Intel is now under contract with MegaFon as the chip supplier for the Russian telecoms operator’s Mint smartphone.

Mint is almost an outright copy of the Orange San Diego, which comes with a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z2460 chip and 400 MHz graphics to power a 4.03-inch display.

Intel, the world’s leading chip maker, is gung ho to comment that similar to the Orange San Diego smartphone, MegaFon’s smartphone can capture 8-megapixel images per second in burst mode.

Both companies are currently in the works to improve and customize the Android experience for Russian consumers.

Christopher McGuire, GM of reference devices for Intel’s Mobile and Communications Group said,

Our engagement with MegaFon is a step forward in accelerating the adoption of Intel architecture across new mobile market segments and geographies. We look forward to our continued collaboration with MegaFon and to bringing consumers in Russia new device experiences enabled by Intel technology.

MegaFon’s Mint is the first smartphone to use the Intel Atom Z2460 chip in Russia, but its $550 price tag is relatively steeper than rival handsets from other Android phone makers.

Taking into account how Intel has emphasized that the Orange San Diego, essentially a similar handset, is mid-range, the MegaFon Mint looks an overpriced piece of mobile hardware.

MegaFon told its customers that Mint can purchase the it at once, but with an upcoming iPhone 5 in the horizon and the bestselling multi-featured Samsung Galaxy S3 in the market, the company might consider to lower its pricing if it wants a large following.

MegaFon, previously known as North-West GSM, is the second largest mobile phone operator and the fourth largest telecom operator in Russia.

About Francis Rey Balolong

A coffee junkie who spends most of his time writing about the latest news on social media and mobile technology. I would definitely consider myself a nerd (in the coolest most hipster way possible). That being said, I love technology, music, writing, and all things mobile. Follow me: Google+ Twitter

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