MediaTek Working on 5G-Capable Chipset Built on 7nm Process: Report

Chipmaker MediaTek has revealed that it is working on a chipset built on the 7nm manufacturing process and with support for 5G connectivity. The new work-in-progress chip will be positioned above the company's Helio P90 SoC and will power high-end phones. The new 7nm chip will be launched this year, but an exact timeline wasn't revealed. Whenever it launches, the chip will go head-to-head to the Snapdragon 855 SoC by Qualcomm. Given MediaTek's track record, this chip will be cheaper than the competition, giving OEM makers the ability to make cheaper 5G smartphones.

Finbarr Moynihan, MediaTek's vice president of corporate sales and business development for the Americas and Europe, has confirmed to Android Authority that they are working on a smartphone processor built on the 7nm process. The executive said that it will power 'high-end phones' and will be more capable than the 12nm Helio P90 processor. Kevin Keating, MediaTek's director of global public relations, also confirmed to the publication that the upcoming chipset series would offer 5G capabilities.

"I think you'll see something moving up-tier from us. How we brand it and what it shows up as, I'm not sure. But you'll certainly see more high-end capability than, say, we've exhibited on the P90," Moynihan told the publication.

This chip is said to launch later this year, however an exact time frame for its arrival, isn't known yet.

MediaTek also has its Helio M70 5G baseband chipset that it showcased in December. It will be available to manufacturers later this year, and phones will integrate it in second half of 2020. The chipset was first announced at Computex 2018. The M70 is based on TSMC's 7nm process, has a transfer rate of 5Gbps, and supports 5G NR (New Radio).