Now that Xiaomi’s MIUI 9 has either rolled out or begun to roll out to the smartphone maker’s line of devices, the company is reportedly moving on to the next iteration. That’s according to reports out of the company’s home country of China, which say that the company’s vice-president of the MIUI software division, Huang Longzhong, made the announcement during a live Q&A segment. That segment was streamed over the company’s own Mi Live platform. Longzhong went on to confirm that Xiaomi’s next Android-based stock ROM is under development. Fans of the ROM – and of the many customization elements and apps it has a tendency to inspire – will be happy to learn that, according to the executive, it is also expected to release before the year is over.
It is, however, less clear exactly which naming convention the company will follow with its new ROM or what features the new MIUI will bring with it. Longzhong tentatively referred to it as either MIUI 10 or MIUI X, which follows the numbering scheme used by the company so far – with “X” being the Roman numeral equivalent of “10.” However, it could be called something else entirely since this is the tenth iteration of the software and that could prompt the company to do something entirely different in order to set it apart. On the other hand, with regard to the features to be included with the updated ROM, Xiaomi has revealed even less. Longzhong did say that there would be a marked shift in focus to incorporate artificial intelligence (A.I.) wherever possible but stopped short of providing any examples of how that A.I. might be used or how it might be visible on the user side of the equation.
Previously, MIUI 9 had brought split-screen mode, as well as optimizations and enhancements behind the scenes to improve app launching and provide a smoother experience. Smart photo editing tools were also added into the mix, in addition to a series of overhauls to Xiaomi’s Mi Drop file sharing app. The notifications pull-down was also adjusted to behave and appear more similar to stock Android. With such a wide array of previous changes and a new focus on A.I. specifically, it’s difficult to say for sure what changes are on the way. However, as with previous MIUI versions, there are likely going to be enough rumors and leaks to keep everybody’s curiosities satisfied until it is finally unveiled.
