MediaTek is a name with which some may not be familiar, but the company is a manufacturer of SoCs (systems-on-a-chip, or processors) that often appear in mid-range and budget-friendly smartphones. Of course, Chinese OEMs have relied on MediaTek for processor orders for some time, but Samsung has been flirting with the idea of utilizing MediaTek SoCs in its smartphones. Some months ago, we saw Samsung and MediaTek meet regarding Samsung’s own Tizen-powered Z series due to the slow pace at which Spreadtrum is developing its own SoCs for the market.
Now, we have some proof that Samsung’s “flirtation” with MediaTek is more than just that. According to GFXBench, Samsung is testing an Android-powered smartphone (not a Tizen-powered smartphone, unfortunately) with a MediaTek 6757 processor (known also as the Helio P20). The device bearing this SoC will have a 5.7-inch, 1080p display, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, 12MP front and back cameras, and feature Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.
Now, a quick glance at these specs suggests that we’re not talking about the high-end here, but something in the mid-range category (perhaps upper mid-range). The model number supplied at GFXBench, SM-G615F, suggests that this handset could be the updated Galaxy On7 (2017) model, since the Galaxy On7 (2016) had model number SM-G610 and the original Galaxy On7 had model number SM-G600.
This is not a Tizen-powered smartphone, of course, but it suggests that, since Samsung intends to use MediaTek processors in its Tizen-powered devices, the company’s plans for the Chinese chipset maker stretch beyond just Tizen to Android as well – which sets up Samsung and Qualcomm for an interesting future showdown. Meanwhile, we’re anxiously awaiting the first Tizen-powered smartphones bearing MediaTek SoCs.
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