MediaTek announces new Helio P23 and P30 chipsets with dual VoLTE support

As expected, chipset maker MediaTek unveiled its new lineup of SoCs, which will be available starting Q4 2017: Helio P23 and Helio P30. Although both will be certified for global use, the Helio P30 SoC will be limited to China initially.

Both SoCs feature octa-core Cortex-A53 processor architecture, which might seem a bit obsolete even for mid-range chipsets. Even though they are iterations of the Helio P20 and P25 CPUs, the upgrade consists of new features and better IP blocks rather than just small speed bumps.

For example, both Helio P23 and P30 octa-core processors run at 2.3GHz clock speeds, while the efficiency cluster is limited to 1.65GHz. However, they are now equipped with more powerful Mali-G71 graphic cards, as opposed to the last generation Helio P20 and P25 chips that include Mali-T880 GPUs.

Among the many improvements added to these new Helio SoCs, it's worth mentioning that addition of HEVC encoding capabilities for the P30, as well as support for 16MP + 16MP (single 25MP) camera support. The P23 retains the same 13MP + 13MP (single 24MP) camera support that was included with the P25.



MediaTek also ported its Imagiq 2.0 imaging technology on both new SoCs. The new technology is already available on the high-end Helio X30 chipset and features support for instant auto exposure, noise reduction technologies, as well as EIS (electronic image stabilization).

Another important improvement is the addition of dual VoLTE support, which means that both SIMs in a smartphone will be able to connect over LTE and offer high-quality voice.

Finally, it's worth mentioning that both Helio P23 and P30 are made on TSMC's 16nm manufacturing process, so there's no improvement over the previous generation of SoCs in this regard.