Xiaomi and Oppo said on Tuesday that they will adopt Qualcomm’s newest 5G chip in their flagship devices early next year.
Xiaomi and Oppo said they will use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 chip in devices they plan to launch in the first quarter of next year. The companies planned to announce the news at a Qualcomm conference being held in Hawaii.
Xiaomi and Oppo, both based in China, were the fourth and fifth biggest smartphone sellers in the world in the third quarter, according to research firm IDC. They have also become major Qualcomm customers, with both Xiaomi and Oppo’s parent group each accounting for more than 10 percent of Qualcomm’s $24.2 billion in revenue in its most recent fiscal year. Qualcomm’s other major customers are Apple and Samsung Electronics.
Qualcomm’s newest mobile phone processors announced at the event in Hawaii will include features for artificial intelligence tasks such as identifying objects in photos stored on smartphones, as well as a modem for connecting to 5G networks.
Qualcomm also said that its Snapdragon 765 chip, which is priced lower than its 865 chip and is often found in midpriced handsets, will include 5G connectivity in an effort to popularize the technology on lower-priced phones.
Qualcomm also said that it worked with Verizon Communications and Vodafone to certify that the modules will work on their carrier networks.
