The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and the Dimensity 9600 Pro are highly comparable chips. Both are fabricated on TSMC’s 2nm process nodes, have similar octa-core CPU setups and the latest memory and storage support, with only a few differences to set them apart. Let’s see in this Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 vs Dimensity 9600 Pro comparison, which of the two flagship processors comes out on top.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 vs Dimensity 9600 Pro: New Naming Conventions
As was mentioned in the leaks prior to launch, Qualcomm has moved away from the ‘Pro’ branding for its top-tier chip. Instead, we now have an ‘Extreme’ label to differentiate it from the standard model.
This is also the first time Qualcomm has launched two top-tier processors side by side. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chip is reserved for ultra-flagship phones, while the standard non-extreme version is meant for regular premium smartphones.
But Qualcomm isn’t the only company with updated naming conventions this year. MediaTek’s latest chip also has a new ‘Pro’ suffix attached, as well as a more affordable Dimensity 9600M chip option that appears to be a rebranded version of last year’s Dimensity 9500 chip.
Understandably, the RAM crisis has spared no one. And one of the strategies to get around the shortages is to modify existing chips and reserve the most advanced offerings for the best phones.
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Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 vs Dimensity 9600 Pro: CPU
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 debuts the new-gen Oryon CPU. It features a 2 + 6 CPU setup with 2x prime cores clocked at 5.0 GHz and 6x performance cores clocked up to 4.0 GHz.
Interestingly, this is the same CPU layout as on the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip, with 16 MB of L2 cache (Oryon FlexCache) on both the Snapdragon chips this year.
Complementing these advanced cores on the ‘Extreme’ chip is native support for LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage, which is as cutting-edge as it gets.
On the other hand, the Dimensity 9600 Pro includes a 2 + 3 + 3 CPU configuration, with two ultra-large prime cores, a first for MediaTek. There are 2x C2-Ultra prime cores at 4.55 GHz, 3x C2-Pro performance cores at 4.35 GHz, and 3x C2-Pro cores at 3.10 GHz.
Unlike the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, Dimensity 9600 Pro doesn’t cross the 5 GHz mark, even though early leaks had set it up as such. But it keeps step with Snapdragon’s ‘Extreme’ chip thanks to LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage support.
Recent Geekbench 6 leaks for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 suggest a single-core score of 4,327 and a multi-core score of 12,873.
| Geekbench 6 | Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 (Leaked) | Dimensity 9600 Pro (Claimed) |
|---|---|---|
| Single-core | 4,327 | 4,276 |
| Multi-core | 12,873 | 12,650 |
For Dimensity 9600 Pro, MediaTek claims a Geekbench single-core score of 4,276 and a multi-core score of 12,650.
Dimensity 9600 Pro’s CPU integrates the new SME2 (Scalable Matrix Extension 2) instructions for faster on-device AI processing. There’s also 34.5 MB of total cache, a big step up from MediaTek’s last year’s offering.
On the other hand, Qualcomm is placing Snapdragon as the “heartbeat” of the agentic age. Its Hexagon NPU has undergone major improvements, with up to 50% larger shared memory and a transformer-focused Element Accelerator. Together, these changes enable agents to be more responsive, work across applications, and handle concurrent tasks more efficiently.
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Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 vs Dimensity 9600 Pro: GPU
For graphics, Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 features the Adreno 850 GPU. With 18 MB of graphics memory (HPM), it is a gaming powerhouse, better even than the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip.
More importantly, the Adreno 850 gets Adreno Neural Fusion, which is powered by AI-dedicated Adreno matrix cores that are integrated directly into the GPU’s shader processor. This allows the chip to access the GPU’s memory for upscaling game visuals and real-time frame generation.
In comparison, the Dimensity 9600 Pro uses the Arm Mali G2-Ultra NX GPU with a 12-core setup. This is Arm’s first Mali GPU with AI acceleration built directly into the shader cores.
The GPU includes a new Dimensity Neural Graphics Architecture that leverages AI for hardware-accelerated frame generation, GPU-based AI upscaling, and faster ray tracing at up to 185 FPS. On top of that, the chip separates GPU and NPU tasks for improved efficiency while its HyperEngine software ensures better gaming optimisation.
For camera, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 has a Qualcomm Spectra ISP. It includes support for slow-motion 4K 240 FPS video capture as well as a host of AI-powered camera capabilities such as Intelligent Pixel Control and Advanced Professional Video (APV) support.
Dimensity 9600 Pro's Imagiq 1290 ISP is equally capable, with support for 4K 240 FPS ultra-slow motion and AI True Colour Tone.
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Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 vs Dimensity 9600 Pro: Specs Comparison
| Specification | Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 | Dimensity 9600 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Process Node | TSMC’s 2nm (N2P) | TSMC’s 2nm (N2P) |
| CPU | 8-core Oryon next-gen CPU | 8-core Arm C2-series CPU |
| CPU Cores | 2x prime cores at 5.0 GHz, 6x performance cores up to 4.0 GHz | 2x C2-Ultra (4.55 GHz), 3x C2-Pro (4.35 GHz), 3x C2-Pro (3.10 GHz) |
| GPU | Adreno 850 GPU at 1.45GHz, 18MB HPM, AI matrix cores, Adreno Neural Fusion | Arm Mali G2-Ultra NX MC12 |
| NPU | Hexagon NPU with Element Accelerator, 50% larger shared memory, 30B+ parameter MoE support | MediaTek NPU 1090, Super Efficient NPU 2.0 |
| ISP | 20-bit Spectra ISP, 8K 60fps video capture, 4K 240fps slow-motion, APV support, VVC codec, Intelligent Pixel Control | Imagiq 1290, 4K240FPS slow-motion video capture, 8K60FPS video capture, 4K60 AI True Colour Tone, 4K120 with EIS, 4K60 HDR with content-aware semantic processing |
| Storage and Memory | LPDDR6 and LPDDR5X, UFS 5.0 | UFS 5.0, LPDDR6 memory |
| Modem | Snapdragon X105 5G modem,14.8Gbps peak download speed and 4.2Gbps peak upload speed | 5G Advanced modem with support for 5CC carrier aggregation, up to 7.3 Gbps download speed |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 8, Bluetooth 6.0, FastConnect 8800, UWB and Thread | Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.2 |
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9600 Pro go neck and neck in most categories.
Both GPUs deliver massive improvements thanks to deeper AI integrations for upscaling, raytracing, and frame generation. Their NPUs have also taken significant leaps this year. But Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 appears to be better equipped to handle agentic AI tasks.
That said, the leaked Geekbench 6 scores put the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 slightly ahead. Still, until we do our own in-house testing, these scores remain unverified.
Historically, both Snapdragon and Dimensity chips have been prone to thermal throttling. It’ll be interesting to see how power efficient these chips have become this year. In any case, both chips would benefit from smartphones with good thermal management.
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