Most of the high-end smartphones nowadays (EVO 4G, Droid Incredible) are using Qualcomm’s 1 GHz Snapdragon processor but there may be a new player on the block, as Texas Instruments has introduced its own Cortex A8 1 GHz system-on-a-chip.

TI’s AM3703 and AM3715 are part of the OMAP35x line and the first round come in 600 MHz, 800 MHz and 1 GHz versions. The company said it will have a dual-core Cortex A9 chipset later this year that will target smartphones, as this first batch is expected to go after smart displays, car navigation systems, and other gadgets. Among other things, the increased horsepower should lead to devices with better video capabilities.

It may be tough to surpass Qualcomm in the smartphone space though, as it could take at least a year for actual phones with TI’s new chipset to hit the market. By then, we may already see handsets hit the shelves with Qualcomm’s 1.5 GHz processor. Still, the competition should spur better products for consumers and that’s always a good thing.

[Via WMPowerUser]