The wide application of mobile handset multimedia spurs mobile handset multimedia chip. The development course of handset multimedia chip is to some extent the development course of mobile handset functions. Handset multimedia chip, together with other types of applications, are called application processor among industrial practitioners. As for whether the application processor should be combined into the baseband processor, there is no much argument considering both of them has its own market.
For those who have established proper R & D of mobile handset software and hardware, independent exterior application processor is the certain choice in case to retain technologies and acknowledges accumulated in original handset design. Mobile handset design houses made a great effort on the 2G platform and gained a bettered technical system. Such system contains a number of supporting softwares, also passed a series of tests and authentications. Design houses won't give up the intellectual properties accumulated through years of practice. Therefore baseband processors will continue to be used. The multimedia performance can be making up by application processors. Japanese manufacturers and MOTO all have the ability to develop the overall platform to make full use of their accumulation by adopting application processors. Japanese mobile handsets however, adopt application processors much more than the others. TI launched OMAP2420 in Feb, 2004. Soon after that in Aug, 2005, some Japanese manufacturers launched four types of mobile handset, which also adopted OMAP2420. Until now, over 35 types Japan-made mobile handset adopted SH-MOBILE application processor and 20 types adopted OMAP 1610. MOTO, as well had 40 types mobile handsets adopted application processors.
For those who are accustomed to incomplete development platform of software and hardware, single function integrated baseband processor is the best choice. These manufacturer usually depend on overall solutions from big chip vendors when design mobile handsets since they have little of their own. Function integrated baseband processor helps to approach the market rapidly with fairly low cost. But it lacks flexibility in reacting to the market, leading to severe phenomena of same product quality and poor product performance.
Multimedia chip can now be divided into three categories: the core function of the first category is video process, taking H.264 CODEC chip for example, it is used to record and play the video; the core function of the second category is active images process, which are mainly cartoons and games. Display card manufacturers are particularly sophisticated in this kind of process, especially 3D pictures.
However, the core function of the third category is to deal with still images. When camera phone just emerged in the market, exterior application processor was quite common to deal with the still images. As it is easier to process the statistic images, this function was latter integrated into the baseband or into the video processor. With the increasing of camera phone pixel, exterior application processor still has its place. In addition there are also some auxiliary chips, but they are not real multimedia chips, for instance the receiving chip of mobile TV.

Mobile Handset multimedia chip companies fall into the following five categories:

Mobile handset multimedia IC usually has some major functions, including camera pixel processing, H.264 CODEC, video CODEC and chord; some may support the forming of 3D graphics and the operation systems like Linux and Symbian. According to the disparities in performance and functions of multimedia, we can hereby classify handset multimedia IC into three groups, i.e. common multimedia IC, comprehensive multimedia IC and smart Multimedia IC.

On the target companies: Nokia has been cooperating with TI for a long period to develop OMAP application processor. Even ST, Nokia's intimate partner, seldom has a chance to work with Nokia, thus more difficulty for other vendors.
Sony Ericsson relies on TI for customized baseband; Application processors are frequently adopted by Motorola, Sumsung, LG, Pantech, Sharp, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Kyocera, Bird, TCL, Sagem, NEC and BenQ-Siemens.

Global and China RF Coaxial Cable Industry Report, 2019-2025
Global market:As the rapid application of 5G to areas from internet of things (IoT) to wireless communications across the world fuels demand for RF coaxial cables (especially for fine/ultrafine produc...
Global and China RF Coaxial Cable Industry Report, 2018-2022
Benefitted from fast development of downstream sectors, and constant increase of category and technology requirement of RF coaxial cable from high-end equipment, the market size of RF coaxial cable sw...
Global and China RF Coaxial Cable Industry Report, 2015-2018
RF coaxial cable, a general term for coaxial cables that transmit electrical signal or energy within radio frequency range, is mainly used in communications equipment, communications terminals, aerosp...
Global and China RF Coaxial Cable Industry Report, 2014-2017
Benefiting from a surge in mobile phone users and gradual replacement of 2G by 3G and 4G in developing countries, global RF coaxial cable market size has been growing, registering an average annual gr...
Global and China Mobile Phone (Cell Phone) Assembly Industry Report, 2012-2013
The report highlights: 1. Global Mobile Phone Market and Industry 2. China Mobile Phone Market and Industry 3. China Mobile Phone Export &...
China Mobile Payment Industry Report, 2012-2014
Among the current mobile payment means, remote payment is widely used in China, while less than 6% of payments are realized through NFC (Near Field Communication) payment mode. Now, mobile payment tra...
China Optical Communication Industry Report, 2012-2014
The global optical fiber and cable market maintained stable growth in 2011, and the total demand in 2011 rose by 15% year on year to over 200 million core km. In 2012, the demand remained strong, with...
Global and China Mobile (Cell) Phone Assembly Industry Report, 2011-2012
In 2011, the mobile phone output in China increased by 15.5% over 2010 to 1.172 billion sets, among which, the export volume rose by 13.9% over 2010 to 885 million sets, with the export value climbed ...
China Mobile Communication Antenna Industry Report, 2011
At the end of 2010, mobile phone users amounted to 859 million and 3G subscribers totaled 47.1 million in China. In July 2011, mobile phone users jumped to 930 million, including 87.2 million 3G subsc...
Global and China RF Coaxial Cable Industry Report, 2010-2013
RF coaxial cable is widely applied in fields including mobile communication, broadcast and television, communication terminal and aerospace etc. With rapid development of downstream industries especia...
Latin America Telecommunication Market Report, 2010-2011
Latin America is a potential market with a population and GNP over 580 million and USD2.3 trillion respectively. Telecommunication industry has started reformation since 1980s and gradually realized p...
Africa Telecom Market Report, 2010-2011
Africa is poor and underdeveloped. Among the 48 least developed countries published by the United Nations in 2011, 33 are located in Africa, where the telecom investment accounts for only 2% of the to...
Global and China Mobile Phone and Tablet PC Processor Industry Report, 2010-2011
Mobile phone processor mainly covers baseband processor and application processor, while tablet PC processor mostly refers to GPU. The mobile phone processors are undergoing great changes and the orig...
China Optical Communication Industry Report, 2010-2011
The optical communication network construction in China has transferred to the extensive upgrading of access network since 2010, and the centralized procurement quantity of FTTx by three telecom opera...
Southeast Asia and Oceania Telecommunication Industry Report, 2010-2011
Singapore boasts the highest level of telecommunication development and the most comprehensive service coverage in Southeast Asia. Along with the in-depth application of 3G during the recent years, th...
China Local Independent Design House (IDH) Survey Report, 2010-2011
To find out the development status and trends of local independent design houses (IDH), Mobile Phone Journal and ResearchInChina implemented an IDH survey jointly in March 2011.Questionnaire:1. &...
Global and China Mobile Phone RF (Radio Frequency) Industry Report, 2010-2011
Mobile phone RF system consists mainly of transceiver, power amplifier (PA) and front-end module (FEM). The RF system of a general mobile phone is simply inclusive of a transceiver and a PA. FEM can b...
Global and China Mobile Phone Manufacture Industry Report, 2010-2011
The global mobile phone shipment increased substantially in 2010 by 20.8% to 1.425 billion after the recession in the previous year, which was mainly fueled by smart phones whose shipment climbed to 3...