MediaTek Launches Dimensity 9500 Chip with Major AI and Performance Upgrades

MediaTek has unveiled its Dimensity 9500 chipset, positioning it as a formidable competitor to Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. The new silicon will debut in Vivo and Oppo smartphones across Europe, South America, and Asia this October, though US availability remains unconfirmed.

Performance gains are substantial—29% higher single-core and 16% multi-core CPU scores while consuming 37% less power. The transition to UFS 4.1 storage doubles read/write speeds, slashing AI model load times by 40%. Arm's redesigned C1-series cores power the chip, featuring a 4.21GHz ultra-core paired with premium and efficiency clusters.

Graphics see a 33% performance boost with 42% better energy efficiency, enabling 120fps ray-traced gaming. The NPU 990 doubles AI processing speed for on-device models, reflecting MediaTek's strategic focus on AI acceleration as smartphones evolve into primary AI platforms.