It will be a historic moment for Xiaomi on February 28, when the company will announce its first ever processor, the Xiaomi Pinecone at a conference in China. We have seen Xiaomi’s innovative strategies work out in almost every area where it placed its bets, but processors are not easily developed in-house. If it was easy, you would have seen lots of smartphone chipmakers in the market. But there aren’t many, and it is no surprise that only tech giants like Apple, Samsung and Huawei have managed to successfully develop commercial chipsets for its smartphones. But Xiaomi is nowhere nearly as big as these three giants and it would really be interesting to see the company’s take on its own chipsets.

There are currently a lot of questions and doubts regarding the Xiaomi Pinecone chipset and I’ll try to explain most of the questions regarding the processor in this article. Read on to know more about one of the most important products from Xiaomi till date.

XIAOMI PINECONE

Xiaomi has been eyeing to develop in-house chipsets for quite some time now and we started hearing rumors and reports about this as early as 2015. Lei Jun’s plan to make independently developed chipsets seems to have kick started after the big deal in 2014. At the start of November 2014, a company called Beijing Songguo Electronics (also called as Beijing Pinecone Electronics) entered an agreement with Leadcore Technology Ltd., a Chinese IC design company for ‘SDR1860 platform technology transfer contract’ at 103 million Yuan (~$15 million USD).

Now, initially, when Datang Group (make note of this name as it will come again) announced this deal officially, there wasn’t much thought given to its relation to Xiaomi. But soon, it was found that two of Xiaomi’s employees, who were responsible for research and technical development at Xiaomi also worked at Beijing Pinecone Electronics. This revealed that Xiaomi controlled Beijing Pinecone Electronics, which also meant the company’s plans to develop its own processor got a significant boost.

Fast forward to March 2015 and we saw the first fruit of this deal, the Xiaomi Redmi 2A. It was the first Xiaomi smartphone to be powered by a Leadcore chipset and one of the first steps towards working together with Leadcore to develop its own chip. It was one of the best super cheap smartphones of the time, costing just 599 Yuan ($88).

Since then, we haven’t really seen a Leadcore powered Xiaomi smartphone, probably because Xiaomi was busy developing its own in-house Pinecone processor. But we will surely see the fruits of the past two years on February 28.

So, now you must be wondering why would Xiaomi develop its own in-house processors, when it can continue to rely on established chipmakers like Qualcomm and Mediatek, who are experts in this field.

There are a number of possible reasons for this:

1. First of all, Xiaomi is one of the world’s top smartphone companies and its sales exceed 50 million each year. Given the high amount of smartphone sales and the prospective growth, it actually makes sense to invest money in R&D for an independent chipset. The cost of developing an in-house chip is huge and it gets distributed among the millions of units in sales. If your scale is not large enough, it wouldn’t make sense to spend so much for a self-developed processor.
2. Despite the company trying to sell more high-end smartphones, the majority of the phones sold by Xiaomi is from the low-end to mid-range segment. It is a price sensitive market and you have to make sure that your smartphone is priced aggressively in order to have an edge over the competitor. Given the rising cost of components, it becomes really hard to limit the costs to the current levels. Using an in-house chip could help in bringing down the cost. Every dollar counts in the low-end market.
3. Another good reason for developing in-house chipset is the lack of good choices available for Xiaomi. There are five major chipmakers in the smartphone market today — Qualcomm, MediaTek, Apple, Samsung, and Huawei. Qualcomm chipsets are costly, so not ideal for low-end to mid-range market where prices have to be kept near cost; MediaTek’s chipsets are decent, but they are not really up to the mark as compared to Qualcomm and MTK’s reputation is not really stellar; then comes Samsung, whose chipsets are not mass produced in very large quantities (as compared to the other two) and Meizu seems to be the only notable manufacturer getting Exynos chipset orders. Finally, there’s Apple and Huawei whose processors are exclusively used by their own smartphones, so not something that Xiaomi can get hold of.
4. In-house chips could also offer Xiaomi better bargaining power from the likes of Qualcomm and MediaTek for its other models, as the two chipmakers know Xiaomi doesn’t have to rely entirely on their processors.
5. International expansion is also made possible with the help of in-house chipset with its own 4G modem. Remember Leadcore is a subsidiary of the state-owned Datang Group, which has a lot of patents under its belt.
6. Having your own processor gives you greater control over supply chain and product cycles.
7. A self-developed processor will help in better optimization of hardware and software which is very important in the best performance of the smartphone.
8. Finally, to be able to achieve something as making your own processors puts you in the big league, with the big three giants, Apple, Samsung, and Huawei. It’s an elite club and will definitely enhance the overall brand image of the company. Lei Jun wants Xiaomi to be regarded as an innovative tech company and Xiaomi Pinecone along with products like the Xiaomi Mi Mix will definitely help the CEO realize this goal.

Xiaomi is reported to have had around 200-300 people employed to work on the development of its in-house chipset around early 2016. And in the initial stage, the Xiaomi Pinecone chipset is said to power the widely leaked Xiaomi Mi 5C smartphone.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note series would also be an ideal potential candidate for the Pinecone processor given it’s one of the best selling lineups of the company and is priced aggressively.

Now coming to another important part: Xiaomi Pinecone Specs

At this moment, the Xiaomi Pinecone processor is said to come in two variants — V670 and V970.

Xiaomi Pinecone V670

So, the Pinecone 1 (V670) is the less powerful version of the two and will be a mid-range chipset. Here are the rumored details of this chipset:

CPU: 4 x Cortex A53 @ 2.2GHz + 4 x Cortex A53 @ 1.7GHz

GPU: ARM Mali-T860 MP4 @800MHz

Process: SMIC 28nm HKMG

Launch: February 2017

Before we move onto the chip’s expected performance, let’s first wonder why Xiaomi Pinecone 1 is manufactured using SMIC’s 28nm process. Some would argue that Xiaomi should have used much-advanced manufacturing node, something like a 14nm process for its first ever independent processor.

There are multiple reasons for this, the major one being the cost. The Pinecone chipset should be giving Xiaomi an edge in pricing its products and the 28nm process is much cheaper than something like the 14nm / 16nm processes used by rival chipsets. Another major reason is that 28nm is enough to meet the performance of eight Cortex A53 cores. Also, Datang Holdings has invested in SMIC, so it’s easier to get a good deal for manufacturing its chipsets.

Xiaomi Pinecone (V670) Performance:

While the chip is yet to be released and tested officially, leaks suggest that the Pinecone 1 should be placed above MTK Helio P10 and Snapdragon 625 in terms of performance. We have already seen the Xiaomi Meri (another name for Xiaomi Mi 5C) on Geekbench with decent performance.

Xiaomi Pinecone V970:

The Xiaomi Pinecone V970, the flagship grade chipset is said to come with impressive specs.

CPU: 4 x Cortex A73 @ 2.7GHz + 4 x Cortex A53 @ 2.0GHz

GPU: Mali-G71 MP12 @ 900MHz

Process: 10nm Samsung

Launch: Q4 2017

Definitely looks like an interesting chipset for Xiaomi’s flagship phones, but for the time being, expect the top-end models from the company to continue using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8XX processors. At this point, we have no info on its performance but the specs definitely instill confidence in the chip.

Of course, these specs, although detailed are rumored and only after Xiaomi officially announces the Pinecone processor, we will know the exact details.

I hope this clears most of the questions regarding the company’s upcoming pinecone processors.

So, what do you think about the company’s move to release self-developed Pinecone chipset?

The post Xiaomi Pinecone Processor: Everything you need to know! appeared first on Gizmochina.

It is still a few days before Xiaomi unveils its Pinecone processor. While some are excited, others are skeptical about its success. A Samsung employee belongs to the latter group and he has his reasons.

The Samsung employee decided to air his thoughts about the Pinecone processor through his Weibo account @Galant V. According to a loose translation of his post, he isn’t optimistic about Xiaomi’s decision to go into chip manufacturing. He believes the company is not yet at the right stage and also has strong opponents to compete against. In addition to those reasons, he adds that chip development is a really big deal and costs a lot of money.

His points are valid but we think Xiaomi must have considered all the possible ways it might go wrong and found solutions to them. Xiaomi makes tons of stuffs, a majority being smart home products. Having its own chip inside all these products is something they must be certainly looking at.

READ MORE: MIUI 8.2 Update for Second batch Models Hits More Xiaomi Smartphones

How it will perform in phones is something that we will have to judge when the first phone sporting the Pinecone chip is released. Even if things are not perfect the first time, there will definitely be improvements in subsequent releases.

We want to hear your thoughts on the issue, so be sure to leave a comment.

(Source, via)

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Xiaomi has scheduled next week Tuesday, 28th of February for the unveiling of its Pinecone chip. In a bid to keep up hype for the event, the official MIUI weibo account posted a teaser image today.

The image shows four different designs of a pinecone and is accompanied by a text asking users to guess which one is used for the processor’s logo. Most of the replies are either options B and D. But if you have been following our posts on the chip, it should be easy for you to answer.

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The Pinecone processor is Xiaomi’s in-house chip that is expected to make it into phones this year, starting with the Xiaomi Mi 5C. Report has it that there are two models at the moment. There is the mid-range V670 said to offer similar performance to the Snapdragon 625 and Mediatek Helio P10; and the V970 with a higher performance built on the 10nm node.

So which of these images represent the Pinecone logo? Hint: Check our previous posts.

(Source)

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The Xiaomi Mi 5C is expected to be the first Xiaomi phone released with the Pinecone V670 processor. Rumored to be released in March, a new image of the phone has been leaked online showing it sporting a new design.

When the first set of images of the Mi 5C were leaked online back when it was still called Xiaomi Meri, the device featured a physical home button. However, this new image leaked on Weibo by @strong machine and said to have originated from a Foxconn factory lacks the physical home button. Another difference is the position of the front camera which has been moved from the right to the left.

This new device is better looking and the front bezels are thinner but since there is no picture of the rear we can’t confirm the position of the fingerprint scanner. The front also lacks the groove of the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner in the Mi 5S. So we can’t say if there is one embedded underneath the display.

READ MORE: Xiaomi Mi 6 won’t Use Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor, Stock Details Leak

We might have to wait until more leaks surface or until the phone is eventually released in March. The Xiaomi Mi 5C is rumored to have a 5.5-inch display, 3GB RAM, 64GB of built-in storage and a 12MP Omnivision 12870 rear camera. The front camera is an 8MP shooter and there is a 4500mAh battery in it. Since MIUI 9 is not out yet, it should ship with MIUI 8 based on Android 6.0. Price is said to be about ¥1499 (~$218).

(Source)

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Xiaomi’s first phone for the year is the Redmi Note 4X but the Xiaomi Mi 6 is actually the one fans are looking forward to. Rumors have been flying round as to what features the Mi 6 will have and which ones it won’t.

One feature most people are eager to know about is the display of the Mi 6. Last year there were speculations that the phone will look like a smaller version of the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 which we all know has a dual-curved AMOLED display. Today, Weibo user @Mocha Socialist Workers has disproved the statement.

According to his post on the micro-blogging site, the Xiaomi Mi 6 will have a flat 5.2-inch 1080p TFT LCD display and not an OLED display with dual-curved edges.

Now we will advise not to rush and swallow this statement as Xiaomi hasn’t confirmed the display type of the Mi 6. The Xiaomi Mi 6 might have a flat IPS display but there is no assurance that the “Mi 6 Pro” or “Mi 6 Plus” won’t have an OLED display that is curved.

Judging from what Xiaomi did with the Mi 5s and Mi 5s Plus, and the differences between the two phones and even differences between storage variants of each of the phones, You will understand why we are not quick to dismiss earlier reports.

@Mocha Socialist Workers doesn’t stop there. He also clears the air on the rumor that the Xiaomi Mi 6 will feature a Pinecone processor. His post says the Mi 6 will indeed feature a Snapdragon 835 chip.

There is indeed mention of a higher-end Pinecone chip (Pinecone V970) built on the 10nm node. The chip is said to be made up of  8 cores (4x A73 cores clocked at 2.7GHz and 4x A53 cores clocked at 2.0GHz) and sports a Mali-G71MP12 GPU clocked at 900MHz. Sounds powerful but it won’t be making it into the Mi 6 but might be used in the Xiaomi Mi 6s or Mi Note 3.

READ MORE: Xiaomi Phones Costlier in Indonesia: Redmi 4A is $113

Sources say the news that Samsung is taking all the available Snapdragon 835 chips is greatly exaggerated. Samsung is only getting priority as the top Android manufacturer but other early manufacturers like Xiaomi will also get their supply of the chips.

The post Xiaomi Mi 6 To Feature 5.2-inch Flat Display; No Curved-Screen Variant appeared first on Gizmochina.

When we first heard of the Xiaomi Mi 5C last year, we were surprised at the choice of SoC it was going to have. It was not going to use a Qualcomm chip or one from Mediatek, neither was it going to sport Huawei’s Kirin processor or Samsung’s Exynos. Though we would still be surprised if it had used any of the last two. The Mi 5C was going to have a chip built by Xiaomi called Pinecone.

Pinecone is the result of a partnership formed in 2014 between Xiaomi-controlled Beijing Electronics Co. Ltd. and Leadcore Technology Ltd., a subsidiary of Datang Telecom. The partnership led to the formation of Beijing Pinecone Electronics Co. Ltd, a chip manufacturing company with Xiaomi owning 51% of the stake and Leadcore owning the remaining 49%. The new pinecone chip is actually not their first. It is said that the Leadcore L1860C in the Xiaomi Redmi 2A is the first chip from the company.

The Xiaomi Mi 5C will be the first device to launch with the new processor. Reports say there are two versions of the processor: one will be made up of 8 Cortex-A53 chips and will have a performance equal to Mediatek’s Helio P10 while the other called ‘Pinecone 2’ will be made up of 4 Cortex A73 chips and 4 Cortex A53 chips.

READ MORE: Unofficial Version of Android 7.1.1 for Xiaomi Mi Note, Mi 4 and Mi Note Pro Spotted

Xiaomi has already opened an official Weibo account  and website for Pinecone but you won’t find much info on the latter. The news of Xiaomi having its own processor is said to have affected Huawei who used to be the only Chinese manufacturer with its own line of processors.

The Xiaomi Mi 5C is expected to launch this month with a 5.5-inch 1080p display, 3GB of RAM and a 64GB of built-in storage. In  addition to the octa-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz, it is expected to have either a 12MP or 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front shooter. Pricing details are currently unknown.

(Source)

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This move has actually been in the works for a while. Back in 2014 a company called Beijing Pinecone Electronics which is controlled by Xiaomi signed an agreement with Chinese chip designer Leadcore Technology Ltd, a subsidiary of state backed Datang Telecom, to jointly design 4G multiple mode chips.

Weibo account @Science and Technology suspects the unknown chip in the Xiaomi Meri is one of the chips from the company. An information page from the phone’s Antutu result also shows the processor has a Mali-T860 GPU and that the Meri has a 5.46” 1080p screen. Another image which shows the EXIF data of a picture taken with the phone’s camera also has the word PINECONE.

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The move by Xiaomi to start using their own processors will come as bad news for chip-makers Qualcomm and Mediatek who supply the tech giant with chips for all its phones. You can imagine how much money the company would have saved if the best seller, the Redmi Note 3 had a Xiaomi chip.

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