MediaTek unveils a new 4nm flagship chipset with Arm Cortex-X2 core

The Dimensity lineup has played a pivotal role in MediaTek’s success in the upper mid-range and budget flagship segments. However, the Taiwanese chipmaker has yet to challenge Qualcomm’s undisputed position at the top level. MediaTek has previously tried to break into the flagship sphere with offerings like the Dimensity 1200 but fell short of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8-series. In a renewed attempt to conquer the flagship space, the company is introducing a new chipset called the Dimensity 9000.

The MediaTek Dimensity 9000 prides itself as the world’s first 4nm-class smartphone chip and packs a serious punch, featuring’s Arm’s most powerful Cortex-X2 core, an 18-bit image signal processor, Bluetooth 5.3 support, and much more.

MediaTek Dimensity 9000: Specifications

The MediaTek Dimensity 9000 features an octa-core CPU setup, consisting of 1x Arm Cortex-X2 core clocked at 3GHz, 3x Arm Cortex-A710 cores clocked at 2.85GHz, and 4x efficiency Arm Cortex-A510 cores. The CPU and GPU designs are based on the new ArmV9 architecture, a direct successor to the Armv8 that promises improved security and performance. The Dimensity 9000 is also the first chipset to feature the Cortex-X2, the most powerful CPU core from Arm.

Graphics and gaming duties are handled by the Arm Mali-G710 GPU, which promises a 20% performance boost over its predecessor. The GPU is capable of driving a FullHD+ display at a 180Hz refresh rate. MediaTek is also introducing a raytracing SDK that game developers can take advantage of to add new graphics techniques to their Android titles.

For imaging, the MediaTek 9000 taps into its 18-bit HDR ISP. The ISP can simultaneously record 4K HDR video from three cameras. It also has a video night mode called “Super Night Video Recording” and supports a 320MP sensor.

Meanwhile, the 5th gen AI processing unit (APU) on the Dimensity 9000 is 4 times more power-efficient than its predecessor and will power various AI experiences in camera, gaming, multi-media apps, and so on.

The Dimensity 9000 features an integrated 5G modem that offers up to 7Gbps in the downlink, 3CC Carriers Aggregation (300MHz), and up to 300% faster uplink performance.

In terms of connectivity, the chipset supports Bluetooth 5.3 standard, Wi-Fi 6E 2×2, Wireless Stereo Audio, and Beidou III-B1 C GNSS support.

MediaTek hasn’t shared any timeframe about when we should expect the new chip to arrive in smartphones.