Xiaomi 18 Fold Debuts at IFA With XRing O3, First Chip to Clear 5 Million AnTuTu
AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication
Xiaomi debuted the Xiaomi 18 Fold at IFA 2026 in Berlin, marking its first appearance at the event. The device features the XRing O3, an in-house designed chip manufactured by TSMC, which achieved an AnTuTu V11 score of 5,228,014, becoming the first mobile processor to exceed five million points. The phone utilizes a ten-core all-big-core architecture on TSMC’s N3P process, eliminating efficiency cores to maximize peak throughput. It also pairs this silicon with Chinese-made LPDDR6 memory from ChangXin Memory Technologies. Xiaomi plans to launch the 18 Fold in China on September 7, strategically preceding Apple’s expected foldable iPhone reveal on September 9. While the chip delivers multi-core Geekbench scores surpassing current flagships, the absence of efficiency cores raises questions about battery longevity during sustained light workloads. The device represents a significant step toward a self-contained high-performance silicon stack for Chinese consumer electronics, though fabrication remains dependent on Taiwanese foundries.
💡 Why It Matters
- · The deliberate two-day launch window before Apple’s foldable reveal suggests Xiaomi is attempting to seize narrative dominance in the emerging foldable market.
- · By pairing a domestically designed SoC with local memory, Xiaomi is testing the limits of Chinese silicon independence despite relying on TSMC for manufacturing.
