Firefox and Spreadtrum are partnering up on a chipset that has the potential to bring a $25 smartphone to market.
Leveraging Mozilla’s Firefox OS turnkey reference designs with Spreadtrum’s entry-level smartphone chipsets, the companies see the possibility for a smartphone that costs less than a tank of gas.
The chipset (SC6821) combines a “low memory configuration and high level of integration” to drive down costs, according to a press release. More specifically, Spreadtrum says the chipset could support smartphones with 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreens, integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and camera functions. And it all runs on Firefox’s web-based OS, lowering the amount of necessary memory.
“This joint effort between Spreadtrum and Mozilla will help make Firefox OS more readily available to handset makers that focus on the needs of entry level smartphone buyers in emerging markets,” said Stuart Robinson, analyst at Strategy Analytics.
Spreadtrum and Mozilla said they’re down with the integration of Firefox OS with Spreadtrum’s SC6821 and SC7710 WCDMA smartphone chipsets. They expect to finish a turnkey reference design for the SC7715, Spreadtrum’s single-core CDMA smartphone chipset with integrated connectivity, next month.
Following that, Spreadtrum expects to extend Mozilla’s collaboration across its full chipset portfolio.
