Summary
- MediaTek Dimensity 8500 launches with an all-Cortex-A725 core setup running at higher clock speeds than Dimensity 8400.
- MediaTek claims 7% overall improvement in performance, 25% increase in gaming performance and 20% increase in efficiency.
- The Dimensity 8500 is expected to power the sub-Rs 35,000 smartphones, starting with the upcoming Poco X8 Pro Max.
MediaTek has officially unveiled the Dimensity 8500, a new 4nm processor designed to close the gap between sub-flagship and mid-range smartphones. It uses TSMC's manufacturing process and goes for an all-big-core CPU setup, bringing performance gains from its predecessors.
Dimensity 8500 Specifications and Features
The Dimensity 8500 utilises ARM's previous generation ARMv9.2-A Cortex-A725 cores, with 1x prime core clocked at 3.4 GHz, 3x performance cores clocked at 3.2 GHz and 4x efficiency cores clocked at 2.2 GHz.
The core setup is similar to the Dimensity 8400, which also uses an all-Cortex-A725 architecture. However, despite that, MediaTek claims it's capable of delivering 7% more performance, likely due to the slightly higher clock speeds (3.4 GHz vs 3.25 GHz) on the Dimensity 8400. The processor is based on TSMC's 4nm N4P process, just like the Dimensity 8400.
Where the Dimensity 8500 differs is in the RAM support. The chip supports faster LPDDR5X (4 channel) RAM at 9600 Mbps. Graphics-wise, it features the new ARM Mali-G720 MC8 GPU, which the firm claims is around 25% faster while being 20% more power efficient. Notably, MediaTek claims it's the first chip in its segment to support realistic ray tracing, capable of maintaining frame rates of 110 FPS and above.
Besides, the chip also integrates MediaTek NPU 880 for on-device generative AI features. Most of the other features remain pretty much identical to the Dimensity 8400, placing Dimensity 8500 as a decently minor upgrade over its predecessor. Everything from the 5G modem to the Imagiq 1080 ISP remains the same.
MediaTek Dimensity 8500 is expected to power the upcoming Redmi Turbo 5 Max, which could arrive as the Poco X8 Pro Max in India. The chipset already powers the likes of Honor Power 2 and is expected to be the go-to chipset of choice for many upper mid-range smartphones of 2026. We should ideally see it in the sub-Rs 35,000 segment in India, which is one of the most competitive segments right now.
Source
MediaTek
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