Broadcom Announces Reference Design for M320 & M340 Dual and Quad Core LTE SoCs

Broadcom Corporation has introduced a turnkey reference platform designed to help OEMs develop sub $300 4G LTE mobile devices. The smartphone reference design is powered by M320 SoC with a dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor up to 1.5GHz, a PowerVR 5XT GPU, and Cat 4 LTE modem with DC-HSPA+ and GSM multimode capable of delivering data transfer at up to 42Mbps.

The platform runs Android 4.4 Kitkat, and will be able to make use of the upcoming pin-to-pin compatible M340  quad-core LTE SoC .

The LTE design also includes 5GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, location and near field communication (NFC) technologies, with “a very low cost bill of material (RBOM)” according to  Robert Rango, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Mobile and Wireless Group.

Product features listed in the press release:

• Cat 4 150 Mbps LTE speeds in FDD-LTE and TD-LTE modes and up to 42 Mbps with DC-HSPA+ 3G as well as GSM/EDGE
• BCM2095 LTE RF transceiver enables FDD and TD LTE/3G/2G band support for worldwide roaming
• VoLTE (Voice over LTE) and HD voice support
• HD display, imaging and graphics for an immersive consumer experience
• Pre-integrated with the Android KitKat operating system
• Reduces LTE modem power consumption by up to 30 percent for extended hours of use
• Broadcom’s connectivity – 5G WiFi, Bluetooth Smart, NFC and location technologies

Broadcom M320 LTE SoC is in production now, and M340 will be sample in H1 2014. As usual there’s no information on Broadcom’s website. The company will showcase its Category 4 and Category 6 LTE solutions at  Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona, on February 24-27.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.

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