Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission.Learn more.

Intel’s chip design could be used inside some smartphones in 2017

June 02, 2025

Could you buy a smartphone withIntelinside sometime later in 2017? Maybe, and sort of. While Intel itself is not currently making its own smartphone processor hardware, another company is using Intel’s Atom design to create an octa-core phone chip that is scheduled to become available in the second half of this year.

PCWorldreports that Chinese chip maker Spreadtrum is making its upcoming SC9861G-IA chip for mid-range smartphones. It will be combined with a PowerVR GT7200 graphics core that will allow for displays to support up to 2560 x 1440 resolutions and 4K video. It is based on the x86 Intel Atom Airmont architecture.

Article image

Intel is attending this week’s2017 Mobile World Congresstrade show and is showing off smartphones that use the Spreadtrum chip at its booth. In May 2016, the company confirmed it had canceledits plans to release new Atom chipsfor smartphones, after only a few handset OEMs picked Intel’s processors to go inside their phones.

In a chat withPCWorld, Aicha Evans, Intel’s senior vice president and general manager of its Communication and Devices Group, stated that the company is still open to making smartphone chips again, but added they would also have to include integrated modems. Last week, Intel announcedits new XMM 7560 LTE modem, which it claims can handle download speeds “exceeding 1Gbps” and upload speeds up to 225Mbps.

Article image

Do you want to see Intel go back to making smartphone processors again, to compete with rivals like Qualcomm, MediaTek and Samsung? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Thank you for being part of our community. Read ourComment Policybefore posting.