Intel has been the absolute leader in market share for desktops and laptops processors. However, in the ever-growing multibillion-dollar mobile market, they are still a tiny player struggling against leaders American Qualcomm and Taiwanese MediaTek. Until 2013, Qualcomm had 95% of the mobile market share with their Snapdragon SoC solution but their numbers have been decreasing, mostly in favor of competitor MediaTek which now holds 17% as the leader gets 66%. Meanwhile, Intel has been making some shy appearances, including the high-end Asus Zenfone 2, powered by the Atom Z3580. Continuing their push to gain space, the company just released the new Atom Z3590 processor during IFA 2015.
Although based on the same Moorefield architecture, the SoC is even more powerful than its predecessor, supporting faster CPU and GPU speeds. Its CPU is able to run at speeds up to 2.5 GHz, while the GPU can go at 640 MHz, against 2.33 GHz and 533 MHz respectively for the Z3580, which was the most powerful processor using the architecture. Besides being faster, the rest of the specs are basically the same as the previous one. Both are 64-bit quad-core processors made with a 22nm process, supporting up to 4 GB of RAM as seen on the Zenfone 2, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 technologies. Moreover, they also come with Intel virtualization, SpeedStep, Smart Idle, and AES encryption technology.
Qualcomm and MediaTek use the ARM architecture on their processors. Intel, on the other hand, makes tiny silicon pieces using their own x86 specification, which you would commonly find on desktop and laptop computers. However, the Atom lineup is made specifically for smartphones and tablets, devices that have their own specific needs, including low operating temperatures, lack of an active heat dissipation mechanism and lower power consumption.
If you want to put your thumbs on a new Intel Atom Z3590 chip, you can do so with the new ZenFone Zoom from Asus, which was also unveiled earlier this Wednesday during IFA, featuring a 5.5-inch display, 4 GB of RAM and a huge 13-megapixel camera with 3X optical zoom. However, there aren’t any pricing information nor release date yet. IFA 2015 is happening this week, so stay tuned for the latest news in consumer electronics and announcements from major tech companies.