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Rumor | OPPO is working on its answer to Xiaomi's Surge C1 chip

OPPO designs its own take on the Mi Mix Alpha. (Source: LetsGoDigital)
OPPO designs its own take on the Mi Mix Alpha. (Source: LetsGoDigital)
Xiaomi announced a resumption of its in-house mobile chipset project with the launch of the Surge C1, a custom image-signalling processor (ISP) found in the premium Mi Mix Fold. Now, a famous leaker asserts that OPPO is working on one of its own, with the aim of enhancing the camera performance of its own next-gen phones. The OEM has also patented its own wraparound-display phone, thereby copying another Xiaomi move.

As if the Mi Mix Fold does not stand out in the smartphone market quite enough already, its maker Xiaomi distinguished it yet further by equipping it with its very own image signal processor (ISP) for its high-end rear camera array, rather than use a standard one such as the Spectra 580 found right on the Snapdragon 888 processor. 

This new Surge C1 represents the comeback of its series since Xiaomi gave up on trying to make its predecessors full smartphone processors that could compete with leading Qualcomm or MediaTek chipsets. However, they are back now, and might become more advanced and powerful over time as the OEM resumes its ambitions in this area.

Now, the prominent leaker Digital Chat Station claims that OPPO, another market-leading Chinese electronics OEM, is gearing up to rival Xiaomi in the same way with its own custom ISP. It, like the C1, is apparently destined for next-gen mobile devices from this company. The chipset is said to be called the M1, and might be the first fruit of the OEM's rumored "Mariana" project.

In other possible future OPPO news, it has reportedly registered a new device patent with the Chinese national intellectual property office (CNIPA). Accepted by this office in May 2021, it depicts what really looks like a slimmer version of the Mi Mix Alpha, near-360-degree screen with a thin strip of frame for button controls and all.

Therefore, it now looks like the OEM plans to release a "wraparound phone" of its own, perhaps alongside or instead of its also-interesting X 2021 slidable phone. All in all, it now looks like OPPO is coming for Xiaomi in terms of cutting-edge tech, even to the lofty extent of in-house silicon.

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Schematics and renders based on the new OPPO patent. (Source: CNIPA, LetsGoDigital)
Schematics and renders based on the new OPPO patent. (Source: CNIPA, LetsGoDigital)
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2021 07 > OPPO is working on its answer to Xiaomi's Surge C1 chip
Deirdre O'Donnell, 2021-07- 7 (Update: 2021-07- 7)