Intel launched a 64-bit dual-core Atom Z34xx mobile processor and announced an upcoming quad-core “Moorefield” version, promising Android 4.4.2 support.

At an Intel news conference held during Mobile World Congress, Intel President Renee James launched the 64-bit Intel Atom Z34xx processor series (formerly “Merrifield”) for smartphones and tablets, announced a next-generation, quad-core Z35xx processor series codenamed “Moorefield,” and detailed a multi-mode 2G/3G/4G/LTE communications chipset dubbed the “XMM 7160.”

2014 mobile processor roadmap and platform architecture
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The 64-bit, 2.13GHz Atom Z34xx offers “fast, smart, performance, and long battery life for Android smartphones and tablets,” claims Intel. It’s based on the company’s 22nm Silvermont microarchitecture and features an Imagination Technologies PowerVR Series 6 Graphics IP core. Additionally, the Z34xx is the first Intel Atom processor to integrate Intel’s new “Integrated Sensor Solution,” said to “efficiently manages sensor data to keep applications smart and contextually aware even when the device is in a low-power state.”

The Z34xx is typically paired with the Intel XMM 7160 multimode LTE chipset. The combination is expected to show up in production Android devices by mid-year, says Intel.

Platform evolution: Clovertrail+ –> Merrifield –> Moorefield
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Intel also disclosed new details regarding its next-generation 64-bit Atom processor, code-named “Moorefield,” which is expected to ship in devices later this year. On top of Merrifield’s features, Moorefield adds two more cores, ups the performance to 2.3GHz, includes an enhanced GPU, and supports faster memory.

XMM 7260 LTE chipset (click to enlarge)

In conjunction with Moorefield’s launch, Intel also detailed a next-general LTE companion chipset, the XMM 7260, said to offer advanced LTE capabilities including 23 carrier aggregation combinations, category 6 speeds, and support for TDD LTE and TD-SCDMA. Intel says its 7260 demo at MWC “achieves peak LTE-Advanced Category 6 data rates of simultaneous 300Mbps downlink and 50Mbps uplink with carrier aggregation technology.”

Intel’s press conference slide deck included several slides touting Merrifield’s performance enhancements, including several comparisons to Qualcomm’s quad-core Snapdragon 800 SoC (see below).

Intel’s Merrifield performance claims
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“Sixty-four bit computing is moving from the desktop to the mobile device,” stated James.
 

Further information

For further details on the new Merrifield processor, visit Intel’s Z34xx page.