Xiaomi’s New Surge S2 Chipset To Power The Mi 6X
There is no denying that Qualcomm rules the roost when it comes to chipsets powering Android smartphones. Big smartphone makers opt for Snapdragon chipsets for their best devices and it seems like this will be the case for a long time. However, a lot of companies are preparing in-house chipsets and use these chipsets for a lot of important smartphones. Samsung uses its Exynos chipsets for devices sold in the US and South Korea, while Xiaomi only recently started developing its in-house chips.
In 2017, Xiaomi launched its first-ever chipset, the Surge S1. The Surge S1 powered the Xiaomi Mi 5c but, the device remained a China-exclusive like a lot of other Xiaomi smartphones. However, it looks like the next iteration of Xiaomi’s in-house chipsets will power a device that could potentially see a release outside China. Specifications of Surge S2 have surfaced online and it is being reported that the Xiaomi Mi 6X will be powered by the new chipset.
Mi 6X leaks
The Surge S2 will have an octa-core CPU with four Cortex-A73 cores running at 2.2 GHz and four Cortex-A53 at 1.8 GHz. Accompanying the chipset will be the Mali-G71 MP8 GPU which is a great improvement over the Mali-T860 from the Surge S1. According to the report, Xiaomi is looking to par the S2 with the Kirin 960 by Huawei.
It is reported that the first device to be powered by the new chipset is the Xiaomi Mi 6X. It is worth noting that the Xiaomi 5X was launched as the Xiaomi Mi A1 in the global market and if Xiaomi continues the trend, the Surge S2 could power the Xiaomi Mi A2 or Mi A1 (2018). So far, there have been two leaks that seemingly confirm a design change for the Mi 6X.
The two leaked images reveal that the Xiaomi Mi 6X will have a vertically placed dual-camera setup on the back, similar to the Apple iPhone X. The front of the phone will see reduced bezels and a tall display, presumably a 6 inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution.
The launch of the smartphone might be far but, the Surge S2 is expected to be announced at the MWC 2018, where Xiaomi could also unveil the Mi 7.
