Xiaomi has announced the XRING O3, its new generation of in-house mobile processors. TSMC makes the chip on 3-nanometer technology, it packs 24 billion transistors, and it uses a ten-core CPU with no traditional efficiency cores. The standout is memory: Xiaomi says it’s the first smartphone SoC to support LPDDR6, with up to 113.8 GB/s of bandwidth.
Xiaomi XRING O3 in 20 seconds
- Xiaomi stays on the 3 nm process, with 24 billion transistors in 133 mm².
- Its CPU uses ten high-performance cores and reaches up to 4.35 GHz.
- It debuts a 16-core G2-Ultra NX GPU.
- It’s the first mobile processor announced with LPDDR6 at 10,667 Mbps, per Xiaomi.
- It debuts in September in the Xiaomi 18 Fold.
The XRING O3 replaces the XRING O1 from 2025, which confirms Xiaomi plans to keep investing in its own silicon. That puts it in the small group of smartphone makers that design some of their own processors, even if they still lean on outside foundries to build them.
The move has an industrial angle too. Designing its own SoC lets Xiaomi steer the CPU, graphics, AI, image processing, memory, and power more directly, and it leans less on outside suppliers like Qualcomm and MediaTek.
A ten-core CPU without small efficiency cores
Xiaomi went with an unusual layout for the XRING O3.
The CPU has ten cores in three clusters: two Arm C1-Ultra cores up to 4.35 GHz, four C1-Premium cores at 3.68 GHz, and four C1-Pro cores at 3.15 GHz. None are the traditional small cores used mainly for low-power tasks.
The processor also carries 16 MB of system level cache (SLC).
Xiaomi credits this architecture with roughly 60% more CPU performance than the XRING O1, and up to 25% better energy efficiency under some low-to-medium loads. Those are the manufacturer’s numbers and will need independent testing once devices ship.
Physically, the change pushes the XRING O3 to about 133 mm², up from 109 mm² in its predecessor, with 24 billion transistors.
Xiaomi hasn’t moved to 2 nm yet. It stays on TSMC’s 3 nm, which several sources identify as N3P.
Graphics change too. The XRING O3 uses a 16-core Arm G2-Ultra NX GPU. Xiaomi claims up to 85% more graphics performance and a 182% jump in ray tracing over the previous generation, with lower power under certain conditions. Again, these are internal comparisons, not independent benchmarks.
LPDDR6 bandwidth reaches up to 113.8 GB/s
Memory may be the most technically interesting part of the XRING O3.
The processor supports LPDDR6 at 10,667 Mbps over a 4 × 24-bit bus, for a top bandwidth of 113.8 GB/s. Xiaomi puts that at a 48% gain over the XRING O1.
This isn’t just a bigger number on the spec sheet. Memory bandwidth matters more and more in phones as graphics loads grow and, especially, as AI models run locally.
LPDDR6 is the new low-power memory generation for smartphones and other devices. JEDEC published the JESD209-6 standard in July 2025, with an initial 10.667 Gbps and room to reach 14.4 Gbps. The standard also carries changes from LPDDR5X to improve performance and efficiency.
Adopting it early could give Xiaomi a head start, though the real availability and cost of LPDDR6 will matter once volume sales begin.
The XRING O3 also has an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) for on-device AI inference. Xiaomi advertises 200 TOPS of tensor compute and 3.13 TFLOPS of vector processing, and claims a 45% improvement in AI workloads over the previous generation.
Xiaomi also upgrades photography and video
Designing the chip in-house lets Xiaomi shape another part of the phone that keeps growing in importance: image processing.
The XRING O3 includes the fifth generation of the company’s ISP (Image Signal Processor) and supports sensors up to 432 megapixels, along with multi-camera setups.
It also handles 24-bit color processing and hardware acceleration for various video workloads, including H.266/VVC decoding.
That makes the XRING O3 more than a performance bump. Xiaomi is tuning the CPU, GPU, NPU, memory, and image processing specifically for its own devices.
The first chance to judge the results is coming soon.
Xiaomi has confirmed the XRING O3 will debut in September in the Xiaomi 18 Fold, its next foldable. Some sources also expect it in the upcoming Xiaomi Pad 9 Pro Max.
Early signs point to the Chinese market, so it’s not yet confirmed whether XRING O3 devices will be available internationally at launch.
Beyond these first products, the move signals Xiaomi’s push toward more advanced processors. Designing high-end chips takes sustained investment and large engineering teams, and Xiaomi looks set on extending that across more product categories.
Alongside the XRING O3, the company has announced other in-house silicon: the XRING O100 focused on AI, and the XRING D100 tied to automotive. The plan is for the XRING family to reach past smartphones.
Still, the XRING O3 is the most immediate test. Its ambitious specs, especially the jump to LPDDR6, the new CPU layout, and the 16-core GPU, will be judged on the Xiaomi 18 Fold, which will show how much of these gains hold up as sustained real-world performance, battery life, and thermals in a shipping device.
Frequently Asked Questions
What process is the Xiaomi XRING O3 made on?
TSMC builds the XRING O3 on 3-nanometer technology. Technical details point to the N3P node specifically.
Does the XRING O3 support LPDDR6 memory?
Yes. Xiaomi says it’s the first smartphone processor announced with LPDDR6, supporting speeds up to 10,667 Mbps and 113.8 GB/s of bandwidth.
How many cores does the XRING O3 have?
Ten: two C1-Ultra cores up to 4.35 GHz, four C1-Premium cores at 3.68 GHz, and four C1-Pro cores at 3.15 GHz. Xiaomi skips the traditional small efficiency cores.
Which device gets the XRING O3 first?
The first device announced with the new processor is the Xiaomi 18 Fold, due in September 2026.
