The next generation chipset wars are heating up with Qualcomm, Apple and MediaTek working on their 2nm counterparts. While all of them are worthy of a brief look, recent leaks have revealed key information surrounding the MediaTek counterpart, specifically the Dimensity 9600.
Dimensity 9600 Architecture Tipped
New information from Digital Chat Station on Weibo has revealed the key specifications and core architecture of the upcoming Dimensity 9600 processor. While we've repeatedly heard about the chip bringing a major performance boost, the leak suggests it will do that by using a tweaked core design.
DCS revealed that the Dimensity 9600 will feature a 2+3+3 core architecture with all-big-core design, claiming that the multi-core performance will be close to Apple's chips. While it's not clear if the tipster is referring to the upcoming A20 Pro, since leaks around the same time are yet to appear, we're assuming it's being compared to the A19 Pro.
Besides, the chip is also expected to double its CME/SME capabilities compared to the last generation. For those unaware, CME and SME stand for Compute Matrix Engine and Scalable Matrix Engine, and refer to hardware acceleration units to boost the overall AI and ML performance output.
Coming to the GPU, DCS reveals that the Dimensity 9600 could use next-generation Magin GPU, which is expected to be larger than the ones found in 2nm rival GPUs. With features such as frame interpolation, super-resolution and improved ray tracing performance, it's clear that MediaTek is focusing on gamers.
The release date of the Dimensity 9600 chipset is unknown, but considering they launch around September every year, right after Qualcomm's summit, we can expect the processor to launch around the same time in 2026. That said, MediaTek is expected to launch two SKUs of the Dimensity 9600 – a standard vanilla version and the Dimensity 9600 Pro that appeared on Geekbench a few weeks ago.
That said, considering the regular cadence around these processors, the Dimensity 9600 series should first debut on the Vivo X500 series which appeared on GSMA recently.
