When it comes to the heart of smartphone self-development, the CPU chip stands as the epitome of technological prowess. Only a handful of companies globally have mastered this domain, as it signifies the pinnacle of mobile innovation. Crossing this threshold not only bolsters autonomy over crucial components but also widens the gap with competitors. Xiaomi, with ambitious aspirations, has embarked on this journey with high aspirations, aiming to release chips using advanced 5nm processes and has named their latest creation, Xuanjie O1.

As the launch nears, with Lei Jun personally set to unveil it in days, and process technology details leaked by third parties, anticipation builds around Xuanjie O1's performance capabilities. According to the Geekbench benchmarking platform, the single-core and multi-core scores stand at 2709 and 8125 respectively, marginally surpassing the Snapdragon 8 Gen3, marking a remarkable achievement.

Furthermore, Xuanjie O1 boasts a maximum core frequency of 3.9GHz, an indicator that instills initial confidence in its performance. However, it appears that these scores are not the limit, as another leak suggests even higher benchmarks, with single-core and multi-core scores soaring to 3017 and 9264 respectively, surpassing 9400+ in both categories, astonishing many.

It's worth noting that the Snapdragon 8 Ultimate Edition scores 3200 and 10400 in single-core and multi-core tests respectively. This signifies that Xiaomi's maiden SOC chip is nearly on par with Qualcomm's current flagship mobile chip. Given that Xuanjie O1 is manufactured using a cutting-edge 3nm process, such benchmark performance is plausible.

The discrepancy in benchmark scores between two leaks raises curiosity. Neither Xiaomi nor third parties have offered explanations. Personally, I surmise that one set could be from initial tests, while the other reflects optimized performance, more indicative of real-world phone performance. Despite criticism, Xiaomi's achievements are undeniably impressive.

Xiaomi's journey in chip self-development spans a decade. Early setbacks with the Penta chip did not deter them from their mobile CPU ambitions. Now, with Xuanjie O1's high core frequency and external modem, the focus shifts to how it manages power consumption efficiently.

Rumors suggest that the Xiaomi 15s Pro will be the first to feature Xuanjie O1. It remains to be seen how much interest this device will generate.