The ongoing trend for smartphones to replace feature phones in China will continue in 2013, with new smartphone offerings to come out with advanced functionalities as well as higher prices, according to Michael Civiello, senior marketing director of mobile communications business unit at Broadcom.

The new developments in the smartphone market in China, combined with a likelihood for China-based handset vendors looking for export outlets for entry-level smartphones which have been enjoying brisk sales since the second half of 2012, will keep demand for smartphones in China and other emerging markets maintaining at a high gear, Civiello asserted.

Broadcom's advantages lie in its ability to offer China-based handset designers and developers with chipset solutions with high efficiency and Wi-Fi compatibility, said Civiello, adding that Broadcom's offerings have also helped branded vendors to upgrade their product portfolios and competitiveness.

Broadcom has continued to strengthen investments in its R&D centers in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen to optimize its support to local branded and white-box handset makers so that it can capitalize on Android's leading market position, and further expand its share in the handset chipset segments in China and other emerging markets, Civiello contended.

Broadcom has been offering integrated chipset solutions to Nokia and Samsung for the production of entry-level smartphones, highlighting Broadcom's volume production experience and assurance of its product quality, Civiello revealed.

While a number of China-based branded and white-box smartphone vendors have already adopted Broadcom's solutions, plans by China Unicom to upgrade its service networks to support HSPA+ in 2013 will help promote related dual- and quad-core solutions offered by Broadcom, Civiello noted.