Xiaomi’s presence in the smartphone market needs no introduction. The company is hugely popular among buyers who don’t want to spend too much to get great features. However, it seems the company is preparing to end its reliance on other companies for its phone processors, which means we could be seeing Xiaomi’s first smartphone SoC.
The development marks a big step for the company, which has so far relied on external chipsets from Qualcomm, MediaTek and Unisex, but building its own SoCs could see Xiaomi following in the footsteps of Google and Huawei.
According to recent reports, Xiaomi has partnered with Unisoc to co-develop a 4 nm chipset. The first results of this collaboration are expected to be announced early next year. This home-grown SoC may be featured in future Xiaomi smartphones, which may give the company greater control over its product ecosystem.
Xiaomi’s in-house smartphone SoC details
Xiaomi’s next in-house SoC will reportedly be manufactured using TSMC’s advanced 4nm N4P process, a cutting-edge technology that will enable the chip to deliver superior performance and energy efficiency.
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In addition, the SoC will incorporate a 5G modem developed by Unisoc. This strategic partnership with Unisoc underscores Xiaomi’s commitment to developing a comprehensive mobile platform.
In terms of performance, Xiaomi’s in-house SoC will reportedly be on par with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. This flagship chipset was featured in high-end smartphones in 2021 and 2022. It’s still a great SoC, but the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will be even more powerful. In fact, the 8 Gen 3 has already shown significant improvements. So, if this is true, Xiaomi’s in-house SoC may not be flagship-grade right now.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t Xiaomi’s first foray into in-house chip development — its previous attempt, the Surge S1, was a mid-range SoC launched in 2017 — but it would be a big win for the company if an in-house Xiaomi SoC can offer similar performance to the 8 Gen 1.
