The problem with Atom is that Intel doesn't have its best people on it. The superstars get poached (or just leave) and Intel doesn't invest nearly as much in Atom as it does in Core. It is a second class citizen competing with processors from companies whose best and brightest work on high performance mobile cores.
Atom also doesn't get moved to the latest process first. The new Atom coming in q4 2017 is still a 14nm product.
Another problem for Intel in phones is that it never met its deadlines and with its recent cancellation of all of those mobile SoFIAs and Broxton left any mobile device vendor that didn't have a Plan B involving Qualcomm or MediaTek were left holding the bag.
If you were a phone OEM would you put your business in Intel's hands after this?
Intel will not succeed as a merchant mobile processor vendor, it just isn't going to happen.
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
