Marvell Unveils New SoC

Many high-profile chipmakers like Intel and Qualcomm debuted new SoCs at Mobile World Congress this year, but a lesser-known company called Marvell was also on hand with a 64-bit chip. The company isn’t especially well known in the mobile world, but it hopes to change that with its new 4G LTE SoC. The Marvell Armada PXA 1928 boasts a quad-core ARM Cortex A53 and has a Vivante GC5000 GPU capable of full HD video.

While Marvell has previously supplied chips for some low-end tablets and set-top boxes, its new 64-bit SoC seems more than capable of powering a mid-range Android smartphone or tablet. The company should also have little trouble making inroads in the smartphone and tablet markets thanks to close relationships with companies like Lenovo and Hisense.

"I am very proud of Marvell's contribution to the fast growing 4G LTE industry and the successful launch of world's first 1,000RMB LTE smartphones since last December.  The 64-bit ARMADA Mobile PXA 1928 is the latest addition to our industry leading single-chip multi-core mobile processor family," said Weili Dai, president and co-founder of Marvell in a press statement. "4G LTE is such a critical technology for the 'Smart Life and Smart Lifestyle' vision. I believe that through continued innovation, invention and dedication our talented global engineering teams have yet again raised the technology bar in advancing the mobile industry. Our mission and passion at Marvell are to make the world a better place for all."

Marvell’s Armada PXA 1928 features a 5-mode cellular modem and 3G/4G protocol stacks certified for most major carrier networks. Additional connectivity functions include 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. The chip’s GPU supports 1080p video and a number of advanced security features are also available, including secure boot, root key protection and Widevine.

The company says it will begin offering samples of the PXA 1928 SoC in March.