MediaTek Launches New 5G Modem Plus Chromebook and TV Chipsets

In the march to connect everything, MediaTek has rolled out a trio of products that will help power the IoT devices, Chromebooks, and smart TVs of 2023. The news follows the company’s recent announcement of the Dimensity 9200 processor, a flagship system-on-a-chip for high-end smartphones. MediaTek is making a wider push across the consumer electronics space in a bid to challenge rival Qualcomm.

T800 5G Modem Goes ‘Beyond Smartphones’

The MediaTek T800 is what the company calls a thin modem solution for devices that aren’t smartphones. MediaTek is targeting IoT and M2M devices, as well as always-connected PCs with the T800, which builds upon the foundation set by the T700.

It supports both standalone and non-standalone sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G, which covers a broad range of potential product categories. Moreover, it can handle up to 4CC/CA and mixed duplex FDD/TDD. The modem supports maximum theoretical download speeds of 7.9Gbps and max upload speeds of 4.2Gbps, which far outstrip the speeds of today’s networks. Device makers should be pleased to learn the modem also supports dual, simultaneous 5G SIMs. Because the T800 uses a 4nm process node, MediaTek says it is more power efficient than older chips and should offer better battery life on end-user devices.

MediaTek did not say when the T800 5G modem will begin sampling, nor when it expects the modem to reach commercial products.

Kompanio 520 and 528 Call to Chromebooks

MediaTek also debuted a pair of processors for entry-level Chromebooks, the Kompanio 520 and 528(Opens in a new window). The idea is to bring better gaming, browsing, and streaming experiences to affordable Chromebooks while also boosting battery life.

(Credit: MediaTek)

The Kompanio 520 and 528 are both octa-core designs that feature a combination of two Arm Cortex-A76 performance cores and an upgraded Arm Mali G52 MC2 2EE GPU. While the 520’s Cortex-A76 duo reaches clock speeds of up to 2.0GHz, the 528 is slightly faster at 2.2GHz. MediaTek did not speak about the architecture for the remaining six cores of the 520/528. The new Kompanio CPUs do, however, include support for LPDDR4x memory and eMMC 5.1 storage for rapid media playback and response. Moreover, each chip includes a dual-core AI processing unit (APU) that MediaTek says delivers accelerated AI enhancements to various application types.

End-user features that the Kompanio 520 and 528 support include 32MP cameras with MediaTek’s hardware imagine engine; VP9 decoding and H.265 encoding for faster media playback; better audio microphone processing because of the HiFi-5 digital signal processor; and up to 60fps video capture for higher-quality video conferencing. The chips allow for a single Full HD+ internal display that can be run side-by-side with a Full HD external display for expanded multitasking. The Kompanio 520 and 528 support screens running at up to 60Hz.

MediaTek says that Chromebooks with these new budget-friendly chipsets will launch during the first half of 2023.

Pentonic 1000 for the Technical Telly

Finally, MediaTek announced the Pentonic 1000(Opens in a new window) system-on-a-chip for powering high-end 4K 120Hz smart TVs. The Pentonic 1000 has Wi-Fi 6/6E support for fast internet, a powerful AI processor, Dolby Vision IQ with Precision Detail, and 8-screen Intelligent View, which lets you watch multiple streams simultaneously. It also supports the most advanced video codecs and global TV broadcast standards.

For gaming, the SoC supports 4K at 144Hz along with variable rate refresh and Auto Low Latency Mode for a lag-free experience. In addition, MediaTek provides a feature called Precision Detail, which unlocks more from Dolby Vision content by revealing additional detail in both bright and dark areas.

“We designed the MediaTek Pentonic 1000 specifically to accommodate today’s smart TV trends, including 4K streaming, cloud gaming, video conferencing, and watch parties,” said Alex Chen, General Manager of the TV Business Unit at MediaTek. “With support for 4K HDR content, 120Hz frame rates, MEMC, AI enhancements, Wi-Fi 6/6E connectivity, and cutting-edge codecs like VVC, Pentonic 1000 will deliver the ultimate 4K viewing experience.”

MediaTek says smart TVs with the Pentonic 1000 SoC will arrive as soon as the first quarter of 2023.