Embodiments include a novel receiver architecture to optimize receiver performance in the presence of interference. In various embodiments, the presence of interference is detected, and the relative frequency location of the interference is detected. The relative frequency location specifies whether the frequency of the interference is high side (above the desired signal, i.e., at a higher frequency) or low side (below the desired signal). The receiver is configured based on the detected interference and relative location thereof. For a device such as a cellular phone that operates in a dynamic and changing environment where interference is variable, embodiments advantageously provide the capability to modify the receiver's operational state depending on the interference.