Xiaomi to launch two new budget phones powered by UNISOC chips

Xiaomi is reportedly developing two new budget phones powered by UNISOC chips, which reflects its renewed focus on affordable 4G and 5G phones for emerging and international markets. The phones are codenamed “Somalia” and “Arctic”, and have model numbers P25 and P25A respectively, based on early information discovered on regulator databases and developer sources. As for the Somalia variant, it must be coming out in China and India, with the Arctic model targeted at global markets, including EEA, Turkey, Indonesia, and Russia. The users of HyperOSUpdates.com and MemeOS Enhancer will be able to acquire firmware updates once the devices are available. These devices could be from REDMI A6 series.

Xiaomi P25 (Codename: Somalia)

The first model, Xiaomi P25, will come with the UNISOC T8300 chipset, which is 5G-capable and features a 6nm process. The device will feature a 2×Cortex-A78 + 6×Cortex-A55 CPU complemented by a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. The memory and storage configurations will likely comprise LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 storage, delivering acceptable performance for regular usage.

The chipset is capable of FHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, and up to 108MP camera sensors. Connectivity is provided by the T8300 through dual 5G standby, 5G NR NTN (satellite communication), and full 3GPP R17 compatibility — a feature to consider in a budget-class 5G phone. Initial benchmarks indicate an AnTuTu V10 score of over 510,000 points, which puts it firmly in the mid-range performance category.

Xiaomi P25A (Codename: Arctic)

The Xiaomi P25A, on the other hand, will use the UNISOC T7250 chipset — a budget-centric processor with 4G as its priority. It’s designed on an energy-efficient basis and boasts 2×Cortex-A75 + 6×Cortex-A55 cores, running at speeds of up to 1.8GHz. It has an onboard Mali-G57 GPU, which is good for lightweight gaming and multimedia use.

The chipset offers 120Hz display and 108MP camera image processing capability, and hence it’s one of the top 4G SoCs in its segment. With its power efficiency being well-balanced, it’s most likely aimed at budget phones under the $150 price tag, which will be going to regions where 5G networks are not yet developed.

In previous releases, the same processor had been employed in devices like the Redmi A5, launched with a 5200mAh battery and Android 15 Go Edition, ensuring that Xiaomi was dedicated to sticking to cheap hardware for developing markets.

Market Strategy and Availability

The Somalia (P25) and Arctic (P25A) models illustrate Xiaomi’s dual-market approach: bringing affordable 5G access to regions like India and China while continuing to serve 4G-dominant markets across Europe and Southeast Asia. Both models are expected to ship with HyperOS 2, and will likely receive updates via HyperOSUpdates.com or the MemeOS Enhancer app from Google Play.

While Xiaomi has not yet said when they’ll release, the use of UNISOC’s new T8300 and T7250 chips suggests a Q4 2025 or early 2026 launch window.

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