Companies like Apple, Samsung, and Huawei have all built their own chipsets for use in their mobile devices, thus cutting down dependence on other companies like Qualcomm, MediaTek, and NVIDIA in the process. Or in the case of Apple, zero reliance on chipmakers (production notwithstanding).
With Xiaomi quickly rising through the smartphone ranks, could it be time for the Chinese handset maker to start making their own processors? According to a report from ETK China (via TalkAndroid), they have heard that Xiaomi could indeed be considering embarking on such a project, although right now it has not been confirmed.
This isn’t the first time we have heard such rumors. Back in August, it was also rumored that Xiaomi was considering building their own chipsets, so the fact that we’re hearing it again seems to lend more weight to the claims. Xiaomi has also recently signed a deal with Qualcomm where they are licensing some of their patents. That being said, ETK claims that a source from MediaTek suggests otherwise.
Their source claims that deciding to build their own processors is an expensive and lengthy process, which we have to concede is true. However it could help Xiaomi save money in the long run, which in turn could translate to even cheaper phones. In any case take it with a grain of salt for now, but we’ll have to wait and see what 2016 holds for us.