nVidia Tegra platform could debut in HTC hardware at Mobile World Congress!

Graphics-processor maker nVidia’s push into the mobile space may soon be getting a boost from HTC. nVidia has yet to launch their highly-touted and powerful Tegra mobile chipset platform in commercial devices (although, Microsoft has been rumored to be working on a Tegra-powered handset), but that may all change with HTC’s rumored adoption of nVidia’s Tegra chips.

The International Business Times is reporting that HTC will be using nVidia’s multimedia-powerhouse silicon in their 2009 handset lineup (which was recently leaked (allegedly)). Not only would HTC’s move to the nVidia Tegra platform be a huge boon to discerning consumers who demand high performance multimedia capabilities, but it could also help boost HTC’s handset revenue. “We believe that HTC has selected the NVDA Tegra applications processor for a new handset design that will ramp in [the second half of 2009],” said American Technology Research’s Doug Freedman. “We estimate Tegra could add $100M to 2H09 results.”

The nVidia Tegra 650 chipset is being touted as a “computer-on-a-chip” that was designed “from the ground up” to give the consumer a desktop/laptop computer-like experience from a mobile processor. The nVidia Tegra 650 follows the Tegra mobile platform’s mantra of integrating an ARM CPU, a HD video processor, an imaging processor, an audio processor, and an ultra-low power GeForce® GPU in to a mobile chip that is “up to 10 times” more efficient than the competition. The video below shows what kind of hardware was integrated in to the Tegra mobile platform.

Look for any HTC smartphones powered by nVidia’s Tegra 650 to feature:

All-day media processing, for 130 hours audio, 30 hours HD video playback
HD image processing for advanced digital still camera and HD camcorder functions
Optimized hardware support for Web 2.0 applications for a true desktop-class internet experience
Display support for 1080p HDMI, WSXGA+ LCD and CRT, and NTSC/PAL TV-Out

With HTC’s 2009 lineup purportedly leaked to the masses, and Mobile World Congress bearing down on us next month, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see HTC showing off their first nVidia-powered smartphone featuring the Tegra 650 or Tegra 600 chipset.

[Via: IBT]

About The Author

Will Park

Will hails from The City of Angels - Los Angeles, California. He spends his time playing with his numerous gadgets and looking forward to seeing what future holds for mobile technology. An avid promoter of a fully "digital" life, he promotes the widespread adoption of truly mobile, paper-less living. He dreams of the day when he can go completely digital. No more snail mail, paper receipts, bound books, notepads/spiral notebooks, credit cards, hard currency. He's a digital warrior - fighting for the converged life. He is an idealist and a realist - he has a perfect view of what the world should be but knows that the world is not perfect. Can we ever hope to see Will's dream become reality? We'll see...

Sven7

Oh, come on. “Look for any HTC smartphones powered by nVidia’s Tegra 650 to feature: All-day media processing, for 130 hours audio, 30 hours HD video playback”. Are you kidding me? A smartphone battery is empty after 30 hours idle with just the display on.

I think it would be a bad decision for HTC to choose Tegra. Because it would pretty much limit their choice to WM based smartphones, since Nvidia isn’t supporting anything else and will not support Android (because they would have to make their (full featured) driver open source which is not gonna happen) and Nvidia will not outsource driver development to the handset manufacturers like TI or Qualcomm do.
Eight8

Nvidia is actually part of the group that is supporting google’s Android. Even though there is no news from nvidia whether their tegra will support Linux or Android in the future.. It is hard to believe that they have tegra and also in the android group yet do not have a (upcoming) product that supports android. I doubt they are attending the android meetings just for free donuts. Time will tell.
Imran soorya

Can we expect this processor in nokia symbian s60 phones
T

nVidia has released a SDK for their processors so it is quite possible that you could see Android on their chip, however, because they don’t intend to use the 650 in cell phones, don’t expect to see HTC using it.
Andy

I’m quite surprised by all the Android fanboys. Have you even used it? I would be embarrassed to run Android on my phone. I’m sure years from now it may eventually turn out to be half way decent; mediocre at best. But oh well, sorry if I just interrupted your fantasizing fanboy session. You may resume.