Low-cost chipmaker, MediaTek today unveiled the Helio P90 platform, which according to the company can rival most premium chips out there.
Mind you, this is not a 5G-capable chip, but still, one that brings plenty to the table, as we will see in what follows.
MediaTek new processor is an octa-core affair that comes equipped with two Cortex-A75 cores running at 2.2GHz for tasks requiring power and six Cortex-A55 efficient cores running at 2GHz. MediaTek relies on its new CorePilot technology to ensure processing its done in the most efficient way possible across the eight cores.
The chip is made using a 12nm process and arrives with a PowerVR GM 9446 GPU on board which is said to offer a 50% boost in performance compared to the Helio P70.
AI is all the rage right now and MediaTek knows it
But where the new Helio P90 provides a substantial upgrade is in the AI capabilities department. The processor features a multi-core AI processing unit (APU) to offer four times the AI performance than its predecessors, the P60 and P70. The main purpose of the APU is be to enable high-quality photography on more affordable phones.
According to MediaTek, The P90 comes with support for a 48MP camera, or a dual setup of 24MP+16MP. What’s more, the chipset offers 480fps slow-motion video shooting at 16MP and is compatible with Google Lens.
What’s more, the Helio P90 comes with support for SIM dual VoLTE 5G LTE WorldMode with fast Cat-12 (DL) / Cat-13 (UL) 4G LTE modem.
MediaTek notes that we should see the first devices powered by the Helio P90 make a debut starting Q1 2019. And some of these smartphones might even make it on the US market, or at least the company hopes they will. But we’ll have to wait and see whether MediaTek’s new platform can do anything to dislodge Qualcomm, who is the dominant player in the country.
