MediaTek officially announces MT6589

Just a few days ago, MediaTek has officially announced the launch of the new MT6589 platform for Android smartphones. According to the company, MT6589 will be the world's first commercialized quad-core SoC (System on a Chip), available for mid to high-end Android smartphones and tablets worldwide. It integrates MediaTek's advanced multi-mode UMTS Rel. 8/HSPA+/TD-SCDMA modem, a power-efficient quad-core Cortex™-A7 CPU subsystem from ARM, PowerVR™ SGX Series 5XT GPU from Imagination Technologies, and is delivered in 28nm process technology.

To keep up with the increasing multi-SIM demand around the world, it will support Dual SIM Dual Active functionality. This is for sure the most interesting news about MediaTek MT6589.

The new MT6589 quad-core solution supports 1080p 30fps/30fps low-power video playback and recording, a 13MP camera with integrated ISP, up to FHD (1920x1080) LCD displays, and enhanced picture processing for DTV-grade image quality.


It will also support Miracast™ technology for multi-screen content sharing and pre-integrate MediaTek's leading 4-in-1 connectivity combo MT6628, which supports 802.11n Wi-Fi, BT4.0, GPS and FM.

MediaTek MT6589 is currently being incorporated into smart devices by MediaTek's leading global customers, and the first models based on this new chipset are expected to ship commercially in the first quarter of 2013. Stay tuned because this upcoming SoC is very promising!

Huawei U8836D / Ascend G500 Pro / Shine (Dual SIM with 3G support)

Introduction

After being very pleased with the performance of ZTE V970, I've decided to test a fresh new smartphone from Huawei. Also powered by MediaTek MT6577 chipset, one of the most promising dual SIM smartphones is Huawei U8836D / Ascend G500 Pro (also known as Shine).

Huawei is a Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company. It is nowadays  the largest telecommunications equipment maker in the world, having overtaken Ericsson.

Specifications

Chipset
Name:	MediaTek MT6577
CPU:	Dual-core 1 GHz ARM Cortex™-A9
GPU:	PowerVR™ SGX 531
Instruction set:	ARMv7
Software environment
Embedded:OS:	Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Body
Dimensions (width x height x depth):	130 x 65 x 11.2 millimetres
Weigth:	156 grams (battery included)
Color:	Black
Battery
Capacity:	1930 mAh
Memory
RAM:capacity:	1 GB
ROM-capacity:	4 GB
Expansion slot:	microSD memory card, supporting up to 32 GB
Network support
Primary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS900, UMTS2100
Secondary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900
Data links:	GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA
Display
Type:	IPS-LCD capacitive touchscreen
Size:	4.3 inches, qHD resolution (540 x 960 pixels)
Protection:	Corning Gorilla glass
Camera
Main (rear):	5 megapixels with autofocus and single LED flash
Secondary (front):	0.3 megapixels
Interfaces
Bluetooth (802.15):	Bluetooth 3.0 + Enhanced Data Rate
Wireless LAN / Wi-Fi (802.11):	IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
USB:	USB 2.0 Client, Hi-Speed (480 Mbit/s) USB Series Micro-B (Micro-USB) connector
Satellite navigation
Built-in GPS module:	MT6620 chipset
GPS antenna:	Internal
Complementary GPS services:	A-GPS (Assisted GPS), MediaTek EPO (Extended Prediction Orbit)
Additional features
Sensors:	Gravity, Proximity and Light sensors
Analog Radio:	FM radio (87.5-108 MHz) with RDS radio receiver
Others:	Dedicated LED for notification of missed calls / new messages

ZTE V970 (Dual SIM with 3G support)

Introduction

Approximately one month after MediaTek's official launch of the new MT6577 platform, the first devices based on that same chipset started to emerge...

The usual replicas of the hottest smartphones available on the market will always continue to appear, but also big Chinese companies are betting hard on MediaTek platforms. Lenovo is a great example of that, with some successful models such as A60 (MT6573), A750 (MT6575) and the most recently released A789 (MT6577).

Another known Chinese manufacturer choosing MediaTek platforms to power its devices is ZTE. By 2011, ZTE was the world's fifth-largest telecommunications equipment maker measured by its revenues and the world's fourth-largest mobile phone manufacturer measured by unit sales. This review will cover details about the newly released ZTE V970, a dual SIM smartphone based on MT6577 chipset.

Specifications

Chipset
Name:	MediaTek MT6577
CPU:	Dual-core 1 GHz ARM Cortex™-A9
GPU:	PowerVR™ SGX 531
Instruction set:	ARMv7
Software environment
Embedded:OS:	Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Body
Dimensions (width x height x depth):	127.4 x 65 x 9.9 millimetres
Weigth:	140 grams (battery included)
Color:	Black
Battery
Capacity:	1600 mAh
Memory
RAM:capacity:	1 GB
ROM-capacity:	4 GB
Expansion slot:	microSD memory card, supporting up to 64 GB
Network support
Primary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS900, UMTS2100
Secondary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900
Data links:	GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA
Display
Type:	IPS-LCD capacitive touchscreen
Size:	4.3 inches, qHD resolution (540 x 960 pixels)
Camera
Main (rear):	5 megapixels with autofocus and single LED flash
Secondary (front):	None
Interfaces
Bluetooth (802.15):	Bluetooth 3.0 + Enhanced Data Rate
Wireless LAN / Wi-Fi (802.11):	IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
USB:	USB 2.0 Client, Hi-Speed (480 Mbit/s) USB Series Micro-B (Micro-USB) connector
Satellite navigation
Built-in GPS module:	MT6620 chipset
GPS antenna:	Internal
Complementary GPS services:	MediaTek EPO (Extended Prediction Orbit)
Additional features
Sensors:	Gravity, Proximity and Light sensors
Analog Radio:	FM radio (87.5-108 MHz) with RDS radio receiver
Others:	Dedicated LED for notification of missed calls / new messages

Upcoming MediaTek chipsets... expected in 2013

Reports seems to point that MediaTek plans to launch two new SoC products using the 28 nm manufacturing process by the first quarter of 2013...

MT6588 chipset will feature a quad-core ARM Cortex™-A7 processor running at 1.5 GHz or 1.7 GHz. This chipset will support WCDMA and TD-SCDMA (used by China Mobile) network technologies.

Thanks to the integrated PowerVR™ SGX 544 GPU, it will also feature support for up to 1280×800 pixel displays, 1080p video playback and up to 13 megapixels cameras. 

Aside from the new quad-core chipset, MediaTek will also release the dual-core MT6583, which will likewise run at either 1.5 GHz or 1.7 GHz. This one will support a resolution of up to 854×480, meaning it will target a different market segment, particularly lower-end to mid-range devices.

MediaTek roadmap

Additionally, MediaTek's general manager was cited to say that the company is focusing on including LTE support in its chipsets, which can enable smartphone manufacturers to release lower-priced handsets that support this technology.

ZOPO ZP300 Field (Dual SIM with 3G support)

Introduction

I've been very busy lately and only now had the needed spare time to finish the review of a recent MT6575 based smartphone that I've got as replacement of my ThL V9. The review will focus on ZP300 (also known as Field) from the Chinese manufacturer ZOPO.

Previous and quite successful models from ZOPO are ZP100 (Pilot) and ZP200 (Shining). Just like ThL, this manufacturer provides ROM updates very often. This is worth to mention because it is always important to have such kind of support.

Specifications

Chipset
Name:	MediaTek MT6575
CPU:	1 GHz ARM Cortex™-A9
GPU:	PowerVR™ SGX 531
Instruction set:	ARMv7
Software environment
Embedded:OS:	Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Body
Dimensions (width x height x depth):	133 x 68.2 x 11.3 millimetres
Weigth:	123 grams (battery included)
Color:	Black (or white)
Battery
Capacity:	1800 mAh
Memory
RAM:capacity:	1 GB
ROM-capacity:	4 GB
Expansion slot:	microSD memory card, supporting up to 64 GB
Network support
Primary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS850, UMTS900, UMTS1900, UMTS2100
Secondary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900
Data links:	GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA
Display
Type:	LG AH-IPS capacitive touchscreen
Size:	4.5 inches, HD resolution (720 x 1280 pixels)
Camera
Main (rear):	5 megapixels with autofocus and single LED flash
Secondary (front):	2 megapixels
Interfaces
Bluetooth (802.15):	Bluetooth 3.0 + Enhanced Data Rate
Wireless LAN / Wi-Fi (802.11):	IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
USB:	USB 2.0 Client, Hi-Speed (480 Mbit/s) USB Series Micro-B (Micro-USB) connector
Satellite navigation
Built-in GPS module:	MT6620 chipset
GPS antenna:	Internal
Complementary GPS services:	A-GPS (Assisted GPS), MediaTek EPO (Extended Prediction Orbit)
Additional features
Sensors:	Gravity, Proximity, Light and Magnetic field sensors
Analog Radio:	FM radio (87.5-108 MHz) with RDS radio receiver
Others:	Dedicated LED for notification of missed calls / new messages

MT6575T to be named MT6577

Some of you may have heard rumours that MediaTek was working on MT6575T, an improved version of MT6575, integrating a dual-core ARM Cortex™-A9 processor.

It is now being said that the new chipset will be named MT6577, although further informations such as the integrated GPU are not yet known (better to wait for an official MediaTek announcement).

MT657x (MT6515 / MT6575 / MT6577) flashing tutorial

Now that the new MediaTek SoC has been released, it is time to publish the instructions on how to flash your MT65x5 (MT6515 and MT6575) based device. Please note that the images shown on this tutorial are just examples and that you must flash your device with the correct ROM files.

Make sure that you read everything carefully and know what you are doing. Don't blame me for any damage that may occur on your device.



Update: By the time that this tutorial was written only MT65x5 was available. Current MT6577 based device can also be flashed using the exact same method, so this has just been updated with references to that most recent SoC.

ThL V9 (Dual SIM with 3G support)

Introduction

If you have been following the latest news, then you should be already aware that MediaTek has released the new MT6575 chipset. The first engineering samples started to emerge by the end of the first quarter of this year and right now, the market is already filled up with quite a few interesting options.

I have decided to take ThL V9, not only for its appealing design, but also because the manufacturer is known for releasing phones with great quality and providing updates very often.

Specifications

Chipset
Name:	MediaTek MT6575
CPU:	1 GHz ARM Cortex™-A9
GPU:	PowerVR™ SGX 531
Instruction set:	ARMv7
Software environment
Embedded:OS:	Android 2.3.6 (Gingerbread)
Body
Dimensions (width x height x depth):	130 x 65.5 x 12.1 millimetres
Weigth:	139 grams (battery included)
Color:	Black (also available in white or grey)
Battery
Capacity:	1550 mAh
Memory
RAM:capacity:	512 MB
ROM-capacity:	4 GB
Expansion slot:	microSD memory card, supporting up to 32 GB
Network support
Primary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS850, UMTS2100
Secondary phone:	GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900
Data links:	GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA
Display
Type:	Sharp ASV-LCD capacitive touchscreen
Size:	4.3 inches, qHD resolution (540 x 960 pixels)
Camera
Main (rear):	5 megapixels with autofocus and dual LED flash
Secondary (front):	0.3 megapixels
Interfaces
Bluetooth (802.15):	Bluetooth 3.0 + Enhanced Data Rate
Wireless LAN / Wi-Fi (802.11):	IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
USB:	USB 2.0 Client, Hi-Speed (480 Mbit/s) USB Series Micro-B (Micro-USB) connector
Satellite navigation
Built-in GPS module:	MT6620 chipset
GPS antenna:	Internal
Complementary GPS services:	A-GPS (Assisted GPS), MediaTek EPO (Extended Prediction Orbit)
Additional features
Sensors:	Gravity, Proximity, Light and Magnetic field sensors
Analog Radio:	FM radio (87.5-108 MHz) with RDS radio receiver

Creating a ROM dump of your MT65x3 device

Well, I have decided to create this tutorial for those that wish to create a backup of the stock ROM installed on their MT65x3 based smartphones. This is actually the only working method for non-rooted phones.

I assume that you are already familiar with SP Flash Tool, but if not, just read my MT65x3 flashing tutorial.

Increasing G11i Pro and HD7 internal memory

For those that have been following my G11i Pro or HD7 support threads (here and here, respectively), you may have noticed that my latest custom ROMs now support ext2 file system (thanks to casacristo).

That means you can now use Android App2SD scripts and increase your phone's internal memory. I will detail here the step-by-step instructions in order to achieve that.

Complete guide to ClockworkMod Recovery

ClockworkMod – also known as Clockwork and CWM – is a custom recovery for Android phones and tablets that allows you to perform several advanced recovery, restoration, installation and maintenance operations on your Android device that are not possible with the stock recovery. This guide will cover all that this recovery is capable of doing, and how to do it.

Here is what shall be covered in this guide:

• About Android recovery
• Introduction to ClockworkMod
• Installing ClockworkMod
• Booting into ClockworkMod
• Feature tour

Now let's take a look at each of these topics in detail.

MT6575 launch officially announced

MediaTek has officially announced the launch of the new MT6575 platform for Android smartphones. According to the company, it is ideal for entry and mid-range Android smartphones. MT6575 comes with a single core ARM Cortex™-A9 processor clocked at 1 GHz and supports the latest Android version “Ice Cream Sandwich”.

MT6575 also supports 720p playback, 8MP camera, qHD resolution (960x540) and 3D displays, thanks to the PowerVR™ SGX Series 5 GPU. It has world’s lowest power consumption as well as hot swap dual-SIM capability, making it perfect for budget dual-SIM Android devices for developing markets. According to MediaTek, the MT6575 outperformed Qualcomm’s Snapdragon MSM7227A (which is its market equivalent) chipset in a series of third-party benchmarks.

The first smartphones powered by MediaTek MT6575 are expected to be out in the market in Q1 2012.

Breaking news for G11i Pro and HD7 Pro owners!!!

For those that weren't following the respective G11i Pro or HD7 Pro support threads, here are the breaking news:

Both phones can now support one of the most desired features - SIM2 will be reachable even if there's an active data connection established on SIM1. The data connection will be immediately dropped when a new call is incoming from SIM2 and the download will be automatically resumed after the call is over.

MediaTek working on MT6575...

It seems that MediaTek has been working on a new chipset - MT6575 - as a response against Qualcomm's MSM7227A. It's said that it will feature a single core ARM Cortex™-A9 processor clocked at up to 1 GHz and will also support HSPA+. By comparison, MT6573 is much inferior, because the used chip integrates an ARM11™ processor clocked at only 650 MHz. On the modem part, MT6573 chipset only supports data connections up to HSPA (speed of 7.2 Mbps / 5.76 Mbps).

It's expected that the first MT6575 based smartphone prototypes start appearing after the upcoming Chinese New Year. Let's wait then!