Xiaomi has filed a new trademark for XRING 02, a second-generation custom chip. This move signals that the company is actively developing its in-house silicon roadmap to rival Apple’s custom processors. Following the debut of the 3nm XRING 01 in the Xiaomi Tablet 7 Ultra, XRING 02 appears to be Xiaomi’s next step toward reducing reliance on third-party chipmakers like Qualcomm and MediaTek.
The filing suggests more than just a new chip. It reflects Xiaomi’s broader goal of controlling its hardware and software stack. The company has made no secret of its ambition to match Apple’s performance standards, openly stating that it uses Apple as a benchmark for both device design and chip development. The XRING 02 could be Xiaomi’s attempt to shrink the performance and efficiency gap between its devices and Apple’s.
Matching Apple’s Custom Silicon Ambition
Xiaomi has never hidden its admiration for Apple’s control over hardware and software. The company publicly acknowledged using Apple as a benchmark, asking itself whether its devices and chips could go head-to-head with iPhones and Apple Silicon. The XRING chip family is its answer. Filing trademarks for XRING 02, XRING T1, and XRING 0 suggests Xiaomi wants to build a unified silicon ecosystem across its products including phones, tablets, and wearables, mirroring Apple’s integration model.
Xiaomi’s XRING 01 was fabricated using TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process. If the company follows that trajectory, XRING 02 might use TSMC’s N3P or N3E nodes. There’s even a possibility of moving to a 2nm process, depending on access to required tools and licensing. However, current U.S. export controls limit China’s ability to acquire essential chip design software, which may restrict Xiaomi’s ability to move to 2nm anytime soon.
Will XRING 02 Compete with Apple’s A20?
Even if Xiaomi upgrades to the N3E node, XRING 02 may fall behind Apple’s A20 and A20 Pro, which are expected to use TSMC’s more advanced 2nm process. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3 is also expected to adopt 2nm, further raising the bar. This places pressure on Xiaomi to either match those specifications or find competitive advantages elsewhere, such as tighter software integration or battery optimization.
The XRING 02 trademark was first reported by Wccftech and later verified through China’s TianYanCha database. A leak from X user @faridofanani96 included screenshots of the trademark filing, adding weight to the speculation that development work has already begun.
Xiaomi is not currently on Taiwan’s export control list. This gives the company a narrow opportunity to license the software needed for cutting-edge semiconductor development. Whether it can fully capitalize on this and bring XRING 02 to parity with Apple’s silicon remains uncertain. But the company is clearly committed to building a future where it controls its performance destiny.
