Xiaomi Mi 5c: first phone with Xiaomi-designed processor

We’ve known for some time now that Xiaomi was hard at work on its own processors. After all, mobile giants Apple, Huawei and Samsung all have their own in-house chips. Now, the company has revealed its first silicon as well as the first phone to run it, in the form of the Mi 5c.

The Mi 5c packs Xiaomi’s octacore Surge S1 chip, comprised of one cluster of A53 cores at 2.2Ghz and another A53 cluster at 1.4Ghz. As for other specs, it features a relatively capable but budget-minded Mali T860 MP4 GPU and is designed on an older 28nm process.

Xiaomi also claims its chip outscores the Snapdragon 625 in Antutu, GFX Bench and GeekBench. But of course, benchmarks are one thing…

As for the Xiaomi Mi 5c itself? Well, it’s packing the Surge S1 obviously, as well as 3GB of RAM, a 2860mAh battery and 64GB of storage (it’s unclear whether the storage is expandable). Additionally, Xiaomi says the new phone has a 5.15-inch full HD display with 2048 brightness levels.

The Xiaomi Mi 5c is the first phone to use the company’s in-house processor, dubbed Surge S1

In the camera department, Xiaomi has been talking up the device’s 12MP main camera, featuring an f/2.2 aperture and 1.25 micron pixels. The selfie department sees Xiaomi go for an 8MP f/2.0 camera. Otherwise, USB Type C, a front-mounted fingerprint scanner and IR blaster round out the package.

As for the all-important price? You’re looking at RMB1499 (or R2837 as an ill-advised straight conversion).

Rumours abound that this isn’t the only in-house chipset being worked on by Xiaomi, with reports that the firm is set to launch a high-end processor. Android Pure reports that the high-end chip will feature four high-powered A73 cores and four energy-efficient A53 cores — all built on a 10nm process for energy and performance gains.