Xiaomi is developing the 17S to debut its Xring O2 in-house chip, with faster compute, modem refinements, and a likely China-only release in 2026. Details soon.
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Xiaomi is doubling down on its in-house silicon program and shows no intention of easing off. After the May 2025 launch of the Xiaomi 15S Pro—the brand’s first smartphone powered by its own Xring O1 chip—word is that the company is already building the next S-series.
According to Chinese insider Smart Pikachu, the Xiaomi 17S line is in active development and will serve as an experimental spin on the forthcoming Xiaomi 17 flagships. The key intrigue is the expected debut of the second-generation Xring O2, designed to further cut reliance on external suppliers, especially Qualcomm.
The 15S Pro was widely seen as a mid-cycle refresh of the Xiaomi 15 Pro: conceptually close to the original, but with a defining swap from a Qualcomm platform to Xring O1. That step was the meaningful one—it gave Xiaomi a real flagship to prove out its architecture and software tuning under everyday pressure, a pragmatic path for maturing a first-gen chip.
The latest leak suggests that with 17S, Xiaomi aims not only to upgrade compute performance but also to keep refining its networking stack and modem, which are still in development. That, in turn, helps explain a likely 2026 release window: the company needs time to make the processor-plus-connectivity pairing more mature and predictable. The cautious pacing hints at lessons being applied rather than rushed.
As with the 15S Pro, the 17S series is expected to remain a China-only release—where it’s easier to control supply chains and manage risk while testing in high volumes. Meanwhile, Xiaomi’s global flagships, at least for the next cycle, are likely to continue leaning on Qualcomm’s proven platforms. It’s a hedged strategy that preserves international momentum while home turf absorbs the R&D turbulence.
Little is known about Xring O2 so far, though rumors point to an ARM Travis core and a noticeable bump in performance. Either way, the fact that 17S is already in the works signals something clear: Xiaomi’s drive for technological self-sufficiency is not a one-off demo but a measured roadmap with the next step already being laid.