How MediaTek's 5G chipsets power the ultra-connected-lifestyle of today's Gen Z?
They expect their smartphones to keep up with their lifestyle, providing fast speeds and uninterrupted connectivity
MediaTek's Rami Osman, Director of Sales and Marketing - the Middle East and Africa, talks about the company's latest 5G chipset that is designed to keep up with the ultra-connected lifestyle of today's Gen Z, its collaboration with OPPO, and the premium experience it brings to OPPO's latest Reno5 Z 5G smartphone.
1. Can you give us an overview on MediaTek journey in the 5G mobile offering?
MediaTek has a long track record of R&D in the area of 5G connectivity. We have been collaborating with 3GPP (the 5G/cellular standards consortium), to further the advancement of 5G technologies. Our 5G timeline boasts more than 25 industry-first technologies including collaborations with global operators, technical documents and products that are enabling MediaTek-powered devices to bring incredible experiences to consumers around the world.
To date we have committed over 100 billion NTD (3.3 billion USD) to 5G R&D. Today, our 5G-enabled portfolio has established an ecosystem of more than 100 global 5G operators, industry partners and global brands, and continues to grow.
2. Can you tell us more about MediaTek's collaboration with OPPO, especially in the GCC region?
MediaTek and OPPO have been close affiliates since our early days in the industry. We have successfully collaborated towards common goals on several occasions. One such example is our Helio P series, which focuses on what we called the 'New Premium'. OPPO debuted this on its Reno5 F smartphone, in line with our common vision of bringing premium technology to the mid-range segment of the smartphone market.
Since the start of 5G commercialization last year, both OPPO and MediaTek have been working towards one goal, bringing flagship 5G technology to more devices in the market so that everyone can experience the power of 5G. Our Density family of 5G chipsets brings cutting-edge, next-gen technology in the mid-range price tier, enabling OPPO smartphone to deliver ultra-connectivity through advanced 5G, imaging, gaming, and multimedia experience, such as the latest Reno5 Z 5G.
3. What makes MediaTek Dimensity 800U on the Reno5 Z 5G unique?
Our Dimensity family of chipsets are bold, progressive and demonstrate MediaTek's innovative thinking. On OPPO Reno5 Z 5G, MediaTek Dimensity 800U brings the most comprehensive 5G features to the young generation, delivering the 'ultra-connected' lifestyle that they seek, without skimping on the performance of everyday apps and experiences.
The Dimensity 800U now brings the essential dual 5G SIM feature to OPPO Reno5 Z 5G users, who will be able to receive 30% greater coverage - thanks to 5G Carrier Aggregation (5G-CA) that enables higher average speeds, improves 5G coverage and provides a seamless handover between two 5G connection areas. MediaTek 5G UltraSave on Dimensity 800U also delivers the world's most power-efficient smartphone 5G modem design on OPPO Reno5 Z 5G. The chipset is made using the latest, ultra-low power TSMC 7nm production process and incorporates several power-saving technologies.
Equipped with a speedy octa-core CPU, the Dimensity 800U features two Arm Cortex-A76 'Big' cores operating up to a speedy 2.4GHz. This ultra-fast peak speed benefits apps and games that need the fastest throughput, giving OPPO Reno5 Z 5G users ultra-responsive action.
Dimensity 800U also empowers smartphones to deliver crisp Full HD+ resolution and ultra-fast 120Hz displays. This reduces blur, improves response time and shows notably smoother scrolling of webpages and animations on OPPO Reno5 Z 5G. Dimensity 800U supports cameras up to 64MP and when combined with its in-built AI processor it can capture brilliant night/low-light shots. In-built imaging accelerators enable accurate bokeh in real-time previews and pictures. Anti-distortion-warping, noise reduction and facial detection work together to enhance the photography and video capture results of OPPO Reno5 Z 5G.
4. What are the key features that MediaTek takes into consideration when developing chipsets for smartphones that can meet the demands of the youth in the region?
The youth in MENA are more immersed in mobile technology than ever before. They expect their smartphones to keep up with their lifestyle, providing fast speeds and uninterrupted connectivity, whether it is for capturing photos and videos, playing games or staying in touch with friends.
Taking all this into consideration, in every Dimensity 5G chip we build in incredible technology for imaging, video, gaming, connectivity and power efficiency. That means users get incredible experiences that matter most to them on a smartphone: unrivalled photography in any light, the highest definition video, smooth and lag-free gaming, super-fast 5G connections everywhere and longer battery life.
On OPPO Reno5 Z 5G, the chipset is engineered with OPPO Smart 5G compatibility to enable fast download and upload speeds, efficient streaming of movies, and an immersive mobile gaming experience on-the-go for Gen Z users - thanks to MediaTek's 5G SoC chip inside.
5. What is the smartphone marketspace for MediaTek in the GCC in 2020 and 2021? Will it increase?
Globally we have captured the lion's share of the smartphone market. In MEA, our share in 2020 has grown exponentially to more than 50% of all smartphones sold. To drill down further, in the Middle East we have captured 45% of the market, while our market share in GCC stands at 31%.
6. Can we say that 2021 will be the Year of 5G for MediaTek? What are the company's new launches for this year?
5G is the theme not just for 2021, but for the coming years. This is particularly true in GCC that has shown widespread adoption of 5G especially in countries like the UAE. As consumers join the bandwagon of a hyper connected world, we will add new variants to our Dimensity family of processors in the 700, 800 and 1000 series, to cater to the growing demand.
In addition to our 5G chipsets, we will continue to bring our new Helio G family of chipsets that are designed for 4G gaming and still a favourite among the right target audience.
7. How many factories does MediaTek have around the world? Do you plan to open a factory in this region, considering the significance of this market with regards to 5G mobile penetration and overall smartphone sales?
Making semiconductors or what we call 'System On a Chip' or SOC, is one the world's most difficult undertakings, in terms of both design and manufacturing. The capex required for manufacturing is enormous - in the range of hundreds of billions of dollars. As a result, there are just a few places in the world that can manufacture SOC; these include Taiwan, USA, Korea, Japan and China. Consequently, the suppliers of semiconductor design are also concentrated in the same countries.
MediaTek is one of the world's leading designers of chipsets and the number one supplier of chipsets for smartphones, tablets, TVs and WiFi. We are a fabless company, which means that we design the chip and contract the manufacturing to our partners, the silicon foundries.
8. How important is the GCC region to MediaTek? Are you powering more smartphones for this region? How big is this region compared to other global regions for MediaTek? Can you share any figures?
Smartphone sales in the GCC is around 18 million units annually, led by the Saudi Arabia market which sells more than 10 million units a year.
The 5G market in GCC is growing steadily with telecom operators in the region investing in commercialising 5G networks and expanding their coverage to reach more consumers across their markets. These priorities align perfectly with our goal of bringing superior experiences to customers.
In addition, industry experts predict that by 2025, 21% of mobile internet users in GCC will use a 5G connection. This represents a huge opportunity for us and we are excited to be growing together with the market in GCC.