Leaked: Chinese phone makers to reserve “full‑power” SoCs for Pro Max models

Tiered flagships, rumored

It has been reported that several Chinese smartphone makers will tier their year‑end flagship lines, reserving the top, full‑power system‑on‑chip (SoC) — the so‑called “满血” variant — for Pro Max‑level models only. The disclosure comes via the popular tech blogger @数码闲聊站 and was picked up by Chinese site ITHome (IT之家). Reportedly, the practice will extend beyond recent launches into the main autumn/winter flagship cycle.

Why they’re dialing back silicon

The blogger says two pressures are driving the move: rising memory costs and underwhelming yields on chips built on newer process nodes. Manufacturers facing higher BOM (bill of materials) costs may choose to fit only their top‑trim phones with the highest‑spec SoCs to protect margins. It has been reported that vivo (维沃) expects the X500 series to debut MediaTek’s Dimensity 9600 (天玑 9600), with the base model using the 9600 and Pro/Pro Max variants stepping up to a 9600 Pro — an example of the tiering to come.

Market and geopolitical backdrop

Many brands already use Pro Max nomenclature — Huawei (华为), Xiaomi (小米) and Redmi (红米) have such top trims — and OPPO (欧珀) has been linked to adding a “Super Cup / Pro Max” option. Will consumers accept paying a premium for “full‑fat” silicon while standard flagships get a detuned chip? The shift is unfolding against a broader chip‑industry squeeze: global supply bottlenecks, rising component costs and the longer‑term impact of trade tensions and export controls that have reshaped sourcing strategies for Chinese OEMs.