MediaTek has confirmed that it will debut its next flagship processor, the Dimensity 9500, on September 22, 2025, in China. The launch positions the chipset head-to-head with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which is set to arrive a day later on September 23.
The Dimensity 9500 is based on TSMC’s 3nm process and is rumored to adopt a 1 + 3 + 4 CPU cluster. At the helm will be a prime core clocked at over 4 GHz, delivering a serious performance uplift.
On the graphics side, the SoC is expected to ship with the Mali-G1 Ultra GPU, designed for gamers. Reports suggest it will support hardware-accelerated ray tracing and deliver up to 40% better efficiency. Other anticipated upgrades include 16 MB of L3 cache and a next-gen NPU capable of around 100 TOPS, making it a powerhouse for both AI and gaming workloads.
The first wave of Dimensity 9500-powered smartphones is tipped to arrive as soon as October 2025, starting with the Vivo X300 series and later the Oppo Find X9 lineup. Early benchmark leaks suggest the chipset can push past 4 million points on AnTuTu, putting it firmly in flagship territory.
Looking ahead, MediaTek has also confirmed work on the Dimensity 9600, its first processor to utilize TSMC’s 2nm N2P process. Expected in the second half of 2026, the 9600 promises up to 18% better performance while slashing power consumption by 36%. However, there’s a chance that Samsung’s Exynos 2600 could reach the market before it.
For now, all eyes are on the Dimensity 9500 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 showdown, a clash that could decide which chipmaker dominates the next generation of flagship devices.
