Intel Scores Major Coup With Samsung Galaxy Tab 3

While Samsung's new Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 looks similar existing models in the Galaxy family, on the inside it's a bit different: The new tablet packs an Intel Atom processor.

This is a big win for Intel, a company that has continued to struggle to gain footing in the smartphone and tablet space.

Most Samsung products — including previous Samsung Galaxy Tab devices, as well as the Galaxy Note line — use ARM processors from Qualcomm or Samsung.

Intel claims that its Atom Z2560 processor (known as Clover Trail+) offers "double the compute performance and 3x the graphics capabilities" as its previous-generation Atom platform.

Intel also brings its own integrated graphics chip to its platform.

In terms of real-world results, we'll need to see some benchmarks (and try the device out in person) before evaluating if Clover Trail+ can take on the latest and greatest processors churned out by Qualcomm and others.

Still, getting Samsung to commit to using Intel on its tablet line — even if this isn't the higher-end Galaxy Note series — is a big coup.

I've long thought that Intel should go back to making ARM processors (ironically a business the company exited with the sale of XScale to Marvell back in 2006, right as the ARM-based market was poised to explode), but perhaps with enough traction and good will, the Atom platform can become a viable alternative for manufacturers seeking news chipsets.

Source : mashable