NVIDIA and ZTE just announced the ZTE Mimosa X, which is the first smartphone powered by all NVIDIA processors, the Tegra 2 and the Icera 450 modem. It will run on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and features a 4.3 qHD (960 x 540) display, 5MP rear camera, front camera, and 4GB of storage expandable to 32GB. The Tegra 2 is a dual-core processor and the Icera 450 supports HSPA+ at 21Mbps.
“The ZTE Mimosa X is exciting for a few reasons,” said Michael Rayfield, General Manager of the Mobile business at NVIDIA. “The Mimosa X marks the first time NVIDIA technology powers all the major processors in a single smartphone, and also the first time a premium mobile computing experience is coming to the mainstream smartphone market.”
We can expect to see “super multimedia capabilities” from the ZTE Mimosa X. This includes the advanced audio distribution profile (A2DP), Dolby sound, DLNA, HD video record and play, dual microphones, and built-in gyroscope.
NVIDIA acquired Icera in mid-2011 for $367 million cash. They are a leader for baseband processors for 3G and 4G cellular phones and tablets. Their high speed wireless-modem products have been approved by more than 50 carriers around the world.
The launch of the Mimosa X is earlier than we expected based on the leaked NVIDIA roadmap we saw last September. It pegged 2013 for the first devices from the marriage of NVIDIA and Icera. ZTE is planning on releasing the Mimosa X in the 2nd quarter of this year.
Full press release:
First Tegra-powered Smartphone Announced with NVIDIA’s Icera Modem Technology
New ZTE Mimosa X Brings the NVIDIA Mobile Experience to the Mainstream Market
SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Feb. 20, 2012—NVIDIA and ZTE today announced the ZTE Mimosa X, the first smartphone to be powered both by the NVIDIA® Tegra® application processor and its Icera® modem, which came to NVIDIA through its Icera acquisition in mid-2011.
“The ZTE Mimosa X is exciting for a few reasons,” said Michael Rayfield, General Manager of the Mobile business at NVIDIA. “The Mimosa X marks the first time NVIDIA technology powers all the major processors in a single smartphone, and also the first time a premium mobile computing experience is coming to the mainstream smartphone market.”
The Mimosa X is powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 2 mobile processor, featuring a dual-core CPU and GeForce® GPU, and the NVIDIA Icera 450 HSPA+ modem, comprising baseband and RF processors, featuring excellent throughput and low power. It will run Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), feature a 4.3-inch qHD (960 x 540) screen, rear 5 MP and front cameras, and 4 GB of storage expandable to 32 GB.
The ZTE Mimosa X will deliver super multimedia capabilities, including advanced audio distribution profile (A2DP), Dolby sound, digital living network alliance (DLNA) compatibility for easy sharing of content, HD video record and play, dual microphones, and built-in gyroscope.
The Mimosa X will be launched around Q2 2012. Positioned squarely for the mainstream market, it brings new levels of performance and connectivity to this large segment of users.
Consumers will now be able to use a mainstream smartphone to experience the same speedy web browsing, smooth multitasking, and HD video, as well as console-quality gaming with TegraZone, that was previously available only in high-end phones. TegraZone™ is NVIDIA’s free Android Market app that showcases the best games optimized for the Tegra processor.
The NVIDIA Icera 450 supports up to 21Mbps category 14 HSPA+ with fast downloads in fading channels, IceClear™ interference cancellation technology for even faster throughput at the cell edge and advanced Release 7 features for an ultra-low latency network response.