14 DAY TRIAL // Xiaomi confirmed plans to launch its own mobile chipset earlier this month, but the Chinese company didn't say when the so-called Pinecone processor would be officially unveiled.
Today, Digitimes reports Xiaomi has already started to send invitations for a launch event to be held on February 28. The Chinese company is expected to announce the commercial availability of one of its Pinecone CPUs.
Currently, Xiaomi is working on two Pinecone chipsets, the V670 and V790. The former is aimed at entry-level and mid-range smartphones, while the latter will be embedded in flagships and high-end devices.
Only the Pinecone V670 chip will be unveiled later this month, sources familiar with Xiaomi's plans claim. The chipset is said to be built on a 28nm process and packs four high-frequency A53 cores and four A53 low-power cores. Moreover, Xiaomi included an ARM Mali-T860 MP2 graphics processing unit.
The second and more powerful Xiaomi processor, the V790, won't be commercially available until the end of 2017. The chip is said to pack four A73 cores and four A53 cores, along with a Mali G71 MP12 graphics processing unit.
Xiaomi Mi 5c smartphone could be unveiled next week as well
According to the Chinese media, Xiaomi will collaborate with Samsung to build the Pinecone V970, which will use the 10nm manufacturing process developed by the South Korean company.
Besides the Pinecone V670 chip, Xiaomi is expected to unveil a budget-friendly Android smartphone on February 28. The device might be launched as Xiaomi Mi 5c, a smartphone that leaked online a few days ago.
The latest reports claim Xiaomi's cheap handset will feature a large 5.5-inch display, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and a secondary 8-megapixel camera in the front.
The Mi 5c will be available for purchase in China for 1,300 yuan, which is about $190 outright. Xiaomi is unlikely to launch the cheap handset in other countries except maybe India.