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Xiami set to unveil self-developed mobile AP in pursuit of higher premium smartphone marketshare

Published: 20 May. 2025, 16:57 Updated: 20 May. 2025, 16:57

Xiaomi founder Lei Jun gestures at a launch event for the Xiaomi 15 Ultra mobile phone and the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra car in Beijing on Feb. 27. [AP/YONHAP]

Chinese electronics company Xiaomi is set to unveil a self-developed mobile application processor (AP), aiming to boost its presence in the premium smartphone market and reduce reliance on foreign chipmakers.

Xiaomi, which has been removed from the U.S. export control blacklist, appears to have significantly boosted chip performance by leveraging TSMC’s cutting-edge 3-nanometer process technology. As the world’s third-largest smartphone maker, Xiaomi is now aiming to break further into the global premium market with devices powered by its own chips.

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun will hold a launch event for the company’s first in-house mobile AP, the XRing O1, on Thursday, according to Chinese social media posts reported on by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) and other outlets.

The chip marks Xiaomi’s re-entry into chip development after a failed attempt in 2019. The company previously introduced an AP in 2017 using 28-nanometer technology but halted production two years later due to performance issues, switching to Qualcomm chips.

In 2021, development resumed, and after four years, Xiaomi is now releasing a next-generation chip that has reportedly outperformed Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 — used in Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S24 — on the Geekbench benchmarking platform.

Though Samsung has also developed a 3-nanometer chip under its Exynos brand, it has yet to be used in the flagship Galaxy S series.

CEO Lei said on Weibo that “Xiaomi has invested $1.9 billion in semiconductor development over the past four years” and plans to invest $6.9 billion more over the next decade.

The company currently employs around 2,500 semiconductor research and development (R&D) personnel. While that figure is still a fraction of Samsung’s 10,000-strong LSI division, over half of whom are engineers, analysts say integrating proprietary chips into Xiaomi’s product ecosystem could significantly enhance its technological competitiveness.

“In terms of R&D investment and the size of our development team, we are now on par with China’s top three semiconductor design firms,” Lei said.

Employees, journalists and influencers operate Huawei devices at a Huawei store before a product launch event in Berlin on May 15. The focus is on two new product series — the Huawei Watch 5 and the Watch Fit 4 series. [EPA/YONHAP]

Industry observers view Xiaomi’s latest move as further evidence that China’s drive for semiconductor independence is progressing despite U.S. export restrictions. Unlike Huawei — which faces direct sanctions — Xiaomi remains off the U.S. blacklist, allowing it to collaborate with global partners like TSMC.

SCMP described Xiaomi’s initiative as “growing efforts to match the advances in semiconductor development of its major smartphone rivals Apple, Samsung Electronics and Huawei Technologies.”

According to market tracker IDC, Xiaomi holds a 13.7 percent share of the global smartphone market, trailing only Samsung at 19.9 percent and Apple at 19 percent. Apple has used its in-house A series chips since 2011, while Samsung equips its Galaxy series with both Exynos and Qualcomm Snapdragon chips.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Huawei unveiled two new laptops powered by its own Kirin X90 chip. The MateBook Fold features a foldable 18-inch display that compresses to 13 inches, while the MateBook Pro weighs just 970 grams (34 ounces) and is 7.3 millimeters (0.28 inches) thick — thinner than most smartphones.

Both models are the first laptops to run HarmonyOS, Huawei’s proprietary operating system. With access to Microsoft’s OS restricted by U.S. sanctions, Huawei is expanding its Harmony-based product ecosystem, which already includes smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, wearables and vehicles, since its debut in August 2019.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY PARK HAE-LEE [[email protected]]