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At Mobile World Congress 2014, Intel presented its first 22-nanometer smartphone SoCs built around Silvermont CPU cores, a faster quad-core follow-up, and its second-generation multimode LTE modem. Merrifield, Moorefield and the XMM 7260 made Intel’s smartphone silicon substantially more credible on paper, but the announcement did not prove that the company had solved its larger problem: winning affordable, carrier-approved designs against integrated Qualcomm platforms.
What Intel announced at MWC 2014
The February 24, 2014 announcement combined three parts of Intel’s mobile strategy rather than introducing unrelated products. Merrifield was the dual-core smartphone generation, Moorefield was its higher-performance quad-core successor, and the XMM 7260 was Intel’s Category 6 multimode LTE modem. Intel presented them as a 64-bit-capable roadmap for Android phones, moving beyond the earlier Clover Trail+ generation.
The contemporary account is AnandTech’s MWC 2014 report. It records Intel’s specifications and claims, but it is not independent retail-device testing.
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Both families used Intel’s 22-nanometer SoC process and Silvermont architecture. The frequencies below were listed maximum turbo frequencies, not guaranteed sustained clocks.
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| Product | Codename | CPU | Maximum listed CPU clock | GPU | Maximum GPU clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atom Z3460 | Merrifield | 2 cores / 2 threads | 1.60 GHz | PowerVR G6400 | 533 MHz |
| Atom Z3480 | Merrifield | 2 cores / 2 threads | 2.13 GHz | PowerVR G6400 | 533 MHz |
| Atom Z3560 | Moorefield | 4 cores / 4 threads | 1.80 GHz | PowerVR G6430 | 533 MHz |
| Atom Z3580 | Moorefield | 4 cores / 4 threads | 2.33 GHz | PowerVR G6430 | 533 MHz |
Merrifield had two Silvermont cores and a 1 MB shared L2 cache. Moorefield doubled both the core count and shared cache to four cores and 2 MB, while also moving to the faster G6430 graphics design. That makes Moorefield a performance-oriented successor, not simply Merrifield with two extra cores: Intel also described graphics and display-side improvements.
What the 22-nanometer process did—and did not—prove
Intel’s 22-nanometer SoC process was strategically important because it brought its mobile products closer to the company’s leading manufacturing roadmap; Intel was already discussing a later move toward 14-nanometer Broadwell. A smaller process can help transistor density and efficiency, but it does not by itself establish better battery life, sustained performance or lower phone cost. Those outcomes depend on the complete platform and the finished device.
The graphics were PowerVR, not Intel Gen graphics
Merrifield used Imagination Technologies’ PowerVR Series 6 G6400, while Moorefield used the G6430. AnandTech described both as four-cluster designs, with the G6430 tuned for higher performance. This was different from the Intel Gen graphics used in Bay Trail: Intel manufactured the SoC, but the smartphone GPU IP came from Imagination. That distinction matters when comparing driver support, graphics throughput and the software responsibilities of the platform.
Intel’s performance and power claims
Intel said Merrifield was competitive with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 class and Apple’s A7. In Intel-selected WebXPRT results, the company reported Merrifield 16% ahead of a 1.3-GHz Apple A7 and presented a similar GPU advantage. Intel also showed BatteryXPRT power-efficiency data.
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- Quad-Core Intel Atom x5-Z8300 Processor
- Windows 10 (32-bit)
- Intel HD graphics
- 2 GB DDR3L 1600 MHz soldered down single-channel memory
- Integrated Wireless 802.11ac (Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265)
Those figures should be read as presentation claims, not universal rankings. AnandTech had not independently run the cited tests and reserved judgment on the power results. WebXPRT or a graphics demonstration cannot establish camera quality, LTE energy use, thermal throttling, application compatibility, modem reception, whole-phone responsiveness or retail availability. The maximum turbo clocks in the table likewise do not predict sustained performance in a thin handset.
The XMM 7260 was the strategic centerpiece
Intel’s XMM 7260 was its second-generation multimode LTE modem and its first Category 6 LTE design. Category 6 added carrier aggregation, allowing compatible networks to combine spectrum blocks for higher peak data rates. The modem was paired with Intel’s SMARTi 45 transceiver, which Intel described as enabling a single-chip carrier-aggregation solution. Contemporary coverage said the modem was built on TSMC’s 28-nanometer process.
Intel was targeting Qualcomm’s forthcoming 9×35 modem and said operator certification was in progress, with devices expected on shelves in the second quarter of 2014. That was an expectation, not a confirmed universal shipping date.
Why a separate modem mattered
The XMM 7260 was not integrated into the Merrifield or Moorefield application processor. A phone therefore needed a separate application processor and modem solution. That could increase board complexity, power-management work and bill-of-materials pressure compared with an integrated Snapdragon platform. It also made carrier certification, supported LTE bands and reference-design execution especially important.
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- SSE2 / Streaming SIMD Extensions 2
- SSSE3 / Supplemental Streaming SIMD Extensions 3
- SSE4 / SSE4.1 + SSE4.2 / Streaming SIMD Extensions 4
This is why the modem announcement mattered as much as the CPU specifications. Intel could demonstrate a credible LTE component while still offering OEMs a more complicated platform decision than established integrated competitors.
Imaging, sensors and video capabilities
The new image-signal processor supported cameras up to 13 megapixels on the rear and 2.1 megapixels on the front. Both SoCs included a low-power sensor hub intended to handle contextual sensor work in a role comparable in purpose to Apple’s M7 coprocessor.
AnandTech noted that hardware-accelerated H.265 decoding did not appear to be included, while also noting that Intel was not discussing video encode and decode in detail. That is a qualification from the contemporary analysis, not a complete official media-feature specification.
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Android 4.4.2 and the unsettled 64-bit transition
At MWC, Merrifield supported Android 4.4.2. Intel said it expected support for the forthcoming Android “L” release and described its mobile roadmap and Android development as moving toward 64-bit support.
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- 10 cores (6 P-cores plus 4 E-cores) and 16 threads
- Performance hybrid architecture integrates two core microarchitectures, prioritizing and distributing workloads to optimize performance
- Up to 4.7 GHz unlocked. 20MB Cache
- Compatible with Intel 600-series (with potential BIOS update) and 700-series chipset-based motherboards
- PCIe 5.0 and 4.0 support. DDR4 and DDR5 Memory support. RM1 thermal solution included. Discrete graphics required.
The timing is important. The contemporary report said Google had not yet published an official 64-bit Android plan; demonstrations available then used vendor-recompiled components. Intel was preparing for a 64-bit direction, but 64-bit Android was not yet a finalized, standardized platform at the event.
Who were Merrifield and Moorefield for?
Merrifield: mainstream and performance phones
The dual-core Z3460 and Z3480 offered a simpler platform for mainstream and performance-oriented phones. Fewer cores could suit thinner or less expensive designs, although actual power and cost depended on the complete board, modem and thermal envelope.
Moorefield: the higher-performance step
The quad-core Z3560 and Z3580 added cores, cache, a higher top frequency on the Z3580 and the faster G6430 GPU. More cores do not guarantee proportional gains: mobile software parallelism, sustained thermal limits and power budgets determine how much of Moorefield’s theoretical advantage a phone can realize.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIntel’s stated market position covered performance and mainstream smartphones as well as value-conscious products. The roadmap did not present a purely high-end flagship part intended to win every benchmark.
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- CPU (Included): Intel Atom C2558 Processor; Supports up to 15W TDP (Quad-Core)
- Memory: 4x 240pin DDR3-1600/1333 SODIMM Slots, ECC/Non-ECC, Max Capacity of 64GB
- Slots: 1x PCI-Express 2.0 x8 Slot, 1x PCI-Express 2.0 x4 Slot
- SATA: 2x SATA3 Ports, 4x SATA2 Ports
- Form Factor: MicroATX
Why design wins mattered more than the specification sheet
Intel had assembled plausible technical ingredients: Silvermont CPU cores, 22-nanometer manufacturing, PowerVR graphics, a modern LTE modem, sensor processing and a 64-bit Android roadmap. The unresolved question was whether phone makers would choose those ingredients over established ARM-based platforms.
- Platform integration: A separate LTE modem could complicate board design and power management.
- Carrier approval: LTE bands, interoperability testing and operator certification could delay or limit launches.
- Software readiness: OEM validation, Android builds and x86 application compatibility affected product risk beyond CPU performance.
- Economics: Pricing, supply-chain relationships and finished reference designs mattered as much as transistor technology.
- Device behavior: Battery life, sustained thermals and radio performance had to be demonstrated in shipping phones.
Consequently, a competitive CPU benchmark was not equivalent to a competitive smartphone platform. Intel’s own slides could suggest performance parity or an advantage in selected workloads without proving superior phones, lower costs or meaningful market share.
What MWC 2014 established—and what it did not
Established by the announcement: Intel had a 22-nanometer dual-core and quad-core smartphone family, PowerVR-based graphics, a Category 6 carrier-aggregation modem, and an explicit 64-bit Android direction.
Claimed by Intel but not independently demonstrated in the report: Merrifield’s 16% WebXPRT lead over the 1.3-GHz A7, comparable GPU advantages and BatteryXPRT efficiency results.
Still unresolved: sustained battery life, complete modem interoperability, retail design wins, software compatibility at scale, pricing and the commercial impact of a discrete modem.
The announcement therefore marked technical progress rather than a verified smartphone breakthrough. It showed Intel closing important gaps with Qualcomm- and Apple-associated platforms, while leaving the harder platform and commercialization problems unsolved.
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