UK-based Imagination Technologies recently announced what it calls “the industry’s smallest Android-compatible GPU”. The PowerVR Series5XE GX5300 is designed to be placed in entry-level smartphones, wearables and other small devices. Imagination says that it has full support for OpenGL ES 2.0 and a programmable shader for tile-based deferred rendering (TBDR), two recently-developed technologies.

While not a powerhouse graphics processor like the rest of the PowerVR line, it is designed to provide enough functionality for a much smaller device with more demanding low-power requirements. In short, it is exactly the kind of technology that will be found in future small form-factor wearable electronics. The GPU does not use Imagination's latest architecture (Series 6), and the key selling point is likely its extremely small size.

Imagination is widely known as the GPU supplier for the iPhone and iPad with 25 percent of the company's revenue coming from Apple device licensing, according to Deutsche Bank's estimates. In February, the company also renewed its license agreement with Apple. While this GPU is aimed squarely at the low-end Android market, a similar chip could power Apple's upcoming smart watch, though it is more likely to be from their upgraded Series 6 architecture.