MediaTek has found its way into a number of different devices, including feature phones, smart phones, phablets, tablets, and TV boxes. But it hasn't had much luck entering the historically x86-dominated PC and laptop scene. With ARM becoming significantly more powerful and with operating systems slowly supporting the platform, however, that is beginning to change. A video taken by Charbax of ARMdevices.net went hands-on with the first MediaTek-powered Google Chromebook in an in-depth 10 minute video posted to YouTube. While this isn't the first ARM-powered Google Chromebook, it is the first one with a MediaTek SoC.
According to the representative in the video, it will be available for sale starting in 2016. When prompted why it won't be released this year by the interviewer, the representative explains that there are a number of hurdles to jump through including operating at Google's "tempo" and getting things like Google Certification before being able to sell it.
The Chromebook is running the 64-bit MT8173 SoC, which is based on ARM's big.LITTLE technology and packs a set of more power-efficient Cortex-A53 cores and a set of extremely powerful Cortex-A72 cores. While the prototype only has a single USB Type C port, the representative explains that the final version will have dual-USB Type C ports. MediaTek's Chromebooks will be able to support 1440p displays and will likely come in both 11" and 13" variations. Knowing MediaTek it will be priced extremely competitively as well, so next year may turn out to be an interesting year for the Chinese Chromebook scene.
Source: ARMdevices.net via GizChina
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