Intel has added a number of smartphone makers to its list of customers, the company announced to day at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Deals with Lava International of India, ZTE of China, the UK’s Orange, and Visa. As part of the deals – similar to those Intel currently enjoys with Motorola and Lenovo – Intel chips will begin going into the next generation of devices from each of the manufacturers.
Intel also announced several new, faster processors designed to handle the particular demands of mobile devices like smartphones. The Atom Z2460, formerly codenamed Medfield, will support platforms up to 2 GHz. The Atom Z2580 has double the power of the Z2460 and is designed to handle the demands of LTE-capable phones. The Z2000 is targeted at the value smartphome market. The 1 GHz Atom processor supports HSPA+ capable phones.
Late last year we reported that Intel had been sending prototype Android phones built with Intel chips to various smartphone manufacturers. The devices were designed to showcase what phones and tablets centered on Intel’s chips could do. The prototypes were a part of Intel’s efforts to increase its presence in the smartphone market. Despite maintaining relative hegemony in the desktop and laptop processor market, Intel has largely been shut out of the smartphone and tablet market. Along with previous deals with Motorola and Lenovo, these new partnerships constitute an attempt to work its way into the mobile device market.