MediaTek Dimensity 9500 vs Dimensity 9500s: Benchmarks and Specs

MediaTek's Dimensity 9500 is the company's flagship chipset, but where does the new Dimensity 9500s slot in? It's built on TSMC's 3nm node, packs top-tier specs, and has flagship aspirations. So to find out which chipset is more powerful, we benchmarked and compared the Dimensity 9500 and Dimensity 9500s across AnTuTu V11, Geekbench, 3DMark, CPU Throttling Test, and more. On that note, let's check out our findings.

MediaTek Dimensity 9500 vs Dimensity 9500s: AnTuTu Score

Let's first compare the Dimensity 9500 and Dimensity 9500s on the AnTuTu benchmark, which evaluates the overall performance across CPU, GPU, memory, and UX workloads. In the latest AnTuTu V11 benchmark, the Dimensity 9500 scored a whopping 3,331,723 points, running on the Vivo X300 Pro. On the other hand, the Dimensity 9500s achieved 2,704,498 points on the Poco X8 Pro Max. That is a difference of around 23%.

If we look at the CPU scores, the Dimensity 9500 powered by Arm's latest C1-series CPU cores, got 964,510 points while the 9500s (using older Cortex cores) achieved 812,656 points. Here, the CPU performance difference is around 19%. And the new Arm Mali-G1 Ultra MC12 GPU on the Dimensity 9500 hits it out of the park with a lead of about 40%, which is a massive advantage.

Dimensity 9500 vs Dimensity 9500s: Geekbench Score

Next, in the Geekbench 6 CPU test, the Dimensity 9500 posted a single-core score of 3,315 points against 2,650 on the Dimensity 9500s, resulting in roughly 25% faster performance. And in the multi-core test, the Dimensity 9500 got 9,914 points while the 9500s managed 8,379 points. Again, there is an 18% performance difference in multi-threaded tasks.

The Geekbench results align with what we saw in the AnTuTu benchmark. Thanks to the newer Arm C1-series CPU cores, the Dimensity 9500 enjoys clock speeds up to 4.21GHz vs 3.73GHz on the 9500s. As a result, you get about 20% faster CPU performance with the Dimensity 9500.

MediaTek Dimensity 9500 vs Dimensity 9500s: CPU Throttling Test

To test sustained load on the CPU, we ran the 15-minute CPU Throttling Test on both chipsets. The Dimensity 9500 started reducing its frequency just after starting the test and throttled to 59% of its maximum performance. The Dimensity 9500s, however, held its performance over 80% for two minutes and throttled to 76% of its maximum performance.

Put simply, the Dimensity 9500s did a great job sustaining its performance under extreme workload. So, if you are looking for a phone that throttles less under multi-core CPU load, go for the Dimensity 9500s. 

Dimensity 9500 vs Dimensity 9500s: 3DMark Score

To evaluate the graphics performance, we ran the intensive 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress test. Here, the Dimensity 9500 got the best score of 7,184 points and the lowest score of 3,286 with a stability of 45.7%. Meanwhile, the Dimensity 9500s posted the best loop score of 6,131 and after 20 rounds, it reduced to 3,626 with a better stability of 59.1%.

It means that the Dimensity 9500 offers great graphics performance at the start, however, due to sustained load over time, it loses its performance and posts even lower score than the Dimensity 9500s. Basically, the Dimensity 9500 has more raw GPU power, but the thermal management on the 9500s keeps it more consistent over long gaming sessions.

In the 3DMark Solar Bay test which evaluates ray-tracing performance, the Dimensity 9500 scored 14,450 with 54.94 FPS. On the other hand, the Dimensity 9500s got 10,937 with 41.59 FPS.  In ray-tracing, the Dimensity 9500 is about 32% faster than the 9500s.

Now, in the highly-intensive 3DMark Steel Nomad Light test, the Dimensity 9500, leading by 37%, scored 3,179 while the 9500s achieved 2,315. The D9500 also averaged better FPS, standing with 23.55 FPS vs 17.15 FPS on the D9500s.

MediaTek Dimensity 9500 vs Dimensity 9500s: Speedometer 3.0 Score

Surprisingly, in the Speedometer 3.0 benchmark which measures web browsing performance, the Dimensity 9500 scored a bit lower than the 9500s. The former achieved 18.1 points while the latter got 19.4 points. It means that the Dimensity 9500s is slightly better at processing complex and heavy web pages than the Dimensity 9500.

Dimensity 9500 vs Dimensity 9500s: Benchmark Gallery

MediaTek Dimensity 9500 vs Dimensity 9500s: Specs Comparison

Verdict

To conclude, the Dimensity 9500 is a clear winner here, and the performance gap is quite significant. In AnTuTu, there is a 23% lead and in Geekbench, we see a 25% gap in multi-core performance. Similarly, in raw GPU performance, the Dimensity 9500 delivers astounding performance. Having said that, the Dimensity 9500s is not a slouch.

In fact, Dimensity 9500s is better tuned for thermal stability. It doesn't chase sky-high frequencies so its thermals are in control while delivering almost flagship-level performance – better than the last-gen Dimensity 9400 flagship. If you want raw power above everything else, then go for the Dimensity 9500. But if you want a more consistent experience at a lower price point, the Dimensity 9500s is a solid alternative, similar to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5.