The smartphone in your pocket is almost certainly running on an ARM-based chip, most likely made by Qualcomm (or Apple.) Although Intel’s mobile-focused Atom chips are now powering lots of tablets, the major hurdle to Intel-powered smartphones has been the lack of an Intel LTE modem.

That’s why the Asus PadFone X mini, announced on Wednesday, is a big deal for Intel. It’s not the first phone running on Intel silicon, and it’s not going to be the most powerful device with an Intel chip, but it is the first commercial smartphone with an Intel LTE modem.

That modem, XMM 7160, was first announced in late 2013 and has been included in several tablets to date, most notably, Samsung’s high-end Galaxy Tab S with LTE. The PadFone X mini won’t sport a fully integrated modem and processor, but an [company]Intel[/company] Atom processor will sit right alongside the modem on…