MediaTek has officially introduced its next-generation flagship mobile processor, the Dimensity 9500, a direct successor to last year’s Dimensity 9400. Packed with performance and efficiency upgrades, the chipset is designed to compete head-to-head with Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, set to be revealed just a day later.

The Dimensity 9500 continues MediaTek’s bold approach to processor architecture, first seen two years ago, with an “all big-core” design. Unlike Qualcomm’s traditional big-little structure that combines performance and efficiency cores, MediaTek has opted for a lineup entirely built on powerful cores. This includes 1x Arm C1-Ultra, 3x C1-Premium, and 4x C1-Pro processors, all fabricated on the cutting-edge 3nm process.

According to MediaTek, this shift pays off significantly in benchmarks. The company claims the Dimensity 9500 is 55 percent more efficient at peak performance, delivers up to 32 percent better single-core performance, and shows a 17 percent improvement in multi-core capabilities compared to its predecessor.

On the memory and storage front, the new chipset supports LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage, which have now become industry standards for flagship smartphones.

AI and On-Device Processing

The highlight of the Dimensity 9500 is its emphasis on AI. The chipset is powered by the NPU 990, which MediaTek calls the most advanced AI engine available on a smartphone today. With this, Android devices powered by the Dimensity 9500 will reportedly be capable of generating 4K images directly on-device, eliminating the need for cloud-based rendering.

The new NPU also enhances efficiency for large AI models such as Gemini, positioning the Dimensity 9500 as a strong contender in the AI-driven era of mobile computing.

Camera and Display Capabilities

In terms of imaging, MediaTek’s new flagship supports a maximum 320-megapixel camera sensor along with 8K video recording at 60fps. This gives smartphone makers more freedom to push the limits of mobile photography.

Display-wise, the chipset can handle refresh rates up to 180Hz and comes with support for Tri-Fold Displays, indicating MediaTek’s readiness for the next wave of foldable devices.

Gaming Performance

Gaming also gets a big boost with the inclusion of the Arm Mali-G1 Ultra MC12 GPU, which MediaTek says offers a 33 percent performance leap. Notably, the chipset is the first to support 120fps gaming with ray tracing, while also being capable of upgrading existing 60fps titles to 120fps. For multitasking, MediaTek claims the processor is 30 percent more efficient, especially when handling resource-heavy tasks like gaming and simultaneous audio calls.

Availability

MediaTek has confirmed that the first smartphones powered by the Dimensity 9500 will debut in the fourth quarter of 2025. Industry insiders suggest that Oppo and Vivo are likely to be the first brands to launch devices featuring the new chipset.

With Qualcomm ready to unveil its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 immediately after, the battle for flagship dominance in 2025 is set to intensify, with AI, gaming, and efficiency at the heart of the competition.