Qualcomm has announced an expanded partnership with Xiaomi that will see the latter incorporating flagship Snapdragon processors in its upcoming premium smartphones. This new multi-year deal builds upon a 15-year history in which many of Xiaomi’s high-end devices, including the current Xiaomi 15, have featured Qualcomm’s Snapdragon technology.
Xiaomi Set to Integrate Next-Generation Snapdragon Chip
Under the terms of the new agreement, Xiaomi will continue to use Snapdragon 8-series chips in its premium smartphones not only in China but in other international markets as well. This extension comes as a result of the companies’ long-standing collaboration in equipping smartphones with Snapdragon processors.
Last year, Xiaomi introduced the Xiaomi 15 in China, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. Its successor, the expected Xiaomi 16, is set to be among the first devices to utilize Qualcomm’s forthcoming flagship processor, anticipated to be named the Snapdragon Elite 2, which will debut later this year.
This agreement confirms that the Xiaomi 16 will be among the initial flagship smartphones incorporating the next generation of Snapdragon technology later in the year. Qualcomm has indicated that Xiaomi will ramp up production volumes each year over the duration of the agreement.
In related news, Qualcomm has scheduled its Snapdragon Summit for earlier this year, taking place from September 23 to September 25. Traditionally held in October, this earlier timeline may provide smartphone manufacturers with additional time to integrate the new chipset into their premium offerings.
Reports indicate that the successor to the Snapdragon 8 Elite could offer performance improvements of up to 25 percent and may feature compatibility with next-generation LPDDR6 RAM. This new chip could be manufactured using TSMC’s advanced 3nm N3P process technology, promising greater efficiency compared to current models.
Meanwhile, Xiaomi is also gearing up to unveil its own smartphone processor, labeled the XRING 01 SoC. More details about this chip are expected to be revealed later this month. Recent benchmarks on Geekbench suggest that its performance falls between the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
The forthcoming Xiaomi 15s Pro is likely to be the first smartphone featuring the XRING 01, with a planned launch date in China set for May 22. However, thanks to the renewed agreement with Qualcomm, it is clear that Xiaomi’s flagship models will continue to rely on Snapdragon chips for the foreseeable future.
