On September 15, 2026, MediaTek unveiled its latest flagship mobile processor: the Dimensity 9600 Pro. Aimed at upcoming high-end smartphones and tablets, the chip is manufactured using TSMC’s cutting-edge 2-nanometer process (N2), following Apple’s earlier introduction of a mobile SoC built on this node with the A20 Pro.
Eight Big Cores Without Traditional Efficiency Clusters
MediaTek is once again embracing its “All Big Core” architecture. Rather than relying on traditional small, area-optimized efficiency cores, the SoC uses exclusively performance cores that aggressively downclock during undemanding tasks. The 2+3+3 configuration leverages Arm’s new C2 architecture: two C2 Ultra cores reach up to 4.55 GHz (early reports had pointed to 4.45 GHz) and feature 2 MB of L2 cache each. These are joined by three C2 Pro cores clocked at 4.35 GHz (1 MB L2 cache each) and three additional C2 Pro cores at 3.1 GHz (512 KB L2 cache each). A 16 MB L3 cache and a 10 MB System Level Cache round out the cluster.
According to MediaTek, single-core performance improves by 17 percent compared to its predecessor, the Dimensity 9500, while multi-core performance gains 15 percent. Thanks to the 2nm node, the manufacturer also promises substantial power efficiency gains: power consumption is said to drop by 37 percent under single-core loads and by as much as 61 percent under multi-core workloads.
Enhanced Graphics, LPDDR6, and UFS 5.0
Graphics duties are handled by the Arm Mali-G2 Ultra NX GPU, which is claimed to deliver 27 percent higher peak performance while consuming 24 percent less power. Ray tracing performance increases by 18 percent on paper, alongside support for AI upscaling, frame generation, and refresh rates of up to 185 fps. On the memory side, the SoC supports both LPDDR5X and the new LPDDR6 standard (+33 percent memory bandwidth), as well as initial support for UFS 5.0 storage, expected to double read and write speeds over UFS 4.x.
For imaging and connectivity, the chip integrates the Imagiq 1290 ISP, which supports camera sensors up to 200 megapixels, 8K video recording at 60 fps, and hardware decoding for the newer VVC (H.266) codec. Wireless capabilities include 5G-Advanced, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6.2.
Focus on Always-On AI Workloads
MediaTek places a strong emphasis on on-device AI calculations, powered by two dedicated processing units. The NPU 1090 doubles INT4 computing performance compared to its predecessor, accelerates large language models with up to 30 billion parameters, and boosts token generation per watt by 55 percent. Meanwhile, a separate, low-power auxiliary NPU (eNPU 2.0) consumes 40 percent less energy and runs continuously in the background to handle contextual, agentic AI assistants.
Market Outlook and Availability
By making the leap to 2 nanometers, MediaTek is establishing an early position in the Android landscape ahead of Qualcomm’s next Snapdragon generation, reinforcing its foothold in the premium smartphone segment with the Dimensity 9600 Pro.
The first smartphones powered by the Dimensity 9600 Pro are expected to arrive shortly, with the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max announced as one of the first devices. Prospective buyers looking to upgrade to a flagship in the coming months would be wise to wait for independent reviews, which will show just how much of the promised sustained efficiency translates into real-world battery life.
Quellen: Heise – News, Computerbase.de/news, 9to5google, stadt-bremerhaven.de, mediatek.com, hartware.de, computerbase.de
