Xiaomi XRING O3 breaks the 4 GHz barrier: the Snapdragon challenge steps up a level

The smartphone chip landscape is set to suffer yet another jolt thanks to the progress made by Xiaomi. A recent leak surfaced directly from the HyperOS code highlights for the first time the characteristics of XRING O3, the Chinese company’s new proprietary processor.

The SoC will power the upcoming foldable flagship Xiaomi MIX Fold 5 or Xiaomi 17 Fold (the name is still undecided), internally identified with code name lhasa and the acronym Q18. Xiaomi’s strategy appears clear: not to rely solely on external supplier components, but to offer maximum hardware-software integration.

Xiaomi XRING O3: HyperOS code hints at the novelties, between specifications and technical improvements

The most impressive feature of XRING O3 is surpassing the 4 GHz barrier, with the main core able to reach a clock frequency of 4.05 GHz. It is not only an increase over the previous generation, but the result of a deep structural change.

Xiaomi has in fact decided to completely eliminate the traditional Big Core cluster, moving from a four-level architecture to a simplified three-cluster configuration consisting of Prime, Titanium and Little cores.

In this new scheme, the Little Cores can no longer be considered small in terms of performance, as their frequency has been pushed up to 3.02 GHz, marking a 68% increase over XRING O1. The only uncertain detail is the number of cores: it is not clear whether the new chipset will use an octa-core structure (the most used by current SoCs) nor how it will be configured (1 + 3 + 4 or 1 + 2 + 5, for example).

	XRING O1	XRING O3
Prime	2 x 3.9 GHz – Cortex-X9 25	4.05 GHz
Titanium	4 x 3.4 GHz – Cortex-A72 5	3.42 GHz
Big	2 x 1.9 GHz – Cortex-A72 5	/
Little	2 x 1.8 GHz – Cortex-A520	3.02 GHz
GPU	Immortalis-G925

The graphics component also receives a substantial update, with the GPU reaching 1.5 GHz, recording a 25% increase over the previous generation (1.20 GHz).

Despite these accelerations, the DRAM memory speed remains stable at 9600 MT/s, ensuring ample bandwidth without excessively compromising battery life.

The debut of Xiaomi MIX Fold 5 or Xiaomi 17 Fold is expected for the summer, at a launch price estimated around $1,500. Clearly the flagship will go on to challenge the rival Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, usually the undisputed protagonist of the summer period. However we should note that Xiaomi’s foldable will certainly be limited to the Chinese market, a strategy the brand has already adopted in the past.

The first XRING O1 represented a very important step and now the successor confirms the potential of Xiaomi and its chip division. For the time being, however, the brand’s aspirations remain limited to the Chinese market and to modest volumes; the intention is to continue to focus on Qualcomm and MediaTek, to then progressively also incorporate proprietary solutions. It remains to see when these will be ready to reach also the global markets.