MediaTek and Qualcomm announce chipsets for Android Oreo Go edition

Both chipset makers will work closely with Google to deliver processors that are specifically optimized for the recently-announced Android Oreo Go edition.

Qualcomm unveiled that the Snapdragon mobile platforms will soon power Windows-based laptops and teased that the next flagship chipset will indeed be called Snapdragon 845. Along with these two announcements, the company also gave us a glimpse into its plans for Android Oreo Go edition. If you didn’t know already, Android Oreo Go edition is a “lighter” version of Google’s regular OS and is able to run on devices with less storage and RAM. While it’s likely to remain largely irrelevant in markets like the US, it will undoubtedly play an important role in emerging regions.

Qualcomm says that it’s currently working with Google to deliver an optimized experience for smartphones that come with 1 GB or less of memory. According to the company, mid and low-tier Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platforms will be ready to be used by device manufacturers shortly after Android 8.1 Oreo is released to the Open Source Project.

Fortunately, Qualcomm isn’t the only company who is willing to collaborate with Google on its ambitious plan to improve the Android experience on less powerful phones. MediaTek, a Taiwanese semiconductor company that quickly gained recognition in the mobile phone industry, will also debut multiple chipsets in partnership with Google. The MT6739, MT 6737, and MT6580 processors, among others, will have broad support packages available to run Android Oreo Go edition. The company states that Google was directly involved to ensure “that Android Oreo Go edition works well on its line of processors, enabling a faster time-to-market mechanism for device manufacturers, and ensuring a quality Android smartphone experience that is both secure and affordable for devices with 512MB to 1GB of memory.”

As TL Lee, the General Manager at MediaTek’s business unit, points out, Google’s Android Oreo Go edition combined with MediaTek’s optimized chipsets will be an important step in tackling “the performance challenges of lower memory phones” and in “improving the user experience of entry level smartphones for consumers in key markets across India, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and South East Asia.”

Do you think Google’s Android Oreo Go edition is a much-needed solution to performance disparity among phones, or do you think it worsens the fragmentation problem that’s been plaguing Android since its inception? Let us know by leaving a comment below!