Marvell announces Armada PXA1928 SoC, a single chip solution for advanced mobile devices

CPU, GPU, LTA modem and multi-radio support all in one 64-bit chip

Mobile World Congress

Geek out with me for a bit if you will, because it's time for some chip porn.

Marvell has pulled the wrapper off their latest Armada chip, and it shows that they are ready to tussle with the big dogs in mobile silicon. The Armada PXA 1928 brings just about every controller you would ever want into a single 64-bit package, and if their past holds true, they will be able to do it at a substantial savings for the people designing and building phones and tablets.

Currently a major player in the Chinese market, Marvell is a strong partner with folks like Lenovo, Hisense and Coolpad. Right now they power plenty of entry-level LTE devices with their affordable and existing solutions. The new PXA 1928 should give quite the bump in performance and power effeciency, and hopefully foster some competition worldwide in the mid-range category. Every phone running a Snapdragon is no good for the consumer.

A few quick details, followed by the full press release.

  • Production ready 5-Mode Cellular Modem Solution for LTE Cat 4, UMTS Release 7, TD-HSPA+ Release 8, and class 12 GSM/EDGE, and supports multi-radio, CSFB, and VoLTE voice solutions for LTE networks
  • 3G/4G protocol stacks certified on major carrier networks and validated via extensive IOT, GCF and field trial testing
  • Quad-core ARM Cortex A53MP Application Processor Subsystem
  • Support for 1080p display, and 1080p video encoding and decoding
  • Support eMMC NAND Flash memory interface
  • Complete wireless capabilities with WLAN/Bluetooth/NFC solutions
  • Support advanced mobile security features, including secure boot, root key protection, Widevine® Level 1 support, and FIPS 104-2 level3 and 140-3 level 2 compliant

Marvell Extends its 4G LTE Leadership with the Introduction of the 64-bit Single-Chip Mobile Processor with Production-Ready 5-Mode Modem

Marvell's ARMADA Mobile PXA 1928 features a quad-core ARM Cortex A53, high performance GC5000 GPU, and field proven 5-mode modem technology, and supports multi-radio, CSFB, and VoLTE voice solutions

Barcelona and Santa Clara, California (February 24, 2014) – Marvell (Nasdaq: MRVL), a worldwide leader in integrated silicon solutions, today announced the 64-bit mobile System-on-Chip (SoC) with production-ready 5-mode modem, the ARMADA® Mobile PXA1928. Customer samples of the new device will be available in March, 2014. Leveraging field proven technologies of the Marvell® ARMADA Mobile PXA1088LTE and successful launches of 1,000 RMB (approx U.S. $165) 4G LTE smart phones by Yulong Coolpad, Lenovo and Hisense for China Mobile's fast growing 4G LTE market, the Marvell ARMADA Mobile PXA1928 is a single-chip quad-core A53, 5-mode Long Term Evolution (LTE) solution supporting all global mobile broadband standards, including LTE TDD/FDD, High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+), Time Division High Speed Packet Access Plus (TD-HSPA+) and Enhanced Data for GSM Environment (EDGE). It also supports multi-radio, CSFB, and VoLTE voice solutions for LTE networks and features the GC5000 GPU with full HD capability providing high-performance and low-power computing for media-centric mobile devices. The company's complete mobile platform solution includes Marvell's advanced Avastar® 88W8887 802.11ac wireless local area network (WLAN) + Bluetooth 4.0 + FM single-chip SoC + Near Field Communication (NFC) and the 88L2000 global navigation satellite system (GNSS) hybrid location processor , multi-mode multi-band LTE RF transceiver, an integrated power management and audio codec integrated circuit (IC), ultra high performance and highly reliable eMMC mobile storage SSD controller, and its unique Kinoma software capability.

"I am very proud of Marvell's contribution to the fast growing 4G LTE industry and the successful launch of world's first 1,000RMB LTE smartphones since last December. The 64-bit ARMADA Mobile PXA 1928 is the latest addition to our industry leading single-chip multi-core mobile processor family," said Weili Dai, President and Co-Founder of Marvell. "4G LTE is such a critical technology for the 'Smart Life and Smart Lifestyle' vision. I believe that through continued innovation, invention and dedication our talented global engineering teams have yet again raised the technology bar in advancing the mobile industry. Our mission and passion at Marvell are to make the world a better place for all."

The ARMADA Mobile PXA1928 joins the best-in-class, award-winning Marvell ARMADA Mobile family of solutions. The ARMADA Mobile SoC incorporates the performance of quad-core ARM® Cortex-A53 running at 1.5GHz with Marvell's mature and field-proven 5-mode modem technology to provide a cost effective Linux and Android® mobile platform. It supports 2G/3G/4G communications and enables a breakthrough end-user experience for multimedia and gaming applications with universal connectivity. Special features and key benefits of the Marvell ARMADA Mobile PXA1928 include:

  • Production ready 5-Mode Cellular Modem Solution for LTE Cat 4, UMTS Release 7, TD-HSPA+ Release 8, and class 12 GSM/EDGE, and supports multi-radio, CSFB, and VoLTE voice solutions for LTE networks
  • 3G/4G protocol stacks certified on major carrier networks and validated via extensive IOT, GCF and field trial testing
  • Quad-core ARM Cortex A53MP Application Processor Subsystem
  • Support for 1080p display, and 1080p video encoding and decoding
  • Support eMMC NAND Flash memory interface
  • Complete wireless capabilities with WLAN/Bluetooth/NFC solutions
  • Support advanced mobile security features, including secure boot, root key protection, Widevine® Level 1 support, and FIPS 104-2 level3 and 140-3 level 2 compliant

Marvell at Mobile World Congress

Marvell's latest technologies will be showcased at Mobile World Congress 2014, being held Feb. 24 – 27, at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona. To see demonstrations and learn more, show attendees and media can visit the Marvell booth, located in Hall 8.1, Stand No. CC8.13.

About Marvell

Marvell (NASDAQ: MRVL) is a global leader in providing complete silicon solutions and Kinoma software enabling the "Smart Life and Smart Lifestyle." From mobile communications to storage, cloud infrastructure, digital entertainment and in-home content delivery, Marvell's diverse product portfolio aligns complete platform designs with industry-leading performance, security, reliability and efficiency. At the core of the world's most powerful consumer, network and enterprise systems, Marvell empowers partners and their customers to always stand at the forefront of innovation, performance and mass appeal. By providing people around the world with mobility and ease of access to services adding value to their social, private and work lives, Marvell is committed to enhancing the human experience.

As used in this release, the term "Marvell" refers to Marvell Technology Group Ltd. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.Marvell.com.

Jerry Hildenbrand
Senior Editor — Google Ecosystem

Jerry is an amateur woodworker and struggling shade tree mechanic. There's nothing he can't take apart, but many things he can't reassemble. You'll find him writing and speaking his loud opinion on Android Central and occasionally on Twitter.