Lenovo K-Series smartphones shift from Intel to Qualcomm

Lenovo launched the K900 smartphone with Intel Inside and many had assumed the follow-up device would have a similar Intel processor on the inside. That follow-up is the Lenovo Vibe Z, which was also known as the K910. Regardless though, Lenovo quietly unveiled the handset in China recently and it seems they just as quietly detailed the handset with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor.

While some may speculate this means the two companies are making a break, at least in the smartphone and tablet space, it appears that may not entirely be the case. In a statement provided to AllThingsD, Intel touched on how their “relationship with Lenovo is longstanding and productive across a broad range of devices.”

Intel went on to mention they were a recent launch partner for Bay Trail and shifting back to the mobile side, they also went on to mention they are “taking a long-term view, and continue to work closely with Lenovo on current and future mobile products.” Simply put, it looks like the Lenovo and Intel partnership may continue with future smartphones.

Lenovo hasn’t offered any comment in regards to the switch, however it was pointed out that a challenge for Intel has been on their ability to offer built-in support for a wide range of networks. Notably, the LTE networks. To that point, the Lenovo K900, which does have Intel Inside, has only been made available in a total of eight markets, including the recently added Thailand and Malaysia.

Otherwise, as we saw from the recent Vibe Z K910 unveil in China, the handset arrived with specs to include a 5.5-inch 1080p display, 16GB of internal storage, 5 megapixel front-facing camera, 13 megapixel rear-facing camera and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.