Europe will be getting its first Intel-powered smartphone next month in the form of a handset named San Diego.
Originally codenamed Santa Clara, the phone will be available exclusively on Orange in the United Kingdom starting on June 6th. The handset is powered by an Intel Atom processor Z2460, and supports HSPA+ with the Intel XMM 6260 Platform.
The phone boasts a high-definition 4.03” screen, an 8-megapixel camera video 1080p video capture, and HD voice for outstanding audio quality for calls.
Customers will also be able to access T-Mobile’s signal on the phone, giving them access to signal in more places throughout the UK.
While Intel’s processors dominate the computer market, most smartphones currently use ARM processors.
The company announced, in March at Mobile World Congress, plans to bring an Intel-powered smartphone to the UK running its Medfield chip. It designated 2012 as the year that Intel-powered smartphones will finally hit the big time. The first Intel-powered smartphone launched in India in April with the Xolo X900.
Intel was showing off a prototype of its phones at CES this year. We were able to spend a little bit of time with a prototype Android phone and were impressed with the handset’s ability to render 3D graphics while responding to touch and using the phone’s accelerometer.
Currently there are no plans to bring an Intel phone to the United States. Motorola is tapped as the likely phone manufacturer to use the chips but it will probably hold off on including them until it sees how devices do in other countries.
According to ExtremeTech, the Medfield chip’s purpose is to just “earn seat at the table” in the smartphone war, something it should be able to do.
The question is whether it can hold its own against the competition and stay there.
The San Diego will be available on June 6th, and will be available free for Orange customers who sign up for a new 2-year contract. The phone will also be available for purchase by Pay As You Go customers.
