MediaTek Inc. is poised to supply modem chips for Google’s flagship Pixel 10 smartphone series next year, replacing current suppliers Qualcomm and Samsung, according to people familiar with the matter. The Taiwanese chipmaker declined to comment on the potential deal.
The move would strengthen MediaTek’s position in the high-end smartphone market, following recent reports about the company potentially securing orders for Apple’s upcoming Watch models. MediaTek’s latest M80 5G modem offers download speeds of up to 7.91Gbps and upload speeds of 3.76Gbps, supporting both 5G NR and mmWave dual connectivity.
Google’s Pixel phones have gained traction in the US market, reaching a 4% market share in the third quarter of 2023, up from 1% two years ago. The brand hit a milestone of 10 million units in global annual sales in 2023.
While the potential Google deal may not immediately generate significant revenue compared to MediaTek’s existing Chinese smartphone clients, it could help the company attract more premium device makers. MediaTek currently leads global smartphone chip shipments.
Apple maintains over 50% of the US smartphone market, while Google competes with Motorola for a larger slice of the remaining share.
