Xiaomi had launched the Mi 5 with Snapdragon 820 chipset clocked down at 1.8GHz.
Even as Xiaomi has denied participation at the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona, it is nonetheless prepping up for its next big launch – the Mi 6. As it is the case with every anticipated smartphone, the successor to the Mi 5 too has had its share of leaks and rumors. Now, the latest to add to the pool of speculation is that the Mi 6 will come powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 chipset, but will be clocked lower.
The Xiaomi Mi 6 is touted to be one of the first devices from a Chinese brand to feature the latest Qualcomm processor. According to latest reports, however, the chipset could be under clocked. To better understand, while a clocked down version of the chipset might not seem like a huge difference for consumers, but it slightly impacts the performance of the device. But several companies usually use an under clocked version of a top-end processor in order to increase battery life and better heat management among others. Even Xiaomi is not new to using a clocked down chipsets. The Mi 5 had also been released with a clocked down Snapdragon 820 chipset at 1.8GHz.
Other than Samsung and Xiaomi, LG’s next flagship smartphone G6 is also expected to be among the first set of smartphones to come powered with the latest Snapdragon 835 chipset. Though, new rumors suggest that LG has been forced to use last year’s 821 SoC in its G6 as Samsung is allegedly hoarding all the 835 chipsets for its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8. ALSO READ: Xiaomi Mi 6 won’t launch at MWC 2017
Xiaomi Mi 6 specifications and features
The Mi 6 is expected to come in two more variants based on the chipsets. The use of different chipsets indicates that some specifications and price of the models will also vary. According to a Weibo user, one variant of the Mi 6 will house a Helio X30 chipset and cost RMB 1,999 (approximately Rs 19,800 ), the second variant will be powered by the newer Snapdragon 835 chipset, paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. It is said to be priced at RMB 2,499 (approximately Rs 24,800). The most expensive edition will also have the same Snapdragon 835 chipset at its heart, but will vary in design as it will feature a dual-edge curved display similar to the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. It will further include 6GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. This particular variant will be priced at RMB 2,999 (approximately Rs 29,600).
In terms of other specifications, the smartphone is likely to boast a dual-tone design and come with a home button that doubles up as a fingerprint sensor. Given the use of the Snapdragon 835 chipset, a dual-camera module is also expected. However, some reports indicate that there will be a single 16-megapixel rear camera sensor with 4K video recording capabilities and dual-tone LED flash. For selfies, it is expected to come with a 4-megapixel selfie camera. The smartphone is further expected to be armed with a 3,000mAh battery with a USB Type-C port for connectivity. On the software front, the Mi 6 is said to run the latest Android 7.0 Nougat with Xiaomi’s own MIUI OS layered on top.