Update: The source has corrected his original tweet to say that the 3nm chipset is called the Kirin 9020 and not the Kirin 9010. However, there is a chipset called the Kirin 9010 which is a 5nm+ chipset. Both chipsets are under development already.
K9010 5nm+ (under development, can't produce)
K9020 3nm under development, unknown release)— Teme (特米)😷 (@RODENT950) January 2, 2021
Original Story
It has just been a few months since Huawei announced the Kirin 9000 processor. The chipset comes in two variants – the Kirin 9000 and Kirin 9000E – and is found only in the Mate 40 series. Now, a leaker has disclosed details about the next flagship Kirin processor which has been reported to be called the Kirin 9010.
The info about the new Kirin processor comes from the leaker @RODENT950, and according to a tweet posted today, the next-gen Kirin processor should arrive as the Kirin 9010 and it will be a 3nm chipset.
Next Gen Kirin(9010) is 3nm. pic.twitter.com/b6WtwdKt7r
— Teme (特米)😷 (@RODENT950) January 1, 2021
The Kirin 9000 launched as the first 5nm processor for Android devices and after its announcement came the Samsung Exynos 1080 and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. While most people will expect Huawei to stick to the 5nm process for at least two years, this leak reveals it is making the jump to 3nm for its next mobile chipset, which if all goes well, should launch this year and possibly appear in the Mate 50 series by the fourth quarter.
EDITOR’S PICK: Chip Battle: Snapdragon 888 versus Kirin 9000
We won’t be wrong to presume that other chip manufacturers such as Qualcomm will follow suit and also switch to 3nm for their next-generation flagship chipset if the news about Huawei’s 3nm chipset is true. Though the San Diego-based company is expected to announce a Snapdragon 888 Plus chipset later this year which should be a 5nm processor like its sibling but with a higher clock speed.
Samsung, on the other hand, has been reported to be skipping the 4nm process and jumping to 3nm. Apple is also expected to announce 3nm processors that will be built by TSMC but it is not expected to arrive until 2022. So there is a chance Huawei may be the first manufacturer to announce a 3nm chipset
Prior to the release of the 5nm Kirin chipset, there were reports that the Mate 40 may be the last Huawei flagship to be powered by a Kirin chipset processor but that will likely not be the case. The Huawei P50 phones are expected to come with Kirin 9000 processors and if Huawei is able to pull it off, then this year’s Mate series will come with the 3nm Kirin 9010.
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