The first handset to land sporting an Intel CPU has been unveiled at MWC 2012 with the network branded Orange Santa Clara taking the honours.

The first device to move away from the usual array of Qualcomm, Nvidia and ARM innards, the Intel powered Orange Santa Clara is seemingly set to touch down later this year with the service provider stamped device to be manufactured by Chinese firm Gigabyte.

"It's always good to have competition, because it gives consumers more choice,” said Orange’s Vice President for Devices, Yves Maitre on the introduction of the first Intel smartphone. “It also allows technology to improve faster, and at the end of the day when you have competition it also has an impact on pricing."

Orange Santa Clara Specs

As well as the 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2460 processor, the mid range Santa Clara is to land running Google’s Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS with an 8-megapixel rear-mounted camera to boast a 10fps photo burst mode.

Full HD 1080p video recording capabilities are also to be handled by the handset’s snapper with a 4.03-inch 1024 x 600p display landing alongside 16GB of internal storage and integrated NFC technologies.

Orange Santa Clara Release Date

Orange has yet to confirm when the Intel Chip packing Santa Clara will go on sale and at what price wannabe owners can expect to pick the device up from.

Will Intel’s introduction to the smartphone scene spell an end for the likes of Qualcomm and ARM or is the PC powerhouse behind the handset curve? Let us know what you think via the T3 Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Via: TheTelegraph