The Android smartphone processor market has been largely dominated by two brands throughout its entire history, namely Qualcomm and MediaTek. Qualcomm has its Snapdragon chipsets to power Android smartphones, whereas MediaTek provides Android smartphones with its 5G-powered Dimensity chipsets. The Dimensity lineup has proven to be reasonably reliable over the past 3 years because all MediaTek Dimensity processors were manufactured by TSMC’s power-efficient and industry-leading technology.
However, in 2023, MediaTek decided to silently rebrand its Dimensity SoC lineup, which has led to much confusion as to which MediaTek chipset is better, and which processors are a big mistake.
Well in this article today, we will be dissecting and diving into MediaTek’s new naming scheme to inform our readers about which MediaTek processors are worth your attention and give the most bang for buck money can buy. To simplify matters, we’ve separated all Dimensity processors into 3 tiers (Tier A, Tier B, and Tier C), with Tier C being the worst ranked processors, and Tier A being the best ranked processors.
Tier C: Low-Performance Processors
Starting off with Tier C, there are 11 MediaTek Dimensity processors and they are ranked from worst to best in Table 1 below.
| MediaTek Chip | High Performance CPU Cores | Efficiency CPU Cores | GPU | Node Process | Antutu Score |
| Dimensity 6020 (formerly Dimensity 700) | 2x ARM Cortex A76 | 6x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G57 MC2 | TSMC 7nm | 388,693 |
| Dimensity 720 | 2x ARM Cortex A76 | 6x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G57 MC2 | TSMC 7nm | 386,819 |
| Dimensity 800U | 2x ARM Cortex A76 | 6x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G57 MC3 | TSMC 7nm | 431,418 |
| Dimensity 6080 (formerly Dimensity 810) | 2x ARM Cortex A76 | 6x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G57 MC2 | TSMC 6nm | 426,195 |
| Dimensity 6100+ (underclocked Dimensity 810) | 2x ARM Cortex A76 | 6x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G57 MC2 | TSMC 6nm | 406,644 |
| Dimensity 900 | 2x ARM Cortex A78 | 6x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G68 MC4 | TSMC 6nm | 513,004 |
| Dimensity 920 | 2x ARM Cortex A78 | 6x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G68 MC4 | TSMC 6nm | 530,694 |
| Dimensity 7020 (formerly Dimensity 930) | 2x ARM Cortex A78 | 6x ARM Cortex A55 | IMG BXM-8-256 | TSMC 6nm | 473,554 |
| Dimensity 7030 (formerly Dimensity 1050) | 2x ARM Cortex A78 | 6x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G610 MC3 | TSMC 6nm | 561,569 |
| Dimensity 7050 (formerly Dimensity 1080) | 2x ARM Cortex A78 | 6x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G68 MC4 | TSMC 6nm | 527,053 |
| Dimensity 7200 (includes 7200 Ultra variant) | 2x ARM Cortex A715 | 6x ARM Cortex A510 | Mali-G610 MC4 | TSMC 4nm | 739,097 |
As you can see, all the newly rebranded Dimensity 6000 and 7000 series are ranked within Tier C. This is because Tier C chipsets have a very important characteristic that defines them, an octa-core CPU structure with only 2 Performance Cores and 6 Efficiency Cores. With fewer performance cores, the processors cannot run games at higher graphical settings, or tasks on the device may run at slower speeds.
Generally, Tier C processors have benchmark scores from around 380k to 550k in Antutu, with one exception being the Dimensity 7200 which has achieved an Antutu score of nearly 740k. The reason could be that the processor is manufactured on TSMC’s newer 4nm process whilst also featuring the newer ARM Cortex A715 performance cores to provide more performance at the same power level as the A78 and A76.
Another interesting thing to note is the Dimensity 6080 (formerly known as the Dimensity 810). The Dimensity 6080 processor can be found in the recently-announced Redmi Note 13 this week, however, the same processor could also be found in the Redmi Note 11 (known globally as the Poco M4 Pro 5G) launched almost two years ago in 2021 back in China market. This means that your brand new 2023 budget Android smartphone could be using a budget processor that is almost 2 years old today, and yet the device is selling at a price which is brand new.
To wrap up, most Tier C processors have generally the same slower performance and do not have a high price-to-performance ratio (with a possible exception to the Dimensity 7200). If possible, look for Android smartphones with Tier B or Tier A processors instead.
Tier B: Upper Mid-Range Processors
Tier B is where the processors are fast and smooth enough for everyday tasks whilst still being able to game comfortably on medium graphical settings in your favourite games. There are 4 MediaTek Dimensity processors in this tier and they are listed from worst to best in Table 2 below.
| MediaTek Chip | High Performance CPU Cores | Efficiency CPU Cores | GPU | Node Process | Antutu Score |
| Dimensity 1000 (includes 1000+ variant) | 4x ARM Cortex A77 | 4x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G77 MC9 | TSMC 7nm | 518,034 |
| Dimensity 8020 (formerly Dimensity 1100) | 4x ARM Cortex A78 | 4x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G77 MC9 | TSMC 6nm | 777,674 |
| Dimensity 1200 (includes 1200 Ultra variant) | 4x ARM Cortex A78 | 4x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G77 MC9 | TSMC 6nm | 720,370 |
| Dimensity 8050 (formerly Dimensity 1300) | 4x ARM Cortex A78 | 4x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G77 MC9 | TSMC 6nm | 716,896 |
One defining characteristic of Tier B processors is that they use an octa-core SoC structure, with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores. With a balanced (4+4) setup, the SoC is able to handle high-performance tasks more smoothly, whereas for low-demand tasks, the efficiency cores can step up for lower power draw.
Tier B processors have garnered much praise for balancing their performance with their affordability, as these processors are found in budget flagship smartphones like the OnePlus Nord 2T and Xiaomi 11T.
Tier A: Flagship Processors
Tier A includes MediaTek’s best processors in the Dimensity lineup, as they not only provide great performance, but great power efficiency as well for the smartphones they’re in!
Tier A includes 5 Dimensity processors, and they are listed below in Table 3.
| MediaTek Chip | High Performance CPU Cores | Efficiency CPU Cores | GPU | Node Process | Antutu Score |
| Dimensity 8000 | 4x ARM Cortex A78 | 4x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G610 MC6 | TSMC 5nm | 835,209 |
| Dimensity 8100 (includes 8100 Ultra variant) | 4x ARM Cortex A78 | 4x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G610 MC6 | TSMC 5nm | 852,252 |
| Dimensity 8200 (includes 8200 Ultra variant) | 4x ARM Cortex A78 | 4x ARM Cortex A55 | Mali-G610 MC6 | TSMC 4nm | 888,266 |
| Dimensity 9000 (includes 9000+ variant) | 1x ARM Cortex X2, 3x Cortex A710 | 4x ARM Cortex A510 | Mali-G710 MC10 | TSMC 4nm | 1,076,825 |
| Dimensity 9200 (includes 9200+ variant) | 1x ARM Cortex X3, 3x Cortex A715 | 4x ARM Cortex A510 | Mali-G715-Immortalis MC11 | TSMC 4nm | 1,203,056 |
Despite sporting the same processor structure (4+4) as Tier B processors, Tier A processors have one major advantage, which is that Tier A processors are manufactured on TSMC’s more advanced 5nm and 4nm process nodes. This improvement alone managed to boost performance by up to almost 20% whilst keeping power draw low to ensure that the device doesn’t overheat. The GPUs used by Tier A processors are also much more performant, allowing users to game at high or ultra-high graphical settings, which is unachievable on Tier B and C processors.
Tier A processors can be found in devices such as the affordable Redmi K50i, Poco X4 GT and OnePlus 10R, to the flagships such as the Vivo X90, Redmi K60 Ultra, and the upcoming Xiaomi 13T Pro.
In conclusion, purchasing a smartphone with a Tier A MediaTek Dimensity processor is the best decision one can make to make their smartphone performance last long-term without much slowdown.
If you would like more content like this on Gizmochina.com about simplifying how to pick the best processor for your smartphone, feel free to let us know in the comments below!
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