Infineon Introduces Entry-Level Platform for Android™ Handsets to Drive Smartphones into the High Volume Segment

Feb 15, 2010 | Market News

Neubiberg, Germany and Barcelona, Spain – February 15, 2010 – Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) today at the Mobile World Congress 2010 announced XMM™6181, a new entry-level smartphone platform for Android handsets addressing the high volume consumer segment. XMM 6181 offers open OS support for Android through a highly integrated system solution that will help to bring mobile social networking to the mass market. With this extension to its smart devices portfolio, Infineon brings smartphone functionality for a new price segment with wholesale prices between 100 and 150 US dollars while maintaining key multimedia capabilities and connectivity features. This platform leverages the maturity of Infineon’s market proven cellular modem technology to enable fast integration, reduced time to market and smooth global launch.


The new platform is centered on the X-GOLD™618, a cellular System-on-Chip (SoC), comprising monolithically integrated ARM11™, multimedia-accelerators for video, graphics, and audio processing, 5 Megapixel ISP (Image Signal Processor), 2G/3G baseband functionality, and power management. It is complemented by SMARTi™UE, the market leading multimode and multiband HSPA RF transceiver solution.


Infineon’s strength in market proven 3GPP (3rd generation Partnership Program) multimode HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) modems combined with its years of leadership in ULC (ultra low cost) solutions enables the company to offer this highly competitive entry-level smartphone solution. Smartphones have brought a rich world of applications to the mobile consumer. The cost structure of today’s solutions however has been a barrier for mass market adoption.


“Infineon’s new entry-level smartphone platform for Android will drive smartphone functionality into the volume segment of today’s feature phones,” said Weng Kuan Tan, President of the Wireless Solutions Division at Infineon. “After mobile voice and mobile internet, entry-level smartphones will enable the next level of mass communication: mobile social networking!”


”Entry-tier smartphones will be the fastest growing smartphone segment worldwide during the 2010 to 2014 period. Enabled by cost-efficient hardware platforms and operators’ need for data-centric devices with lower subsidies, entry-level smartphones will strongly foster smartphone adoption by a broader section of mobile users,” said Neil Mawston of market research company Strategy Analytics.


About the X-GOLD 618


The X-GOLD 618 baseband supports the key features for a multimedia smartphone platform with WVGA (800x480) display resolution, video play and record (MPEG4, H.264/3) with 30fps, 5 Megapixel camera, touch screen interface and high speed USB. Dedicated video, graphics and audio processors ensure high performance while being energy efficient, at the same time offloading the powerful ARM11™ CPU for support of fast user interface interaction and user applications leading to best-in-class user experience. The platform is enabled to support Bluetooth, FM radio, WLAN and A-GPS.


Together with Infineon’s 2G/3G RF transceiver SMARTi UE, the device supports complete HSDPA (7.2Mbps), HSUPA (2.9Mbps) modem functionality up to quad band 3G and quad band EDGE. This concurrent modem functionality coupled with multimedia capabilities enables compelling parallel consumer use cases to fulfill modern social networking demands.


The XMM 6181 platform solution includes a reference design, a complete RF engine, and an integrated Release 6 dual-mode protocol stack and will enable Android framework.


Availability


The XMM 6181 platform is available and will be presented at the Infineon booth (hall 1, booth B22) at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from February 15 to 18, 2010. All components are scheduled to ship in volume quantities in 2nd quarter of 2010.

About Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society: energy efficiency, communications, and security. In the 2009 fiscal year (ending September), the company reported sales of Euro 3.03 billion with approximately 25,650 employees worldwide. With a global presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the U.S. from Milpitas, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore, and in Japan from Tokyo. Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the over-the-counter market OTCQX International Premier (ticker symbol: IFNNY).

Information Number

INFWLS201002.032