Video summary

小米自研玄戒O1芯片深度评测：直逼8 Elite！

Main summary

Key takeaways

Product Review

Product reviewed

Xiaomi 15S Pro using Xiaomi’s self-developed flagship SoC “XRING O1” (3nm, TSMC N3E)—a first-generation chip positioned to compete with current Android flagships.

Key features mentioned about XRING O1

Manufacturing process

  • TSMC N3E (3nm)

Core / CPU configuration (10-core total)

  • 2× X925 “super cores” @ up to 3.9GHz
  • 4× A725 performance cores @ up to 3.4GHz
  • 2× A725 energy-efficient cores (lower-frequency; different die/implementation)
  • 2× A520 small cores

Core scheduling design

  • X925 cutoff / lowest running frequency at ~1.89GHz (can’t go lower), intended for sudden peak loads.
  • System prefers A725 handling most loads, waking X925 only when needed.

Cache / memory system (CPU side)

  • L3 shared cache across CPU cores
  • L2 per-core:
    • X925: 2MB each
    • A725: 1MB each
    • A520: two cores share 512KB
  • Claimed as one of the highest CPU cache configurations seen in mobile SoCs.

External baseband dependence

  • XRING O1 does not include an integrated baseband → requires an external 5G baseband.
  • Xiaomi 15S Pro uses an MTK T800 baseband (4nm) (external), later blamed for battery-life shortcomings.

GPU

  • 16-core ARM G925
  • 4MB GPU L2
  • No SLC cache (explained as a trade-off to avoid GPU power/rollover risk in low-power scenarios)

NPU / ISP

  • 6-core self-developed NPU, with ~10MB independent cache
  • Xiaomi 4th-gen ISP (previously used “silently” on some MIX/Ultra models)

Performance highlights (XRING O1)

Geekbench 6 (reported peak)

  • Single-core: 3125
  • Multi-core: 9671

Energy efficiency (CPU)

  • XRING O1 surpasses Snapdragon 8 Elite within ~10W in multi-core energy efficiency.
  • Snapdragon 8 Elite can still beat it above ~11W (ultra-high power range).
  • Overall multi-core energy efficiency is described as very close among:
    • XRING O1 / A18 Pro / 8 Elite and all are much better than Dimensity 9400.

Per-core energy efficiency notes

  • X925:
    • Strong energy efficiency vs MTK’s counterparts
    • Even at 3.9GHz, power is said to be lower than 9400 at 3.6GHz
  • A725 performance cores:
    • Very wide frequency range down to ~0.69GHz
    • Energy efficiency is strong; in some cases beats/competes favorably vs 9400 X4 and Qualcomm medium cores
  • A725 energy-efficient cores:
    • Frequency range ~0.4GHz to 1.9GHz
    • Best among tested cores; at the lowest frequency, claimed motherboard power < 0.2W average

CPU latency / system behavior (reported)

  • Inter-core delay: ~26ns between two large cores
  • Cross-cluster delay: ~80ns
  • Memory delay (reported at 64MB depth):
    • X925 ~110ns (strong vs Dimensity 9400)
    • A725 large core ~140ns, enabling game-load usage (important for scheduling efficiency)

GPU performance & energy efficiency

3DMark “SNL” energy efficiency

  • GPU energy efficiency is not as good as Dimensity 9400 and Snapdragon 8 Elite
  • Lies between A18 Pro and Snapdragon 8 Elite

Peak GPU performance

  • 3DMark score: 2682, described as almost equal to Dimensity 9400
  • Peak power is high:
    • Average power during test reported >15W, framed as “too high” for typical mobile usage

Overall GPU conclusion

  • Good performance, but energy efficiency is the main weakness (partly attributed to no SLC)

Real-world gaming results (comparisons)

Tested against:

  • Xiaomi 15 Pro (Snapdragon 8 Elite)
  • iQOO X200s (Dimensity 9400+)
  • iPhone 16 Pro Max (A18 Pro)

Genshin Impact (25°C)

  • All maintain 60fps for ~30 minutes
  • Dimensity 9400+ model has slightly lower resolution → slightly lower power
  • Xiaomi 15S Pro (XRING O1):
    • ~0.1W higher than 8 Elite Xiaomi 15 Pro
    • ~0.06W lower than iPhone 16 Pro Max
  • Verdict in this test: energy efficiency matches flagship expectations

“Mingchao” (higher load)

  • Xiaomi 15S Pro: 50.8fps average
  • Frequency behavior:
    • Xiaomi 15 Pro (8 Elite): fluctuates after throttling (30–60fps “roller coaster”)
    • Xiaomi 15S Pro: more uniform frequency reduction
  • Xiaomi 15 Pro has slightly higher average FPS despite slightly higher power

Honkai Star Rail (25°C Wi‑Fi and 30°C 5G)

  • Wi‑Fi (25°C):
    • 56fps average with ~6.09W average power
    • Called better than Xiaomi 15 Pro (8 Elite)
    • Scheduling note: super core not used throughout; mostly uses A725, sometimes only up to around 3.0GHz
  • 5G (30°C):
    • Performance is worse than the Qualcomm version and also not as good as X200S
    • Likely causes attributed to 5G baseband / thermal / external baseband effects (not directly measured)

Honor of Kings (120fps)

  • Not directly compared due to ProMotion strategy differences (iPhone vs Android behavior)

Battery life results (major con)

  • Battery life measured for Xiaomi 15S Pro on 5G battery test 3.0 (pure 5G, no Wi‑Fi):
    • 9 hours 33 minutes
  • It does not beat the Snapdragon 8 Elite version (same phone mold)

Reason given

  • XRING O1 relies on an external MTK T800 5G baseband, hurting 5G power and adding SoC–baseband connection overhead
  • Comparison made to the importance of Apple’s baseband strategy

Stated hope / next step: Xiaomi may need a future self-developed XRING 5G baseband to fix this weakness.

Pros (from the video)

  • Excellent CPU performance, especially CPU energy efficiency
  • Strong per-core design and “energy-efficiency handoff” scheduling between X925 and A725 variants
  • High CPU cache configuration and good latency behavior
  • Flagship-level gaming performance, with favorable power/FPS stability in at least some titles
  • GPU performance peak is competitive (3DMark ~2682)

Cons (from the video)

  • GPU energy efficiency weaker than top competitors (9400 and 8 Elite)
  • No SLC on GPU, impacting efficiency
  • Battery life under 5G is a weak spot due to external baseband (MTK T800)
  • X925 max-frequency suitability/yield constraint mentioned:
    • High-frequency O1 (3.9GHz) supply is limited; a down-clocked version O1 also launched for tablets

Comparisons explicitly mentioned

vs Apple A18 Pro

  • CPU multi-core energy efficiency: comparable / very close to XRING O1
  • GPU energy efficiency: XRING O1 is between A18 Pro and Snapdragon 8 Elite (not best)

vs Snapdragon 8 Elite (Qualcomm)

  • XRING O1 wins CPU efficiency at ≤10W
  • 8 Elite wins in ultra-high power (>11W)
  • In 5G battery life (same phone mold), XRING O1 loses
  • In some gaming power comparisons, XRING O1 uses slightly more power than 8 Elite (e.g., Genshin)

vs Dimensity 9400 / 9400+

  • CPU energy efficiency: XRING O1 is much better overall
  • GPU energy efficiency: XRING O1 is not as good as Dimensity 9400
  • Memory delay / latency: XRING O1 reported stronger

vs previous generation

  • XRING O1 GPU energy efficiency improves vs 8 Gen3, but still not class-leading

Overall verdict / recommendation (based on the video)

XRING O1 is a standout first-gen SoC primarily because its CPU energy efficiency and scheduling are excellent and competitive with top flagships. However, GPU energy efficiency and 5G battery life are the main limitations (attributed to GPU lacking SLC and external 5G baseband).

Recommendation:

  • A strong choice if you prioritize CPU efficiency, sustained performance behavior, and gaming stability at normal loads.
  • Potential dealbreakers if you prioritize best-in-class GPU efficiency or heavy 5G battery life, until later iterations (e.g., XRING O2 / self-developed 5G baseband).

Unique points by speaker

The subtitles appear to be one primary reviewer/narrator; no distinct multi-speaker viewpoints are clearly separated. Mentions of “old fans”/collaborators (@万扯淡, @Kurnal) occur during disassembly commentary, but no separate conclusions are attributed to different speakers.

Original video