Oppo reportedly developing its own chips — and that could be big for OnePlus

Oppo reportedly developing its ain chips — and that could be large for OnePlus

The Oppo Find X3 Pro, held with its back to the camera in front of a green background.

(Paradigm credit: Tom'due south Guide)

Oppo, the company behind the Oppo Find X3 Pro and OnePlus' new parent company, is reportedly developing its own smartphone chips past 2023/24.

That'southward right, another smartphone company is looking to try and make its own chipsets, according to sources speaking to Nikkei Asia. A change equally fundamental as a whole new chipset is a large deal, and marks the 2nd major manufacturer to try to ditch Qualcomm just this yr. Merely with Oppo having close ties to OnePlus and other smartphone companies, this development try could have big ramifications for multiple Android phones.

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A three-nanometer beast

Nikkei'south sources add that Oppo wants to piece of work with TSMC, the aforementioned fleck maker backside Apple'south A-serial mobile silicon, and make the chip with a 3-nanometer process. Currently the leading chips on the market use a 5-nanometer process, so Oppo would in theory end up at the forefront of flake technology when its own fries appear in two to three years.

Google has gone its own with the Google Pixel half-dozen with its new Tensor chip. Apple has had its own silicon for the iPhone with the A-series, and other companies similar Huawei accept previously developed their ain chips when they didn't fancy buying silicon from Qualcomm or MediaTek. Samsung develops its own Exynos fries, but is in an unusual in-betwixt zone since it currently uses Qualcomm Snapdragon in the U.S. to avert the cost of licensing necessary modem technology from Qualcomm.

The benefit of a telephone maker designing its ain chips are that yous can in theory achieve greater harmony between hardware and software, with greater total command over how the two work together. Again, Apple tree is the chief case of this with how beautifully iOS and the A-series fries work together with the iPhone 13. We're currently testing the Pixel vi, but nosotros'd imagine that Google's phone could be the best mode to feel Android 12, and provide further inspiration for Oppo's time to come phones and ColorOS iterations.

What this could hateful for OnePlus

What this could mean for the end-user might be, in the best scenario, new Oppo phones that offers unique and powerful new abilities while addressing existing weaknesses. Oppo in particular might be able to bring its already proficient photography abilities upward to par with Samsung and Google with a proprietary processor, aslope the algorithms and image bespeak processors (ISPs) that are also mentioned by Nikkei'due south sources.

As, Oppo may want to pattern a loftier-performance chip that could take on the incredible might of the Apple A-series. It'due south hard to say at this betoken precisely what Oppo is aiming for based on the limited rumors, but the point is that it's gratuitous to pursue its own hardware priorities, which is nifty news for Oppo fans and Android users in general.

However, the biggest affect for U.S. and U.Yard. users may actually come via OnePlus. OnePlus and Oppo have undergone a merger this year to unify the two company's hardware and software development teams, which should mean OnePlus would accept admission to whatever chips Oppo designs, and therefore use them in hereafter phones..

That would be of import since Oppo doesn't have a U.S. presence, and just a small one in the U.Thousand. compared to the more established OnePlus brand. Because OnePlus' phones, especially this yr's OnePlus nine and OnePlus 9 Pro, are already in our best Android phones and best phones overall lists, custom silicon could help push these phones higher. We'd beloved to come across a custom OnePlus chip if information technology could give its photography abilities a further heave.

Oppo and OnePlus' stablemates at BBK Electronics, including Vivo and Realme, should also benefit from these chips since the companies have regularly shared other parts and features. This would be peculiarly heady for Realme, equally it's a budget-focussed brand that would really benefit from a unique chipset to stand out from a crowd of similar, Snapdragon and Dimensity-powered phones. So no matter your budget or your location, you could however go to see the benefits of Oppo's rumored decision, merely perchance with a non-Oppo badge on information technology.

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Richard is a Tom's Guide staff author based in London, roofing news, reviews and how-tos for phones, gaming, audio and any else people demand advice on. He'southward likewise written for WIRED U.Thou., The Annals and Artistic Bloq. When not at piece of work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.