Xiaomi Mi 10S, Poco F3, Redmi K40, & other Snapdragon 870 devices to get 5G VoNR support soon

Qualcomm has not been content with just one high-end chipset – the Snapdragon 888 5G that was unveiled late last year – and recently released the Snapdragon 870 5G as a second option.

Now although the Snapdragon 870’s naming may lead one to believe that it a fresh chip entirely, it isn’t truly the case as the processor is more of a souped-up version of the older Snapdragon 865.

Still, the processor is by no means a slouch as it’s only marginally slower than its successor and comes with all the latest tech including full 5G support.

This has been made possible with the Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System which is a part of the 870.

The processor has been used in several Xiaomi phones this year including the Xiaomi Mi 10S and the Poco F3/Redmi K40/Mi 11X. It obviously comes cheaper than the Snapdragon 888 due to which it is an ideal choice for ‘flagship killer’ devices.

However, all of the aforementioned models have one lacking – 5G VoNR support.

For the uninitiated, VoNR is short for “Voice over 5G New Radio” and is a new call technology that fully utilizes the SA architecture of 5G network.

It provides significantly lower latency and improved sound and picture quality, resulting in a really great calling experience. In short, it is basically VoLTE but for 5G.

The tech appears to be already available on devices like the Redmi K40 Pro and Mi 10T Pro that are powered by the Snapdragon 865 and Snapdragon 888 processors.

However, it was missing on Snapdragon 870 devices likely due to the recent release of the processor. But that has changed now with MIUI 12.5 China Closed Beta 21.4.16.

The update finally adds 5G VoNR functionality to Snapdragon 870 devices like the Poco F3. Although at the moment, only ‘engineers’ can debug it.

Still, it can be accessed manually by inputting a code into the Phone dialing interface. Just enter *#*#8667#*#* and a new window will appear with a toggle to activate VoNR calls as depicted below:

Do keep in mind that being available only on the MIUI 12.5 China Beta ROM means that it will take some time before VoNR is enabled across Snapdragon 870 5G devices like the Poco F3.

But given that the MIUI 12.5 global update is just around the corner for high end Xiaomi/Poco devices, it shouldn’t take long. For now, stay tuned to our dedicated MIUI 12.5 update tracker.

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