In addition to its Mi Mix Fold, Mi 11 Lite, Mi 11 Ultra phones, and Mi Band 6, Xiaomi also made official its first chip, Surge C1. It is designed to improve the quality of photos. The Surge C1 arrives as an image signal processor (ISP) to be used by Xiaomi’s phones. Altogether, it is estimated that the investment was over 18 million euros.
The component will debut in the new foldable Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold. It will be integrated into the smartphone’s motherboard, separate from the main mobile chip. That would be the main difference for competitors, such as Qualcomm’s Spectra – or the Exynos’ standard ISP, which are integrated directly into the corresponding chipsets.
Algorithm 3A
The new Xiaomi chip takes advantage of several proprietary algorithms (3A) which have been designed to manage and improve the performance of devices in three main areas. The first is the automatic focus (AF), with the aim of improving when taking pictures of individuals quickly, even in low light conditions and smaller objects.
The second point is in the white balance (AWB). The chip promises to correct the white color tone in conditions of the high brightness of the catches. In addition, there is automatic exposure (AE) to adjust levels and preserve the correct dynamic range.
To complete, the component would also be accompanied by a double filter. Thus, it could process low and high-frequency signals at the same time. In practice, the Chinese manufacturer promises 100% higher efficiency in its function.
Liquid lens
Another compatibility that the Surge C1 has is in the so-called liquid lenses, a feature in the Mi Mix Fold. With the intention of simulating the behavior of a human eye, this component has a motor that increases or decreases the focal length, according to its purpose in the photograph.
In this way, it is possible to have a camera that records images in macro mode and as a telephoto sensor. For that, it would only be necessary to change the lens configuration in the application.