MediaTek has recently launched its Dimensity 9400 chipset, and to everyone’s surprise, it brings significant upgrades to the processing power, energy efficiency, and AI capabilities. The chipmaker has some big claims with this new flagship chipset.
The Dimensity 9400 raises the bar of flagship chips that it goes neck-to-neck with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite and Apple’s A18 Pro (read our Dimensity 9400 and Snapdragon 8 Elite comparison). But how does the MediaTek’s latest Dimensity chip stack up against its predecessor? And whether upgrading to the Dimensity 9400 makes sense. Let’s dive deep into the comparison to find those answers.
| Dimensity 9400 | Dimensity 9300 | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | October 2024 | November 2023 |
| Model number | MT6991 | MT6989 |
| Process node | 3nm | 4nm |
| Manufacturer | TSMC | TSMC |
| CPU | 1 x Cortex-X925 — 3.63GHz 3 x Cortex-X4 — 3.3GHz 4 x Cortex-A720 — 2.4GHz | 1 x Cortex-X4 — 3.25GHz 3 x Cortex-X4 — 2.85GHz 4 x Cortex-A720 — 2GHz |
| GPU | Arm Immortalis-G925 MC12 MediaTek Adaptive Gaming Technology 3.0 Global illumination MediaTek Frame Rate Converter HyperEngine’s Super Resolution Ray tracing support | Arm Immortalis-G720 MC12 MediaTek HyperEngine gaming technologies Global illumination Ray tracing support |
| NPU | MediaTek NPU 890 | MediaTek APU 790 |
| Camera | MediaTek Imagiq 1090 ISP Up to 320MP single camera Up to 8K/60fp video recording Gen-AI Super Resolution Gen-AI Super Zoom | MediaTek Imagiq 990 ISP Up to 320MP single camera Up to 8K/30fp video recording |
| Memory | LPDDR5X at 10667Mbps Up to 24GB support | LPDDR5T at 9600Mbps Up to 24GB support |
| Storage | UFS 4.0 + MCQ | UFS 4.0 + MCQ |
| Connectivity | Downlink: 7.3Gbps Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 5.4 standard | Downlink: 7Gbps Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 5.4 standard |
MediaTek Dimensity 9400 vs Dimensity 9300: Benchmarks
[Geekbench 6]
Geekbench is a popular benchmarking tool for measuring the CPU capabilities of a device. The Dimensity 9300 has pulled off 2,210 and 7,478 points in single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. However, the Dimensity 9400 handsomely outperforms its predecessor with 2,876 single-core points and 8,987 multi-core points.
The new Dimensity 9400 chip shows substantial gains in raw CPU performance over its predecessor.
| Dimensity 9400 | Dimensity 9300 | |
|---|---|---|
| Single core | 2,876 | 2,210 |
| Multi core | 8,987 | 7,478 |
[AnTuTu 10]
AnTuTu runs the device through a series of tests to measure different aspects of a device. On this platform, the Dimesity 9400 scored over 3 million AnTuTu points, while the Dimensity 9300 couldn’t surpass the 2 million mark. That’s a massive 59% gain for the latest MediaTek chip.
Not just Geekbench but AnTuTu also shows strong gains for the Dimensity 9400 over Dimensity 9300. But what’s causing this significant difference? Check out the next section to understand the key differences setting them apart.
| Dimensity 9400 | Dimensity 9300 | |
|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu score | 3,007,853 | 1,881,325 |
| CPU | 652,381 | 477,734 |
| GPU | 1,322,761 | 705,755 |
| Memory | 521,453 | 371,291 |
| UX | 511,258 | 326,545 |
MediaTek Dimensity 9400 vs Dimensity 9300: CPU
Dimensity 9400, like its predecessor, has all big core CPU. However, it’s fabricated on TSMC’s 3nm process (N3E), further enhancing performance and energy efficiency.
The latest chip has a Cortex-X928 running at up to 3.63GHz, three Cortex-X4 cores at 3.3GHz, and four Cortex-A720 at 2.4GHz. In contrast, the Dimensity 9300 has a Cortex-X4 core with a 3.25GHz peak speed, three Cortex-X4 cores clocked at 2.85GHz, and four Cortex-A720 cores at 2GHz.
The Dimensity 9400 is immensely benefitted by the addition of a high-performance Cortex-X925 CPU core. The chip is claimed to offer up to 35% faster single-core performance and 28% faster multi-core performance.
Thanks to TSMC’s 3nm advanced cutting-edge process, the latest Dimensity chip delivers more performance per milliwat than ever. MediaTek claims a 40% better power efficiency over its predecessor. Notably, the chip has double the amount of L2 cache and 50% more L2 cache than Dimensity 9300, another reason for a big performance boost.
MediaTek Dimensity 9400 vs Dimensity 9300: GPU
The Dimensity 9400 ships with a new 12-core Immortalis G925 GPU that uses Arm’s new 5th-generation GPU architecture. It offers 41% faster peak performance while being 44% more power efficient than its predecessor.
Ray tracing is also improving, with a 40% performance uplift. For smoother gaming, the Dimensity 9400 also integrates improved MediaTek HyperEngine gaming technologies, such as MediaTek Adaptive Gaming Technology 3.0, MediaTek Frame Rate Converter, and HyperEngine’s Super Resolution.
MediaTek Dimensity 9400 vs Dimensity 9300: Camera
The cameras are also getting quality upgrades. To begin with, the new Imagiq 1090 ISP inside the Dimensity 9400 enables HDR video capture throughout the entire zoom range, the first of its kind on any flagship chip.
The new chip introduces Gen-AI Super Resolution and Gen-AI Super Zoom. The former technology enhances a blocky original image with corrective fill to produce pin-sharp results, and the latter achieves 100X magnification in photos with clear detail.
Though Dimensity 9300 and 9400 chips support 320MP resolution (maximum), the former can record 8K/60fps videos, while the latter supports 8K/60fps.
MediaTek Dimensity 9400 vs Dimensity 9300: AI and other enhancements
A recurring theme across the update board for Dimensity 9400 is AI. The new chip is equipped with an 8th-generation NPU that takes on-device AI capabilities to a new height.
Dimensity 9400 is the world’s first chip to support high-quality on-device video generation and on-device LoRA training. The new NPU is claimed to have 100% faster diffusion generation performance and 80% faster LLM prompt performance — and it’s 35% more power efficient than its predecessor.
Notable improvements have been applied to the connectivity part, which includes a 50% better power efficiency for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The new 5G modem inside Dimensity 9400 achieves direct Bluetooth connections between two smartphones up to 1.5km apart. With MediaTek Xtra Range 3.0, the chip gets up to 30 meters of extended Wi-Fi coverage.
The Dimensity 9400 chip also reduces power efficiency for Wi-Fi hotspots by up to 50%. The peak memory speed is now at 10667Mbps, up from 9600Mbps on Dimensity 9300.
MediaTek Dimensity 9400 vs Dimensity 9300: Conclusion
MediaTek Dimensity 9400 brings big CPU and GPU upgrades, making it one of the best flagship smartphone chips. These upgrades put the likes of Apple and Qualcomm on a competitive alert.
Dimensity 9400 isn’t only about CPU and GPU upgrades. MediaTek has made key improvements to almost all areas, including AI, camera, and connectivity, making it one of the best Android chip upgrades in recent years.
The new Dimensity chip is already powering the Vivo X200 and Find X8 series, and more flagship devices should be coming from various brands.
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