FreedomPop Working On 'Wi-Fi First' Phone Using Intel Atom x3 (SoFIA) SoC

FreedomPop is known for its low-cost mobile plans, and its next steps for expansion to other smartphones includes its latest round of funding from Intel Capital. The money will help with the development of a so-called "Wi-Fi first" smartphone set to launch in 2016.

The phone will use Intel's Atom x3 processors (aka, the SoFIA series), which were initially announced in March during Mobile World Congress (MWC). The chips, which support Android and Windows systems, are meant for entry-level devices and feature 3G or 4G connectivity, depending on the chip. It will have 13 MP front and 5 MP rear cameras as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC and GNSS.

Other than that, details are still slim for FreedomPop's latest project. However, we do know that it will have Wi-Fi-to-cellular switching and offer high-quality VoIP calls. Users will also be able to throttle and boost network speeds on the device.

The price is still unknown, but the company assures customers that it will be "competitively priced." The launch date and the phone's availability in select markets will be revealed at a later date.

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Rexly Peñaflorida II is a Contributor at Tom’s Hardware. He writes news on tech and hardware, but mostly focuses on gaming news. As a Chicagoan, he believes that deep dish pizza is real pizza and ketchup should never be on hot dogs. Ever. Also, Portillo’s is amazing.

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