Chinese phone makers Oppo and Xiaomi are working on their own 5G chipsets which will be ready by the end of this year, claims a recent report from Taiwan.
Shanghai-based chip maker Unisoc is also working on an SoC with support for the next-generation network technology, but it is unclear when this chip will be ready.
Now that Huawei is facing trouble sourcing its Kirin chipsets after the US ban, Xiaomi and Oppo are likely looking to capitalize on the opportunity. The two companies are aiming to diversify their supply.
This is not the first time Xiaomi is working on its own SoC. Back in 2017, the Chinese company unveiled the Surge S1 chip that was built on the 28nm node and featured on the Xiaomi Mi 5c. Successors of that chip can now be seen on newer models such as the Mi Mix Fold, Xiaomi’s first-ever folding phone.
The successor chip, the Surge C1, brings a dedicated ISP for the Mi Mix Fold’s camera. However, this means that Xiaomi’s chip division has come back to life and could follow companies like Samsung, Huawei, and Apple designing their own chipsets.
We will update this space as soon as there is more information on the matter.
