In the realm of science and technology, developing in-house chips has always held exceptional significance, much like the exclusive secret manuals coveted by masters in martial arts. These chips not only symbolize a company’s technical prowess but also serve as a cornerstone for the competitiveness of its flagship products.
Back in 2017, Xiaomi unveiled its first self-developed SoC, the Surge S1. Despite being based on the 28nm process and falling short of the performance offered by the 14nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 of the same era, the launch was a landmark achievement. It positioned Xiaomi as the fourth smartphone manufacturer globally to possess both end-device and chip R&D and manufacturing capabilities—a crucial leap from zero to one.
Fast forward to today, Xiaomi’s second self-developed SoC, the Xuanjie O1, has finally made its debut after eight years of development.
This chip is entirely independently designed and manufactured using the world’s most advanced 3nm process. With 19 billion transistors packed inside, it meets top-tier international standards—an astonishing feat in itself.
The Xiaomi 15S Pro and the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra are the first devices to feature this chip, marking a historic milestone for the brand. In terms of actual performance, it holds its own against the leading flagship mobile SoCs.
Beyond the chip, the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra sets a new benchmark in design, display, battery life, and overall user experience. It’s Xiaomi’s first truly premium flagship tablet, with features that even surpass the iPad Pro in many respects.
Sporting a stunning 3.2K resolution, 120Hz high refresh rate, 4800Hz ultra-high frequency PWM dimming, and peak brightness of 1600 nits, the display supports HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HDR Vivid. For the first time, Xiaomi tablets boast a top-tier OLED screen.
It also features a nano-soft light layer, utilizing nano-etching technology to deliver a paper-like viewing experience by eliminating 99% of ambient light interference, while maintaining high-definition clarity.
Complementing the display are eight high-quality speakers that outperform those in the iPad Pro, a massive 12,000mAh battery, and 120W fast charging—the most powerful charging solution available in the tablet industry today. Every detail emphasizes its Ultra-grade positioning.
Now, let’s dive into our hands-on experience with the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra to discover what other surprises it has in store.
Design
The Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra marks a milestone as Xiaomi’s first Pad to feature an OLED display, utilizing the same CSOT M9 luminous material found in the Xiaomi 15 series.
Its display quality ranks among the best in the industry, boasting a 3.2K resolution, 900 nits of global brightness, and an impressive 1600 nits peak brightness—a leading figure in the tablet segment. Calibrated with the CIE2015 subjective curve, the display delivers flagship-level color accuracy.
Xiaomi also introduces the nano soft light screen to its tablet line for the first time. By applying a dual-layer AG+AR coating, the screen reduces 99% of ambient light interference and significantly lowers reflectivity, enhancing visibility in bright environments.
In the Pad 7 Ultra, this screen tech has been further refined with a new light-evening film layer under the glass, addressing brightness inconsistency and eliminating “flash points” at the light source. This ensures uniform light transmission across the entire display surface.
It’s also the first Xiaomi Pad to adopt a special-shaped screen design, incorporating the front camera, ambient light sensor, and other components into a centralized area above the screen for a seamless look.
The rear features a unibody metal design in a unique Misty Gray Purple color, blending the sophistication of gray with the elegance of purple. This finish not only looks premium but also resists fingerprints, maintaining a clean appearance during everyday use.
As the first Ultra model in Xiaomi’s Pad lineup, and launched to commemorate Xiaomi’s 15th anniversary, the Pad 7 Ultra includes a custom commemorative magnetic strip on the back. Attached via a strong magnetic force, it adds both visual distinctiveness and symbolic significance to the device.
The Pad camera Deco sets it apart with a soft-edged waterdrop design, breaking away from traditional rigid modules. This rounded shape introduces a refined and dynamic aesthetic that contrasts elegantly with the device’s minimalist form, enhancing both style and recognizability.
The camera system includes a 50MP rear sensor, an IR remote control sensor, a monochrome temperature flash, and a rear ambient light sensor, alongside a distinctive “XRING” Xiaomi Xuanjie chip logo at the top right corner.
For audio, the eight-speaker setup supports 4-channel surround sound and is certified with Dolby Atmos, ensuring a premium audiovisual experience.
Performance and Gaming
The Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra Soft Light Edition is the first Pad to feature Xiaomi’s in-house Xuanjie O1 chip, built using second-generation 3nm process technology—comparable to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ in terms of fabrication sophistication.
The chip features a cutting-edge 10-core CPU architecture:
- 2× Cortex-X925 ultra-performance cores (up to 3.9GHz)
- 6× Cortex-A725 performance cores
- 2× Cortex-A520 efficiency cores (1.8GHz)
With a 16MB three-level cache, it delivers excellent multitasking and high-load performance.
However, the chip in the Pad 7 Ultra differs slightly from the version in the Xiaomi 15S Pro. For better power efficiency and thermal stability suited to tablet use, the Cortex-X925’s clock speed is reduced to 3.7GHz, and the Cortex-A725’s peak is lowered from 3.4GHz to 3.04GHz. This adjustment ensures long-term performance without thermal throttling.
On the GPU side, the Pad uses a 16-core Mali-G925 unit capable of handling demanding 3D games and professional graphics tasks with ease.
The device is equipped with LPDDR5T RAM and UFS 4.1 storage, pushing system responsiveness and data throughput to top-tier levels in the industry.
Benchmark Performance
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AnTuTu
The Pad 7 Ultra scored 2.5446 million points, marking a 69.1% performance jump over the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 in the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro. Its performance rivals that of the flagship Dimensity 9400. -
GeekBench 6
- Single-core: 2191
- Multi-core: 8741
These scores outperform the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 by 13.75% and 71.99%, respectively.
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AndroBench
UFS 4.1 enhances random read/write speeds compared to the previous generation, ensuring faster data access and app loading.
Gaming Test
Two high-load games were tested: Genshin Impact and Honkai Impact 3: Transcendence of the Galaxy Vol. 2, both at max graphics and frame rates.
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Genshin Impact
- Average frame rate: 59.8 FPS
- Power consumption: ~5.65W
- Max body temperature: 35.2°C
The frame rate remained stable with minimal fluctuations, indicating strong sustained performance.
Honkai Impact 3rd
- Average frame rate: 59.4 FPS
- Power consumption: ~8.42W
- Max body temperature: 37.7°C
Frame rates were stable except for brief dips during scene transitions.
Thanks to its large chassis and efficient heat dissipation, the Pad 7 Ultra Soft Light Edition maintains cool temperatures during extended gaming, ensuring comfort and consistent performance even in warmer environments.
Experience: HyperOS at Its Best
As the largest-screen Pad in Xiaomi’s lineup, the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra delivers an immersive and refined user experience, thoughtfully optimized to leverage its expansive display.
To fully harness the advantages of the large screen, Xiaomi has meticulously enhanced the user experience down to the finest details. One standout feature is the innovatively designed floating keyboard.
This keyboard offers an ultra-wide 0°–124° angle adjustment, adapting seamlessly to virtually any usage scenario. The hinge has been fine-tuned for optimal torque, ensuring stable support and a smooth, silent opening and closing experience, with none of the clunky or cheap feel found in lesser devices.
Thanks to PogoPin seamless connection technology, attaching the keyboard is effortless — a magnetic snap is all it takes.
As a flagship Pad, the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra features a full-sized, backlit notebook-level keyboard. With precise key travel and strong rebound, it delivers a PC-grade typing experience ideal for productivity tasks like writing and editing.
The keyboard also includes full-screen gesture support, making multitasking faster and more intuitive. For example:
- Three-finger swipe up: Instantly return to the home screen.
- Three-finger swipe up and hold: Access recent apps.
- Three-finger swipe left/right: Quickly switch between open applications.
- These gestures are easy to learn and reduce reliance on traditional buttons, making navigation more efficient and fluid.
PC-Level Productivity
The Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra transforms into a true productivity powerhouse with deep integration of the WPS Office Suite. Through a customized framework, it mirrors the desktop experience, including familiar menus and operational logic, ensuring a smooth transition from PC to Pad.
It supports touch interaction, external keyboard and mouse input, and even dual-window comparisons, ideal for multitasking. With cloud file access and printing support, mobile office efficiency is significantly enhanced.
From editing documents to managing multiple tasks simultaneously, the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra redefines the Pad’s role from a “lightweight tool” to a full-fledged notebook replacement.
Smart AI Editing & Cross-Device Collaboration
Powered by Xiaomi Pengpai OS 2, the Pad 7 Ultra introduces an intelligent AI text editor capable of polishing, expanding, and summarizing content across various applications — all processed locally for privacy and speed.
Moreover, the Pad excels in multi-device collaboration. With real-time desktop sharing, users can operate phone apps directly on the Pad, creating a seamless experience across devices. Transferring files — images, documents, or videos — is as easy as drag-and-drop, streamlining workflows and eliminating barriers between phone and tablet.
This tightly integrated ecosystem turns the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra into a natural extension of your mobile workspace, fostering a unified, cross-terminal productivity experience.
Charging and Battery Life
As Xiaomi’s flagship Pad is equipped with top-tier specifications, the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra also excels in charging efficiency and battery performance. It features a massive 12,000mAh battery paired with the brand’s most powerful 120W fast charging. This combination provides a robust system for long-lasting and efficient power management. To evaluate its performance, we conducted both charging and battery life tests on the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra.
Charging Test
We carried out a screen-off charging test. Starting from just 1%, the Pad reached 29% in 10 minutes and 53% in 30 minutes. A full charge was achieved in just 59 minutes.
For a battery of this size, completing a full charge in under an hour significantly reduces downtime compared to similar devices. Even with limited charging time, users can quickly regain a substantial amount of power. This highlights Xiaomi’s leading-edge charging technology, offering a truly convenient “ultra-fast recovery” experience.
Battery Life Test
To assess battery endurance, we used Battery Dog, a professional battery life testing tool developed by Fast Technology.
The default test utilizes 20% of the battery, simulating real-world usage with tasks such as high-load CPU operations, multi-threading, AI recognition, image viewing, video playback, and web browsing. This approach closely replicates everyday usage to provide realistic battery consumption data.
To maintain consistency and ensure accurate results, Battery Dog automatically sets screen brightness to 50%, disables auto-brightness, and sets volume at 30%.
In actual testing, the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra lasted 9 hours and 5 minutes before dropping from 100% to 20% battery. Based on this result, it’s estimated that full battery life exceeds 11 hours, demonstrating impressive endurance under heavy usage scenarios.
Conclusion
Experiencing the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra leaves a powerful impression—not just as a fully loaded flagship Pad, but as a milestone that embodies a decade of Xiaomi’s technological evolution.
The debut of the Xuanjie O1 chip sets a new benchmark for domestic SoCs. While it may not yet represent a fully self-developed IP, it marks a significant leap from concept to execution. It showcases Xiaomi’s strong capabilities in chip design and integration, and its ability to master cutting-edge manufacturing processes, closing the gap with international giants that have led the field for decades.
For Xiaomi and the broader Chinese tech industry, the Xuanjie O1 isn’t an endpoint—it’s a fresh beginning. It stands as a symbol of China’s accelerating chip innovation, leveraging global foundations to reach new heights. The day it competes at the pinnacle of global technology no longer feels out of reach.
In real-world usage, the Xuanjie O1 delivers impressively stable performance, hardly the hallmark of a first-generation chip. Inside the ultra-thin 5.1mm Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra, it maintains consistent output, scoring 2.54 million on AnTuTu and running Genshin Impact at an average of 59.8 FPS. It even outperforms the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and rivals the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Extreme Edition, placing it among the global elite.
The Pad’s 3.2K OLED display with nano-soft light anti-glare coating, 1600-nit peak brightness, and flagship-grade eight-speaker audio system delivers a top-tier multimedia experience. Its massive 12,000mAh battery easily powers binge-watching sessions with zero anxiety.
The 3:2 screen ratio, paired with HyperOS’s optimized support for PC-level office software, workbench interface, and advanced split-screen functionality, transforms the Pad into a true productivity powerhouse. AI-powered features—such as AI writing, Super Xiaoai, and AI Video Toolbox—further boost office efficiency, surpassing what most ultra-thin laptops can offer.
Seamless PC interconnectivity and remote control features make it easy to integrate the Pad with your primary work setup, eliminating the hassle of switching devices.
Powered by the Xuanjie O1, HyperOS reaches new levels of fluency and deeply connects with Xiaomi’s ecosystem. Innovations like dual-camera fusion allow the simultaneous use of phone and Pad cameras, adding versatility to video conferencing and enhancing communication.
Even without the self-developed chip, the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra would stand tall as a complete, high-end device. But with the Xuanjie O1, it becomes something more—a landmark product that represents progress in both form and function.
This is not the conclusion, but the start of a new era—proof that domestic chips can ascend to the forefront of global innovation. The journey of Chinese intelligent manufacturing is just beginning, and the horizon is wide open.