MediaTek Dimensity 9500 launched: All big core design, G1-Ultra GPU, 9th gen NPU 990

Following the OPPO X9 Ultra teaser, MediaTek has also unveiled its flagship processor for 2025.

Dimensity 9500 logo

To compete with the Apple A19 Series and Snapdragon 8 Elite

MediaTek positions the processor as a significant step forward in on-device artificial intelligence (AI), gaming graphics, and overall power efficiency.

Processing Performance and Efficiency

The Dimensity 9500 features an octa-core CPU using Arm's latest cores in what MediaTek calls an "All Big Core" design. The configuration consists of a single prime core clocked at 4.21GHz, three performance cores, and four efficiency cores. 

According to the company, this design yields a 32 percent increase in single-core performance and a 17 percent increase in multi-core performance compared to the previous Dimensity 9400. 

The features

MediaTek also claims the prime core achieves up to 55 percent lower power consumption at peak performance, with general multitasking efficiency improved by up to 30 percent. 

The chip includes support for the Armv9.3 architecture, which introduces new instructions aimed at accelerating AI perception tasks.

Advanced Graphics and Gaming

For graphics processing, the chip integrates the new Arm G1-Ultra GPU. MediaTek states this GPU provides up to 33 percent higher peak performance and 42 percent better power efficiency. 

The company highlights a doubling of dedicated ray tracing units, which it claims results in up to 112 percent faster ray tracing performance. The Dimensity 9500 supports ray-traced gaming at up to 120 frames per second using interpolation technology, along with compatibility for Vulkan's ray tracing pipeline and Unreal Engine 5 features such as MegaLights and Nanite.

AI and Imaging Capabilities

The chip incorporates MediaTek's ninth-generation NPU 990 with a Generative AI Engine 2.0. MediaTek reports this NPU has doubled the computational power of its predecessor and introduced support for processing 1.58-bit large language models, a method claimed to reduce power consumption by 33 percent. 

The firm states that the AI capabilities enable 100 percent faster performance for 3-billion-parameter large language models, support for 128K token contexts, and 4K image generation with a 56 percent power reduction at peak performance. The new Imagiq 1190 image signal processor supports capturing photos from sensors up to 200 megapixels and enables 4K video recording at 60 fps with portrait mode effects.

Connectivity and Network Enhancements

In terms of connectivity, MediaTek claims the Dimensity 9500 achieves a 10 percent reduction in 5G power consumption and a 20 percent reduction in Wi-Fi power consumption. 

The chip also supports 5-component carrier aggregation, which is stated to boost bandwidth by 15 percent. AI-enhanced technologies are also said to improve positioning accuracy by 20 percent and reduce network latency by 50 percent through predictive congestion control.

Upcoming devices with Dimensity 9500

The MediaTek Dimensity 9500 is expected to compete with Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor in the flagship smartphone market. The first devices to feature the new chipset are anticipated to be the Oppo Find X9 Pro and the Vivo X300, with launches expected later this year.

What do you guys think?