Oppo could be next to drop Qualcomm for their own mobile processor

While these days most people seeking a new Android smartphone only really need to pick between Qualcomm or MediaTek chips, it looks like there could be a new challenger in the mobile processor space very soon.

According to serial leakster Ice Universe on Twitter, Oppo has been independently developing their own mobile application processor which is expected to feature onto Oppo smartphones from 2024 onwards. He adds that the Chinese giant already has a chip development team in place with thousands of staff onboard.

If you’re getting hints of deja vu, then it’s likely because it’s almost the same thing that Google did with the Google Tensor mobile processor back when they launched the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, ditching Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon chips for their own in-house silicon. However, they did partner up with Samsung to build upon the Korean company’s Exynos platform, adding their own spin with AI-focused improvements to the chip. Ice Universe though states that Oppo are not working with Samsung on this chip.

It does also seem like a natural progression for Oppo to switch to their own in-house mobile processors, having already made their own in-house chipset in the form of the MariSilicon X. It’s not a complete system-on-chip mobile platform though, instead being more of a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with an image signalling processor and memory architecture as a way to boost camera performance. MariSilicon X has been used by Oppo since early this year on both their flagship and upper midrange smartphones like the Find X5 Pro and Reno 8 Pro.