, China – ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”) (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a publicly-listed global provider of telecommunications equipment, network solutions and mobile devices has announced that it is partnering with NVIDIA to deliver the first super phones powered by the NVIDIA® Tegra® 4 mobile processor, with the first models to reach the market before mid-year.
ZTE has a long-term strategic partnership with NVIDIA and expects to launch the first Tegra 4 super phones in China in the first half of 2013. The Tegra 4 processor was only announced by NVIDIA in January, at the CES 2013 exhibition in Las Vegas.
“This is a clear demonstration of ZTE’s ability to quickly develop, and bring to market, market-leading devices running the industry’s latest technologies,” said Mr. He Shiyou, ZTE EVP and Head of the Terminal Division.
The NVIDIA Tegra 4 will enable the ZTE devices to deliver ultra-fast web browsing, improved app load times, more realistic gaming experiences and great battery life – thanks to the processor’s 72 custom NVIDIA GeForce® cores and quad-core ARM Cortex-A15 CPU.
Tegra 4 also enables worldwide 4G LTE voice and data support through an optional chipset, the NVIDIA i500 processor. ZTE and NVIDIA are also planning a new LTE super phone using the i500 LTE chipset for blazing-fast networking.
These new devices build on ZTE and NVIDIA’s success with previous smartphones such as the Grand X, the first smartphone powered by both the Tegra processor and NVIDIA’s Icera modem; the Grand Era super phone with Tegra 3; and the U950, the first premium quad-core smartphone with Tegra 3 priced below $160 USD.
“We’re proud to continue our pioneering partnership with NVIDIA and are looking forward to offering more Tegra-powered devices, which are defining a new generation of phones offering premium mobile computing experiences,” said Mr. He. “Our Tegra 4 smartphones will provide full HD entertainment and multimedia experiences that consumers will love.”
“ZTE’s newest super phones will show off Tegra 4′s processing power, efficiency and unprecedented capabilities,” said Phil Carmack, Senior Vice President of the Mobile business at NVIDIA. “They’re a great example of what the market expects from one of the world’s largest phone makers.”
About James Pearce
I spend most of the day telling people to turn stuff off and back on again. Inbetween doing that I post news and reviews over here.
I am about to embark on a Windows Phone 8 and Windows RT self imposed restriction for a few months. Keep your eyes on the site for updates.
