Taiwanese chip maker MediaTek today announced a new high-end system-on-chip that will supercharge future smartphones and tablets. The MT6795 is built upon 64-bit architecture, boasts 8 processing cores clocked at 2.2GHz, and delivers support for 2K displays.

The chip was designed to “empower high-end device makers to leap into the Android 64-bit era,” MediaTek said in its press release today. The company also claims this is the world’s first octa-core chip with 2K display support. That’s combined with dual-channel LPDDR3 memory clocked at 933MHz, and LTE connectivity.

While MediaTek is well known for its budget, entry-level processors, which are commonplace in smartphones and other mobile devices built for emerging markets, its new chip is clearly aimed at the opposite end of the market. It’s going to make the next-generation of phones and tablets even faster than they with today’s quad-core chips, and no doubt boost the adoption of super-sharp 2K displays.

That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to push prices up past affordability, however. While it will certainly cost more than other MediaTek chips, the MT6795 is aimed at devices that will eventually retail for around $350. That’s almost half what you’d pay for a flagship phone with a quad-core chip today.

The MT6795 is also one of the first mobile chips that delivers 64-bit architecture. Android users have been eagerly awaiting this movement since Apple debuted the A7, the world’s first 64-bit mobile chip, with the iPhone 5s last September. The A7 took gaming on iOS to the next level, and here’s to hoping the MT6795 will do the same for Android.

You can expect to see the MT6795 shipping inside smartphones and other devices by the end of the year.

• SourceMediaTek