Overview:

The application processor (AP) or the system-on-chip (SoC), is the most critical component in a smartphone. This is what makes your smartphone a “smart” phone, by giving it the ability to perform a variety of tasks in parallel. The smartphone application processor industry is dominated by Qualcomm with its Snapdragon line of processors, but major smartphone OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) like Apple, Samsung and Huawei are pivoting towards a more vertically integrated approach by using in-house designed SoCs. There are multiple benefits in developing an in-house SoC, but it is not easy or cheap for a smartphone OEM to develop. This report briefly analyses the reasons and feasibility for smartphone OEMs to develop in-house SoCs and its effects on incumbent chipset players.

Table of Contents:

• Overview
• Smartphone OEMs with in-house SoC capabilities
• Cost analysis
• AP development cost and R&D expenditure
• Impact on incumbent SoC players

Number of pages: 6
Author: Shobhit Srivastava
Published Date: October 2018