Intel's 32nm Medfield Atom Android Tablet Pictured

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There is no question that 2012 has to be a big year for Intel 's most power-efficient platforms.

Not only will the company have to put some products behind its promises, but it will also have to make clear that Intel processors are superior to ARM chips when running Windows 8. Expect information to become available by the slice (a big slice at CES) and expect to read about leaks like this one. 

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Slashgear received some information and pictures from a reader who apparently got his hands on what seems to be a Medfield SoC reference design tablet running Android. The pictures are pretty blurry and do not allow anyone to make any conclusions about Medfield and how well it performs - or how much better it performs than a common ARM chip. The source claims that he got his hands on the tablet for just $50.

There are no surprises as far as looks and features of this specific reference tablet are concerned, but there is the indication that Intel could be giving away reference designs to developers at this time.

Douglas Perry
21 Comments Comment from the forums
  • de5_Roy
    i wonder what the tablet holder is trying to measure...(refering to the 2nd pic).
    Reply
  • alyoshka
    needle nose ??? Maybe :)
    Reply
  • nottheking
    I'm still a little wary about Atom... Much of the power increase would simply come from a higher clock rate; clock-for-clock, Atom doesn't tend to score as big a gain over ARM as other current x86 architectures, such as Nehalem/Sandy Bridge, AMD's Stars, or even Bulldozer.

    That, and many ARM CPUs are claiming sub-watt TDPs... While the CPU tends to be secondary to the screen and wireless in terms of power consumption, it could still make an impact, so I have to wonder a bit about the battery life. Little word on precisely the core used for Medfield, (since the name appears to apply to the whole SoC, and not just the CPU) but I'll hope, for Intel's sake, that it's the MID counterpart to Cedar Trail; they'd managed to scrape the 1W TDP line there.
    Reply
  • classzero
    eww, I have no interest in an Atom. I almost purchased a netbook until i say the Atom chip and it's performance (still would if it had some power).
    Reply
  • saturnus
    What I'm most worried about is that Medfield reportedly has a max resolution of 800x480. That's not even enough to compete with current generation top smartphone and far from current top range tablets. By most accounts top range phones and tablets go true 1080p next year which will leave Medfield for the ultra-low range market. A segment Intel certainly don't want to and doesn't have the capability to compete in.
    Reply
  • freggo
    Not sure what the $50 reference means. Is this a 'developer' discount or is this a possible retail price ?
    I mean, $50 retail would be an absolute killer product actually.
    Reply
  • freggo
    Folks, you have to stop thinking about HDTV and playing Crisis with every product out there.
    Companies do have other target groups in mind too !
    Some people just want an 'electronic to do list', carry a shopping list with them, or a client database etc.
    Reply
  • saturnus
    saturnusWhat I'm most worried about is that Medfield reportedly has a max resolution of 800x480. That's not even enough to compete with current generation top smartphone and far from current top range tablets. By most accounts top range phones and tablets go true 1080p next year which will leave Medfield for the ultra-low range market. A segment Intel certainly don't want to and doesn't have the capability to compete in.
    Sorry. 1280x800 max resolution. Still far from next years top range tablets and phones.
    Reply
  • Lord Captivus
    freggoFolks, you have to stop thinking about HDTV and playing Crisis with every product out there.Blasphemy!!!
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    I agree 100%...
    Reply
  • GreaseMonkey_62
    As long as it's got an Intel Atom based processor, I think I'll stay away. I've got my fingers crossed that AMD will be releasing a RISC based APU processor in the next year.
    Reply