ZTE and Nvidia Unveil The Mimosa X – First Smartphone With Nvidia’s Icera Modem Inside
Something you may not know about me; I love mimosas. They’re refreshing, you can get a little buzz off ’em, heck- they’re even borderline good for you. Well, mimosas are about to sound a whole lot more fun now that Nvidia and ZTE are teaming up to introduce the world’s first phone powered by nothing but Nvidia technology inside — the ZTE Mimosa X.
I know that may sound a bit confusing but traditionally, we have a chipset manufacturer who makes the processor of a device (the real meat and potatoes, if you will) and then we have a Qualcomm modem for getting you that precious 3G/4G/LTE signal to your phone. With the Mimosa X, this is the first time we’re seeing a device that is using an Nvidia processor and their all new Icera 450 HSPA+ modem. Pretty exciting stuff.
The ZTE Mimosa X will feature Nvidia’s Tegra 2 dual-core processor firing on both cylinders thanks to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich coming pre-installed on the device, a 4.3-inch 960×540 display, 4GB of internal storage and 5MP rear with front facing camera.
Early today, we saw a pair of ZTE devices about to make their debut at MWC next week and it looks like we can add another to ZTE’s mid-level Android lineup. We can expect the ZTE to launch sometime around the second quarter of this year with no word yet on pricing or carrier. Out of PF200, N910 and now the Mimosa X, which of these 3 do you find the most appealing? Full press release below.
SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Feb. 20, 2012—NVIDIA and ZTE today announced the ZTE Mimosa X, the first smartphone to be powered both by the NVIDIA ®Tegra ® application processor and its Icera® modem, which came to NVIDIA through its Icera acquisition in mid-2011.
“The ZTE Mimosa X is exciting for a few reasons,” said Michael Rayfield, General Manager of the Mobile business at NVIDIA. “The Mimosa X marks the first time NVIDIA technology powers all the major processors in a single smartphone, and also the first time a premium mobile computing experience is coming to the mainstream smartphone market.”
The Mimosa X is powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 2 mobile processor, featuring a dual-core CPU and GeForce® GPU, and the NVIDIA Icera 450 HSPA+ modem, comprising baseband and RF processors, featuring excellent throughput and low power. It will run Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0), feature a 4.3-inch qHD (960 x 540) screen, rear 5 MP and front cameras, and 4 GB of storage expandable to 32 GB.
The ZTE Mimosa X will deliver super multimedia capabilities, including advanced audio distribution profile (A2DP), Dolby sound, digital living network alliance (DLNA) compatibility for easy sharing of content, HD video record and play, dual microphones, and built-in gyroscope.
The Mimosa X will be launched around Q2 2012. Positioned squarely for the mainstream market, it brings new levels of performance and connectivity to this large segment of users.
Consumers will now be able to use a mainstream smartphone to experience the same speedy web browsing, smooth multitasking, and HD video, as well as console-quality gaming with TegraZone, that was previously available only in high-end phones. TegraZone™ is NVIDIA’s free Android Market app that showcases the best games optimized for the Tegra processor.
The NVIDIA Icera 450 supports up to 21Mbps category 14 HSPA+ with fast downloads in fading channels, IceClear™ interference cancellation technology for even faster throughput at the cell edge and advanced Release 7 features for an ultra-low latency network response.