Samsung opts for Intel processor to power top Android tablet

Samsung Electronics has opted for the Intel Corp processor to power a new version of a top-tier Android tablet, Reuters reported quoting a source with knowledge of the plans. According to analysts this comes as a major victory for the US chipmaker, which was struggling to find a toehold in the mobile market.

Samsung had selected Intel's Clover Trail+ mobile chip for at least one version of its Galaxy Tab 3 10.1, which competed with Apple Inc's iPad, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters yesterday, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the specifications not having been announced.

Samsung had earlier used chips designed with energy-efficient technology from the UK's ARM Holdings for its best-selling mobile devices. It employed Intel processors for its line of Microsoft Windows "ATIV" tablets -- a much smaller market when compared with devices based on Google Inc's Android.

Samsung would unveil new ATIV tablets using Intel chips at a 20 June event in London, according to the source, as also an additional person familiar with the event. It was not clear whether the Galaxy Tab would debut at the same event.

The decision of the Asian electronics giant to start using Intel in a marquee Android device counted as a coup for the US chipmaker as sought to establish itself in a mobile market that was slow initially to recognise and invest in, according to experts.

It was not clear whether Samsung, the world's largest manufacturer of tablets after Apple, planned other versions of the 10-inch Galaxy Tab carrying its own, or other companies', processors.

VentureBeat and other blogs were the first to report the use of an Intel Clover Trail+ chip in the upcoming tablet.

Intel had led the pack in the personal computer industry for decades, but had been slow in appealing to makers of smartphones and tablets as the market boomed following Apple's iPhone in 2007 and iPad in 2010.

Meanwhile, according to  a report, Intel had agreed to supply its Atom processor for Samsung's third generation tablets.

The third generation Samsung tablets would be branded as Galaxy Tab 3 and would be unveiled at the 2013 Computex conference during the first week of June in Taiwan.

Korea Times quoted a Samsung research staff at a local factory as saying this was a win-win deal for both sides. Intel which had been trying to cut its heavy reliance on PC business, offered better pricing for Samsung as it shifted focus towards tablets following its huge success in smartphones.

Meanwhile, according to CNET, the upcoming Intel based Galaxy Tab would run Android 4.2.2 and sport a 1,280 x 800 display.

Earlier, Galaxy Tablets were offered in several sizes so the third generation tablets were also expected to come in many display versions including 7 inch and 10 inch.