MediaTek Dimensity 8500 and 9500s Launch Confirmed for January 15

MediaTek is gearing up to launch new smartphone processors in the market next week. The Taiwanese chipmaker has confirmed a launch event for next week in China, where it is expected to officially unveil two sub-flagship processors, the Dimensity 8500 and Dimensity 9500s.

MediaTek Dimensity 8500 and 9500s Launch Date Revealed

MediaTek has announced via its official Weibo account that it will be launching the Dimensity 8500 and the Dimensity 9500s on January 15, 2026, in China at 3:00 PM CST (or 12:30 PM IST). While the Dimensity 8500 has already silently debuted inside the Honor Power 2, the Dimensity 9500s is another flagship chipset to look forward to.

MediaTek Dimensity 8500 and 9500s launch date information on weibo

The event marks Dimensity 9500s' official introduction, and in the teaser video that MediaTek recently posted on its Weibo account, the processor will be built on TSMC's latest 3 nm N3E process. The Dimensity 8500, on the other hand, is built on TSMC's 4 nm N4P process.

As for the specifications, leaks indicate that the Dimensity 9500s could feature an octa-core setup with ARMv9.2-A cores. It could use the Corex-A925 clocked at 3.73 GHz as the prime core, 3x Cortex-X4 performance cores and 4x Cortex-A720 efficiency cores. Gaming-wise, it could pack a 12-core Mali Immortalis-G925 GPU running at 1.62 GHz.

MediaTek Dimensity 8500 processor illustration — Image Credit: MediaTek

The Dimensity 8500's core setup includes an all-Cortex-A725 core setup, with the performance cores clocked at 3.4 GHz. It's paired with a Mali-G720 MC8 GPU, clocked at 1.5 GHz. All in all, it should be interesting to see how it stacks up against its predecessors, the Dimensity 8400 and Dimensity 8450.

Industry reports suggest the upcoming Redmi Turbo 5 Max series could be the first to feature both Dimensity 8500 and 9500s, with the Turbo 5 Max using the Dimensity 8500 and the Turbo 5 Pro Max using the Dimensity 9500s.

Early rumours suggest these smartphones could arrive in India as the Poco X8 Max and the Poco X8 Pro Max. More information about the processors and their performance should be revealed as we inch closer to launch, so stay tuned.