Nokia has blasted dual-core and quad-core phones like the Samsung Galaxy S2 and HTC One X, branding them a waste of battery.
Nokia top chap Stephen Elop says, "so-called dual-core, quad-core mobile phones can only waste batteries, but not be useful for consumers all the time".
That's why Nokia's smart phones, the Lumia range with Windows Phone software, aren't dual-core or quad-core. The budget Nokia Lumia 710, stylish Nokia Lumia 800 and new Nokia Lumia 900 all boast single-core processors.
Elop isn't the first to get hardcore on quad-core phones. Sony recently told CNET that it doesn't believe "the performance matches the battery efficiency". The company may consider quad-core next year if performance and battery life get closer.
It's true that dual-core or quad-core phones aren't automatically better than other phones -- the hardware and software has to work in perfect harmony to ensure that the extra grunt actually results in faster and smoother operation.
Elop's accusation that quad-core phones waste battery power unneccessarily when they're not doing intensive stuff that requires quad-core power is addressed by the design of some quad-core chips. The Nvidia Tegra 3 chip powering the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime only fires up all four cores for tough tasks like gaming or video, with an extra 1.4GHz processor handling the boring everyday stuff.
ITProPortal reports Elop's claims made to a Chinese newspaper that in everyday use, Windows Phones are just as fast as dual or even quad-core iPhones and Android phones.
Nokia has even put its money where its mouth is with a promotion entitled Smoked by Windows Phone, in which owners of other mobiles are challenged to complete everyday tasks like displaying the weather faster than a Lumia Windows Phone. Winners take home a laptop, but there has been controversy after one American Microsoft Store refused to award a Samsung Galaxy Nexus owner a prize.
To see what all the fuss is about with quad-core phones, check out our head-to-head battle between the HTC One X, Huawei D Quad and LG Optimus 4X HD.
Is Elop right? Are quad-core phones a waste of battery juice? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.