Taking on MediaTek of Taiwan, Broadcom announced a quad-core HSPA+ processor designed for entry-level smartphones.

The new quad-core HSPA+ processor is optimized for the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system (OS), Broadcom said on Thursday.

Market research agency IHS recently said that low-end smartphone shipments are expected to double to 559 million in 2016 from 206 million in 2012. Shipments of low-end smartphones will rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 51 percent from 2011 to 2016. On the other hand, high-end smart shipments will grow at a CAGR of 12 percent during the same period.

Broadcom says the BCM23550, and its turnkey design, are powered by a quad-core processor running at 1.2GHz, VideoCore multimedia and an integrated HSPA+ cellular baseband.

Rafael Sotomayor, Broadcom Vice President, Product Marketing, Mobile Platform Solutions, said: “By combining the performance benefits of a quad-core solution with features like 5G Wi-Fi, certified NFC technology, and indoor positioning technology, the platform offers device manufacturers a cost-effective path to address the affordable smartphone segment.”

Broadcom’s significant innovation is that the new chip supports dual HD, allowing users to simultaneously share high-definition content from a small handheld screen to a larger, Miracast-enabled display.

It includes VideoCore technology for fluid, responsive graphics and incorporates power management techniques to optimize battery life and reduce power consumption without compromising the user experience.

The platform provides an integrated Image Signal Processor (ISP) that supports up to 12-megapixel sensors with advanced imaging capabilities such as blink and smile detection, face tracking, red eye reduction, fast shot to shot (burst capture), zero shutter lag, and best picture selection.

With contactless terminals proliferating worldwide, the BCM23550 platform also integrates NFC with native support for simplified connectivity and mobile payments systems like QuickTap from China UnionPay.

Broadcom will have tough competition from MediaTek and Intel, the new entrant in the smartphone chip market.

IHS says for the overall market for baseband chips governing all kinds of cellphones, Intel ranks third, behind Qualcomm and MediaTek of Taiwan. Intel held an 8.4 percent share of revenue for cellphone basebands in the third quarter of 2012. However, Intel’s portion of the market represented only a sliver of the 52 percent share held by market leader Qualcomm.