The pandemic of COVID 19 It hit semiconductor production hard around the world as contagions between workers forced factories to close for a defined period of time, which led to delays and problems in supplying the needs of all their customers.
MediaTek was one of the companies affected by this situation, like Samsung, Huawei, Apple and Qualcomm, companies that require TSMC and other manufacturers to manufacture the processors used by millions of products around the world; from smart speakers to smartphones.
This situation has diminished differently for each manufacturer. For example, Samsung lost the title of world’s No. 1 manufacturer to Xiaomi due to chip supply problems for its smartphones during June, allowing the Chinese manufacturer to sell more phones worldwide.
But something that is striking is that during the first half of 2021 we have seen more launches with processors of MediaTek, especially with some smartphones that were previously “married” to Qualcomm processors.
The MediaTek boom
One of the big surprises of 2021 was the launch of the OnePlus Nord 2, a phone that the Chinese brand wants to turn into super sales, and whose predecessor (OnePlus Nords) had very positive reviews. However, the surprise was not the launch, but rather that heThe brand opted for a Mediatek processor and not QualcommAs normally the best OnePlus phones use only Snapdragon chips.
OnePlus engineers in Spain mentioned that the decision was due to the fact that the Dimensity 1200 It had the ideal performance they were looking for for their new phone, which caused a surprise to more than one fan of the brand.
Alexander Rojas, Corporate Sales Manager for Latin America at MediaTek, mentioned in an interview with Unocero that one of the secrets by which more and more manufacturers are betting on the company’s chips is because have been able to cope with the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“2022 is going to be even more surprising in what awaits us. The most complicated part for MediaTek and other chipset manufacturers is that the manufacturing capacities of our partners are exceeded, ”said the executive. “We have seen that the shortage of components is something that is here to stay for a while, analysts have told us that it will continue in 2022,” he said.
Successful planning and technologies
Faced with this type of crisis, the key is planning: “MediaTek has done a very good planning with the different business partners. It is what helped us during this 2021 ”, mentioned Alexander Rojas.
When the executive was asked about why more brands are betting on MediaTek processors, he commented that part of his good planning is in creating to meet the technological needs of partners and users.
“We did our job very well. We have 5G solutions with more than 20 processors with this technology, from the Dimensity 700 to the Dimensity 1200 and some that will be announced soon. Planning with our strategic partners has been key. In addition, we have the solutions that the industry needs, and we are making processors of any range with the best technologies ”.
According to IDC figures, MediaTek’s market share during the first quarter of the year in Latin America was 44%, that is, almost half of all phones sold in the region during this period had a Dimensity or Helio processor.
The executive mentioned to Unocero that for the second quarter of 2021 they expect to maintain a similar quota, and announced that IDC will soon reveal market data on the number of smartphones with MediaTek processors that were sold in the region.
“We expect to be on about 36 million smartphones; the expectation is to be in a similar market share for the second quarter of 2021 ”.
5G is a key technology for MediaTek
Although in Mexico the 5G is still in the testing phase, it is expected that by the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022 the first commercial 5G network will be ready. However, it is common to see that Most of the phones that are being launched in Mexico are now ready to support 5G.
The OnePlus Nord 2, Redmi Note 10 5G, POCO M3 PRO 5G and Motorola Edge 20 Lite are some of the recent launches on the market that support 5G and include a Mediatek processor and modem. For now, only 2 of these models are sold in Mexico, but the OnePlus Nord 2 and the Moto Edge 20 Lite are expected to arrive in our country in the coming weeks.
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Alexander Rojas mentioned that a new phone will be announced in Mexico very soon that will mount the Dimensity 1200, so it could be the OnePlus Nord 2.
“We are making progress in this transition between 4G and 5G. The transition process between 3G and 4G was very slow, but what awaits us with the jump to 5G will be much more accelerated, and one of the main reasons for this acceleration is because companies are joining the segments with less competition, that is, the development of chips below 10 nanometers, which means that in order to have chips with this processing capacity and to be able to take full advantage of it, you need to bet on 5G ”, stressed the executive.
However, Rojas mentioned that MediaTek is not rapidly migrating to 5G because of the speed of the networks, but because of the greater capacity and processing power of its chips, which are capable of offering a better experience to its consumers.
The executive is one of the few people who has already been able to test the 5G network in Mexico through the test networks, and mentioned that one of the functions that have surprised him the most with 5G-ready phones is not that they can reach charging speeds. and ultra-fast downloads, but aspects such as the autonomy of the phones also improve remarkably.
The above is not because 5G consumes less energy, because in reality it is the opposite, but because MediaTek has made its processors increasingly efficient due to the fact that they include more transistors and processing speed.
“The big difference between a 4G and a 5G processor is not because of the modem, but because of how it is built, which greatly benefits the data capacity it processes. At the beginning of 2019 we announced our first 5G modem, we made the right investments in the right technology at the right time, ”said Alexander Rojas.
The challenge for the Taiwanese manufacturer is to continue betting on attractive solutions for companies and users even after the pandemic ends. However, the firm is ahead in the region in the sale and positioning of 5G-ready mid-range smartphones, because despite the fact that firms such as Qualcomm also have many 5G-compatible chips, there are few models in Latin America that come with a Snapdragon 600 or 400 series ready for 5G.