Emir BardakçıThe latest report from Android Authority mentions something very important for high-end Android devices on the Snapdragon 8 Elite and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 platforms. This includes future Xiaomi models such as the Xiaomi 15 series, Xiaomi 17 series, POCO F7 Ultra, POCO F8 Ultra, and MIX Flip 2. According to information provided through development platforms, a new open-source Turnip driver is under preparation with the goal of solving emulator stuttering, frame drops, and compatibility issues, problems that even the most powerful chipsets have suffered from.
Why Emulator Performance Has Struggled on Snapdragon 8 Elite
While the Snapdragon 8 Elite and the fifth generation Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 platforms are powerful for large Android games, many reports have emerged of decreased stability when trying to run various PC, Switch, and PS3 emulators. Sometimes, this can be a compatibility problem that may make players prefer older chips, like Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, because they run these emulators more smoothly under specific conditions.
This limitation has caught the attention of Xiaomi users and developers, who expect consistency in stability across flagship smartphones from the brand, given how those devices often push the limits of mobile gaming and AI performance. The focus has now shifted to low-level driver improvements that better unlock the newest Adreno GPU hardware.
New Turnip Driver Will Bring Optimized Support
Developers on Mesa GitLab and the GameHub Discord channel confirm that a new iteration of the open source Turnip driver is in development, and could start to ship in early 2026. Qualcomm engineer Rob Clark said the driver will explicitly support:
- Adreno 840 GPU – used in the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- Adreno 830 GPU – used in the Snapdragon 8 Elite
That’s important for Xiaomi’s roadmap because a number of the company’s upcoming flagships and premium smartphones are expected to feature these platforms. The Turnip driver is renowned for providing better accuracy, lower error rates, and superior shader handling in intensive emulation titles.
How the New Driver Can Improve Xiaomi Devices
The open source driver Turnip is already outperforming the official Qualcomm one when using more advanced emulator applications, like:
- GameHub
- RPCSX-UI-Android
- Eden
In the upcoming update, Xiaomi users can expect: Benefits of improved performance
- Reduced stuttering and frame drops during heavy emulation
- Higher rendering stability at high resolutions
- Better compatibility with next-generation emulator builds
- Fewer graphical errors in complex 3D titles
- More effective GPU usage on Snapdragon 8 Elite platforms
These improvements directly translate into a smoother and more reliable gaming experience on future Xiaomi flagships.
Models by Xiaomi That Are Expected to Benefit
The following upcoming Xiaomi devices are expected to use Snapdragon 8 Elite or Elite Gen 5 chipsets, and therefore will benefit from this development:
- Xiaomi 15 Series
- Xiaomi 17 Series
- POCO F7 Ultra
- POCO F8 Ultra
- POCO F8 Pro
- Xiaomi MIX Flip 2
For those users who uses Xiaomi, emulator-related GPU driver improvements might come even earlier thanks to developer communities.
