Intel-Based Orange Santa Clara Goes Official in the UK as San Diego

As expected, Orange and Intel have just announced the upcoming availability of UK’s first smartphone to be powered by Intel technology, the San Diego.

Formerly known as Santa Clara, the smartphone will be exclusive to Orange and is expected to hit shelves on June 6. Customers will be able to purchase the Android phone for only 200 GBP (310 USD or 250 EUR) on PAYG (pay as you go), beginning next week. In addition, the carrier offers customers the option to grab the Orange San Diego for free on a 24-month price plan from 15.50 GBP a month. The package includes 50 any network call minutes, 50 texts, as well as 100MB of mobile data a month. Keep in mind that Orange UK will offer each customer who purchases the San Diego on PAYG a free monthly allowance of 250Mb of mobile data per month for 12 months.

“We’re proud to be working with such an exciting partner as Intel, and offering our customers the first Orange Intel powered smartphone on the market. The San Diego is a great addition to our own-branded device portfolio, and is testament to our heritage in offering consumers great value innovation,” said Paul Jevons, director of Products and Devices, Orange UK. The San Diego from Orange is powered by an Intel Atom Z2460 processor and comes packed with full HSPA (42Mbps) support, as well as HD Voice and HD Video. Furthermore, the smartphone packs 16GB of internal memory and a 4.03-inch capacitive touchscreen display. There’s also an enhanced 8-megapixel rear camera on the back, which features “Burst” mode, autofocus and LED flash.

Although Orange San Diego runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, the carrier confirmed that an Ice Cream Sandwich update would be deployed later this year, though no exact release dates have been unveiled. “The new Intel-based smartphone exemplifies Orange’s focus on delivering a well executed product to its users, from the quality and feel of industrial design to the overall software and applications experience,” concluded Mike Bell, Intel vice president and general manager of the company’s Mobile and Communications Group.

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