RF Micro Devices Inc. (RFMD®), a leader in the design and manufacture of high performance semiconductor components, announced it has captured design wins on more than 10 upcoming Samsung 3G handsets, supporting Samsung’s anticipated growth in 3G handset sales. Based upon current customer forecasts, RFMD anticipates volume shipments to commence in the December 2008 quarter and accelerate into calendar 2009.
RFMD was selected by Samsung to supply Wideband CDMA/High Speed Packet Access (WCDMA/HSPA) power amplifiers (PA) and EDGE PAs into a growing range of 3G handsets. New phones include the SGH-L700, the SGH-L770 and the SGH-G400. The sleek SGH-L700 slider phone features a music player, FM radio, streaming Bluetooth® audio, a 2-megapixel camera and a separate, dedicated camera for video conferencing. The feature-rich SGH-G400 features Bluetooth® 2.0, a 2.2" 262K color screen, a microSD expansion slot and a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus. The new phones represent a significant expansion of RFMD’s 3G shipments to Samsung. RFMD began volume shipments into Samsung 3G handsets in the June 2008 quarter, with the launch of the highly acclaimed SGH-U900 Ultra Edition III SOUL handset.
"We are extremely pleased to support a growing number of Samsung 3G handsets," said Eric Creviston, president of RFMD’s Cellular Products Group. "We enjoy very strong business with Samsung in EDGE handsets, and we look forward to expanding our relationship with Samsung as we supply our innovative 3G front-ends into their feature-rich, next-generation handsets. We are particularly enthusiastic about ongoing design activity in support of Samsung’s future handset platform development efforts."
The innovative WCDMA/HSPA and EDGE PAs selected by Samsung deliver superior performance and current consumption, as compared to competitive offerings, enabling OEMs to manufacture feature-rich 3G handsets that maximize performance and improve battery life for consumers.
RFMD is an industry leader in 3G front-ends and enjoys an advantage in 3G design activity, given its leading product portfolio, manufacturing scale, systems-level expertise and packaging and assembly capabilities-all of which enable RFMD to minimize complexity, reduce component count and optimize the RF design of multi-band WCDMA/HSPA handsets and mobile devices. RFMD is benefiting from continued growth in 3G handset shipments, as consumers increasingly seek a more data-rich mobile experience. The 3G handset growth rate is expected to significantly outpace the rate of growth of the handset industry.