The following day, Haifeng stepped into China Star Lab No. 2 and was greeted by an unexpected sight:
Two new processors are sitting on the test bench.
He blinked in surprise. He hadn't even sat down yet.
Are they this fast?
A Surprise Counterattack
The lab team hadn't been idle. Under the guidance of Lu Hong, they'd sensed the heat from Huawei's Kirin 810 and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810—and struck first.
Not one, but two new chips had been prototyped.
One was a refinement.
The other? Something entirely new.
Lu Hong picked up the first one and introduced it with a proud grin.
"This one is the upgraded Qinglong 815.
It's based on the 810 but optimized across the board."
Qinglong 815 – The Refined Beast
+25% performance over the Qinglong 810
Lower power consumption
Improved thermal management
Better GPU for image processing
It was sleek, efficient, and fully backward-compatible—a decisive step forward—though Haifeng wasn't dazzled.
"It's good," he admitted. "But performance isn't everything."
"The real test is: can it be mass-produced?"
Taiwan Foundry Status
Lu Hong nodded confidently.
"Tape-out is complete. They've already produced small batches in Taiwan."
"Yield rate is low for now but stable. We'll scale up quickly."
That was all Haifeng needed to hear.
A slight production delay is acceptable. Better than nothing at all.
Then he turned his attention to the second chip on the left.
This one looked different. More advanced. It practically glowed with potential.
"What about this one?"
Lu Hong's eyes lit up.
He picked it up carefully.
"This is our newest flagship: the Qinglong 820.
It's not a derivative. It's a whole new generation."
Qinglong 820 – The Monster Arrives
+120% performance over the 810
Same power draw as the 815
New GPU that supports native 4K video encoding
Significantly improved multitasking, gaming, and heat management
This wasn't a mid-gen refresh. It was the real deal.
"Outside of our A-series," Haifeng thought, "this might be our best chip ever."
Lu Hong added:
"I didn't even have to step in much. The team did most of the work.
I just guided them. They've earned it."
Haifeng smiled faintly.
This was more than just good R&D. It was a sign that China Star's chip division could finally stand independently.
They didn't need constant babysitting anymore.
"Not bad," he said. "This one… might even rival the A-series."
"If we license this to phone manufacturers—what do you think they'll say?"
"They'll think it's heaven-sent."
The lab erupted in applause.
Haifeng didn't join in.
He was already thinking ahead:
What's the Snapdragon 820 going to look like? What will Huawei do next?
It doesn't matter. With this chip… we just bought ourselves another year on top.