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Theres never been a better time for Intel to build a phone and match it with open source OS software. If all the hardware is abandoning you then its time to bu

Theres never been a better time for Intel to build a phone and match it with open source OS software. If all the hardware is abandoning you then its time to build the hardware yourself.

RicoElectrico 6y ago
We're talking about a company whose LTE modems were demonstrably inferior - and then sold that division to Apple. https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/237984-iphone-7s-with-intel-modems-struggle-badly-in-low-signal-areas https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/237984-iphone-7s-with-int...
- trident5000 6y ago
  Lets be honest here, most of it would be outsourced to Chinese manufacturers anyway. Its just the chips they would build.
- hyperrail 6y ago
  I'd argue that Apple+Intel wasn't that far behind not-Apple+Qualcomm. And the gap was almost entirely closed from 2016 to 2018: https://www.pcmag.com/news/iphone-xs-crushes-x-in-lte-speeds-but-still-falls-short-of-qualcomm https://www.pcmag.com/news/iphone-xs-crushes-x-in-lte-speeds... > Between the three 4x4 MIMO phones, you can see that in good signal conditions, the Qualcomm-powered Galaxy Note 9 and Google Pixel 2 still do a bit better than the iPhone XS Max. But as signal gets weaker, the XS Max really competes, showing that it's well tuned. > Let's zoom in on very weak signal results. At signal levels below -120dBm (where all phones flicker between zero and one bar of reception) the XS Max is competitive with the Qualcomm phones and far superior to the iPhone X, although the Qualcomm phones can eke out a little bit more from very weak signals.
  - roneythomas6 6y ago
    I wouldn't say the gap is closed. It's not bad as previous Intel modems but not Qualcomm quality. I had Pixel 2 went to iPhone XR(current phone). In between I also had other android phones (S9, G7 and Pixel 3) for testing purposes. When compared to iPhone XR, iPhone XR had slower speeds when compared to Qualcomm modems. Also if your carrier supports carrier aggregation then the speeds are noticeable. I had do live streams with tethering this summer and Intels modems are not fast as Qualcomm modems.
    - hyperrail 6y ago
      XR was deliberately weakened in cellular speeds - it had only 2x MU MIMO instead of 4x like on the XS. That might explain what you saw.
toast0 6y ago
> Theres never been a better time for Intel to build a phone and match it with open source OS software. Before they killed off their Atom for phones product line might have been a better time. When they were working with Nokia to merge Moblin and Maemo might have been a better time.
PedroBatista 6y ago
Intel has bigger fish to fry, including getting their act together.

Theres never been a better time for Intel to build a phone and match it with open source OS software. If all the hardware is abandoning you then its time to build the hardware yourself.

RicoElectrico 6y ago

We're talking about a company whose LTE modems were demonstrably inferior - and then sold that division to Apple. https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/237984-iphone-7s-with-intel-modems-struggle-badly-in-low-signal-areas https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/237984-iphone-7s-with-int...

trident5000 6y ago
Lets be honest here, most of it would be outsourced to Chinese manufacturers anyway. Its just the chips they would build.
hyperrail 6y ago
I'd argue that Apple+Intel wasn't that far behind not-Apple+Qualcomm. And the gap was almost entirely closed from 2016 to 2018: https://www.pcmag.com/news/iphone-xs-crushes-x-in-lte-speeds-but-still-falls-short-of-qualcomm https://www.pcmag.com/news/iphone-xs-crushes-x-in-lte-speeds... > Between the three 4x4 MIMO phones, you can see that in good signal conditions, the Qualcomm-powered Galaxy Note 9 and Google Pixel 2 still do a bit better than the iPhone XS Max. But as signal gets weaker, the XS Max really competes, showing that it's well tuned. > Let's zoom in on very weak signal results. At signal levels below -120dBm (where all phones flicker between zero and one bar of reception) the XS Max is competitive with the Qualcomm phones and far superior to the iPhone X, although the Qualcomm phones can eke out a little bit more from very weak signals.
- roneythomas6 6y ago
  I wouldn't say the gap is closed. It's not bad as previous Intel modems but not Qualcomm quality. I had Pixel 2 went to iPhone XR(current phone). In between I also had other android phones (S9, G7 and Pixel 3) for testing purposes. When compared to iPhone XR, iPhone XR had slower speeds when compared to Qualcomm modems. Also if your carrier supports carrier aggregation then the speeds are noticeable. I had do live streams with tethering this summer and Intels modems are not fast as Qualcomm modems.
  - hyperrail 6y ago
    XR was deliberately weakened in cellular speeds - it had only 2x MU MIMO instead of 4x like on the XS. That might explain what you saw.

toast0 6y ago

> Theres never been a better time for Intel to build a phone and match it with open source OS software. Before they killed off their Atom for phones product line might have been a better time. When they were working with Nokia to merge Moblin and Maemo might have been a better time.

PedroBatista 6y ago

Intel has bigger fish to fry, including getting their act together.