Xiaomi’s iPhone 15 rival could come with Qualcomm’s most powerful chip

Xiaomi’s next-gen flagship with Qualcomm’s next-gen chip

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Following up on the excellentXiaomi 13and 13 Pro, the company is currently thought to be preparing the Xiaomi 14 and 14 Pro, and one new report indicates that these handsets will come equipped withQualcomm’s next-gen Snapdragon 8 Gen 3chipset. Xiaomi is expected to announce these upcoming phones in November, with an initial release in China followed by Europe; assuming similar patterns to previous years.

The report comes from prolific Chinese tipsterDigital Chat Stationon the Chinese Twitter-style social platform Weibo. Xiaomi has often been among the first Android manufacturers to adopt Qualcomm’s latest chips, notably, the Xiaomi 13 series was one of the first to feature theSnapdragon 8 Gen 2, resulting in impressive performance as we noted in ourXiaomi 13 reviewand ourXiaomi 13 Pro review, and leading these devices to sit amongst thebest Xiaomi phones

Looking at other rumors, the Xiaomi 14 is said to boast several other noteworthy specifications, especially in the battery department where the phone will reportedly sport a 4,860mAh battery, 90W fast charging, and 50W wireless charging. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 14 Pro is rumored to surpass these figures, featuring a 5,000mAh battery and 120W wired fast charging. Wireless charging is said to be the same.

While Qualcomm has not yet officially announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, it is likely to do so before Xiaomi’s phone reveal. The company has set the date of its next Snapdragon Summit and it’s earlier than usual (it typically takes place in November or December) from October 24 to 26, preceding the rumored Xiaomi 14 November announcement.

Power and efficiency rise across the board

Both power and efficiency are expected to see improvements with the 8 Gen 3. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 brought increased efficiency to thebest Android phones, rivaling iPhones with the likes of theSamsung Galaxy S23,OnePlus 11, and of course, the Xiaomi 13.

Applehas historically led in battery efficiency, since the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro Max, but the tides are slowly turning. With the rise ofultra-fast charging, combined with Qualcomm’s efficiency gains and larger batteries, Android phones could see themselves becoming as or even more efficient than thebest iPhones; benefiting buyers with the heightened competition.

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A UK-based tech journalist for TechRadar, helping keep track and make sense of the fast-paced world of tech with a primary focus on mobile phones, tablets, and wearables.

When not writing on TechRadar, I can often be found reading fiction, writing for fun, or working out.

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