MediaTek is getting ready to make some serious noise in the smartphone world with the upcoming Dimensity 9500. Officially set to launch on September 22, 2025, this chip is shaping up to be MediaTek’s boldest attempt yet to go head-to-head with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Samsung’s Exynos 2600.
Built on TSMC’s 3nm Tech
The Dimensity 9500 is manufactured using TSMC’s N3P process – basically the third-gen 3nm tech. That means smaller transistors, better efficiency, and more power packed into the same space. It’s a big leap forward from the Dimensity 9400 and should help MediaTek compete in raw performance and power efficiency.
CPU Power – New Arm Cores Inside
Under the hood, the 9500 packs a 1 + 3 + 4 setup:
•1 Ultra-Performance Core (“Travis”) – rumored to hit around 4.2 GHz.
•3 Performance Cores (“Alto”) – clocked at about 3.5 GHz.
•4 Efficiency Cores (“Gelas”) – running at around 2.7 GHz.
GPU & Gaming Ray Tracing on the Table
Graphics will be handled by a Mali-G1 Ultra MC12 GPU, with much-talked-about upgrades in ray tracing and power efficiency. Early Geekbench OpenCL numbers (around 15,700 points) suggest the GPU might not be fully tuned yet, but expect MediaTek to squeeze out more performance by launch.
If the improvements land as expected, gaming on the Dimensity 9500 could feel smoother, with better visuals and less battery drain.
AI Muscle 100 TOPS NPU
AI is the new arms race in mobile chips, and MediaTek isn’t holding back. The Dimensity 9500 brings a next-gen NPU (Neuro Processing Unit), capable of hitting 100 TOPS of performance.
That means faster photo enhancements, smarter voice assistants, smoother translations, and even real-time generative AI features running locally on your phone.
Memory, Storage & Cache
•LPDDR5X RAM support at blazing speeds (up to ~10,667 Mbps).
•UFS 4.1 storage for super-fast app/game loading.
•Around 16 MB L3 cache + 10 MB system cache, helping keep things quick and efficient.
Connectivity & Camera
•Expect the usual flagship goodies:
•Integrated 5G modem
•Wi-Fi 7
•Bluetooth 6.0
•NFC support
On the camera side, leaks hint at advanced ISP capabilities (possibly tied to Vivo’s custom ISP tech), which should translate to better low-light photos, higher resolutions, and improved video capture.
Early Benchmarks Promising but Incomplete
So far, the benchmarks are a mixed bag. Some GPU results look underwhelming, but this is likely due to pre-release testing with lower clocks. Once the final chip rolls out, expect a noticeable jump.
On CPU and AI, though, the 9500 looks like a beast possibly surpassing the Dimensity 9400 in both efficiency and performance.
Final Thoughts
The MediaTek Dimensity 9500 looks like the company’s most ambitious flagship chip yet. Between 3nm efficiency, brand-new Arm cores, upgraded GPU with ray tracing, and a monster AI engine, it’s clear MediaTek wants to prove it can go toe-to-toe with Qualcomm and Samsung at the very top.
If phone makers adopt it widely (beyond just China), the Dimensity 9500 could finally make MediaTek a household name in the global flagship space.
Mark your calendars for September 22, 2025 because that’s when the full details go official.
