LAS VEGAS: Intel's prototype smartphone is not as eye-catching as some of the other devices on display at CES, but is a positive step for the chip manufacturer as it has yet to find its feet in the mobile market.

The Intel design looked like a cross between an iPhone 4S and a Samsung Galaxy S II. Weighing in at around the 130g mark, the device felt lighter and had a block design. Although it was far from ugly, it didn't look as sleek as the Huawei Ascend PS 1, unveiled earlier at the show.

The Intel prototype device boasted a 4.03in display a 1024x600 resolution, but the key factor was that the Android handset was running on a 32nm X86-based chip in the form of the Intel Atom Z2460 Medfield processor 1.6GHz single core processor.

Performance of the handset was smooth thanks to the Intel's graphics media accelerator for video and all Android apps ran on the device. It will be interesting to see just how fast real world performance is compared to dual-core devices.

We had a quick play with Modern Combat 2 and the device rendered detailed backgrounds with minimal lag.

On the back was an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p capabilities, and a 1.3-megapixel snapper was located on the front for video calling. The device also included micro-USB and HDMI connections. Additional features included a dedicated camera button, volume rockers and most interestingly, a micro-SIM slot.

Intel is not expected to bring this to market on its own - the design is just a "reference point" for manufacturers. A manufacturer partnership announcement is expected to be made by Paul Otellini during his keynote, which starts at 4:30(PST)/12:30am(GMT).

10 Jan 2012