LG announced that they will have dual-core chips in their Optimus line of Android phones later this year. Previously, LG and NVIDIA announced they were teaming up, but this press release is the first time we will get to see Tegra 2 in a phone.
The phone’s processor will have two cores with 1GHz clocked on each core. LG claims that you will get 2x faster browsing and 5x faster gaming as compared to a one core 1GHz chip. Depending on who gets to market first (Qualcomm or NVIDIA), this may be the first dual-core phone on the market, and it is certainly the first officially announced. It will be able to decode 1080p video, which is definitely a first.
LG and NVIDIA claim that “console quality gaming” will be possible, and with their demo video of Tegra 2 running the Unreal engine, I believe it.
LG has not been a very big hit yet with regards to Android. That said, Tegra 2 could easily help LG to become the go-to manufacturer. T-Mobile has two LG devices to be launched in November, according to their roadmap, and one or both of them may end up being dual-core Tegra 2 superphones.
Even if LG is the first on the market with a dual-core phone, by the end of the year they will be a-dime-a-dozen. Every manufacturer will have them, and they will need to find other things to differentiate themselves with.
Their press release is below.
LG DEVELOPS POWERFUL SMARTPHONES WITH NVIDIA TEGRA 2 PROCESSOR
LG First to Announce Smartphone with Dual-Core CPU based on NVIDIA Tegra, the
World’s Most Advanced Mobile ProcessorSEOUL, Sept. 7, 2010 ¬ – LG Electronics (LG) announced today that it will introduce a series of fast, powerful smartphones starting in the fourth quarter of 2010 utilizing the second generation NVIDIA? Tegraâ„¢ mobile processor, Tegra 2. Tegra 2 includes the world’s first dual-core CPU, which powers through complex tasks to achieve significant leaps in performance.
LG will integrate Tegra 2 into its smartphones, providing them with unprecedented power, speed and graphics capability. These smartphones will be part of LG’s Optimus Series, a new line of innovative mobileproducts.
LG selected NVIDIA Tegra because it enables a new mobile experience and content capabilities. Tegra 2 features a number of mobile “firsts”: the first mobile dual-core CPU, the only ultra low-power NVIDIA GeForce? GPU and the first 1080p HD mobile video processor. Taking full advantage of the two speedy 1 GHz processors sharing the workload in Tegra 2, consumers can experience up to 2x faster web browsing and up to 5x faster gaming performance over single core processors running at 1 GHz. NVIDIA’s leadership in graphics also delivers flawless 1080p HD video playback, console-quality gaming and amazing 3D capabilities.
“LG is committed to making its Optimus Series smart devices the de facto standard in speed and graphics performance,” said Chang Ma, Vice President of Marketing Strategy Team, LG Mobile Communications Company. “We selected NVIDIA because it is the visual computing leader and has a long history of creating amazing consumer experiences.”
“The ultimate smartphones will be powered by Tegra, the world’s most advanced mobile processor,” said Phil Carmack, senior vice president of NVIDIA’s mobile business. “LG is one of the most popular consumer brands, and their Optimus Series of devices with Tegra is further validation of the processor’s ability to deliver an unrivaled, turbocharged media experience.”
LG’s Optimus Series smartphones featuring the NVIDIA Tegra 2 mobile processor will debut starting in the fourth quarter of the year.