MediaTek has unveiled Dimensity 9600 Pro, a flagship smartphone processor built to deliver gains in AI, gaming and power efficiency as the chipmaker pushes deeper into the premium handset market.
The 9600 Pro is MediaTek’s first processor manufactured using TSMC’s 2-nanometer technology. Moving to the smaller manufacturing process allows chip designers to pack more computing resources into limited space while reducing the power needed to run workloads. Apple is also using TSMC’s 2nm manufacturing technology for its latest iPhone processors.
For smartphone users, the biggest improvements may be in battery efficiency and performance. MediaTek says the 9600 Pro provides 17% better single-core CPU performance and a 15% gain in multi-core performance over the previous generation. Multi-core power consumption is 61% more power-efficient, a particularly important figure for high-end phones running sustained compute-intensive applications.
The new chips place MediaTek in direct competition with Qualcomm in the market for high-end Android smartphone processors. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors have a strong position in premium devices, including Samsung Galaxy phones sold in the U.S., while MediaTek has established a substantial presence internationally. Smartphone manufacturers using MediaTek technology include Oppo, Xiaomi, Motorola, Realme and Samsung.
“The Dimensity 9600 Pro puts MediaTek on TSMC 2nm alongside Apple and Qualcomm, removing the process disadvantage that kept it out of the top of the flagship market,” said Brendan Burke, Research Director at The Futurum Group.
“The bigger signal is what N2 access says about MediaTek’s standing with TSMC. The close relationship of MediaTek’s Rick Tsai and TSMC’s C.C. Wei is a competitive asset as MediaTek moves into hyperscaler accelerators later this year.”
Focus on AI
The processor uses a 2+3+3 All Big Core CPU architecture based on Arm’s next-generation C2 designs. It also includes 16MB of L3 cache and 10MB of system-on-chip cache. The chip supports LPDDR5X and the newer LPDDR6 memory standard, along with UFS 5.0 storage.
AI is a key focus. MediaTek equipped the processor with its NPU 1090, which delivers twice the INT4 performance of the NPU 990 used in the Dimensity 9500. The new neural processing unit offers a 55% improvement in token generation per watt and 51% faster prompt pre-fill performance, according to the company.
The Dimensity 9600 Pro’s capabilities are designed to move more generative AI processing directly onto the smartphone instead of relying on remote cloud infrastructure. MediaTek has also included an Agentic AI Engine and an architecture that can combine GPU and AI computing resources.
Gaming performance receives a similar upgrade. The 9600 Pro’s Mali-G2 Ultra NX GPU supports frame rates above 185 frames per second. MediaTek reports a 27% improvement in peak graphics performance, 18% faster ray tracing and 24% lower power use at peak performance. Neural graphics rendering is designed to improve super-resolution image quality.
A second processor, the Dimensity 9600M, will bring some of the same AI and gaming capabilities to a broader range of smartphones. MediaTek says the 9600M will also support gaming at 185fps.
