In September, MediaTek announced Dimensity 9500 as its most powerful smartphone chipset, and now we’ve an affordable version of it, dubbed Dimensity 9500s. This is still a flagship-grade chipset, promising excellent performance, power efficiency, and competitive AI capabilities.
The Dimensity 9500s would directly compete with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, which was announced in November. Both high-end chipsets target the same user segment, so it’s exciting to see how they stack up against each other.
| Dimensity 9500s | Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | January 2026 | November 2025 |
| Process node | TSMC’s 3nm (N3E) | TSMC’s 3nm (N3P) |
| CPU | 1 x 3.73 GHz — Cortex-X925 3 x 3.30 GHz — Cortex-X4 4 x 2.0 GHz — Cortex-A720 | 2 x 3.8GHz — Oryon (3rd gen) 6 x 3.32GHz — Oryon (3rd gen) |
| GPU | Immortalis-G925 MP12 ray tracing support MediaTek Adaptive Gaming Technology 3.0 | Adreno 840 ray tracing support Snapdragon Elite Gaming features |
| NPU | MediaTek NPU Agentic AI support | Qualcomm Hexagon NPU Agentic AI support |
| Memory | LPDDR5x, up to 5.3 GHz | LPDDR5x, up to 4.8 GHz |
| Storage | UFS 4 + MCQ | UFS 4.1 |
| Camera | Imagiq ISP (18-bit) up to 320MP single camera up to 108MP single camera at 30fps up to 36MP triple cameras at 30fps up to 8K/60fps video recording | Qualcomm Spectra triple AI ISP (20-bit) up to 320MP single camera up to 108MP single camera with zero shutter lag, 30fps up to 48MP triple cameras with zero shutter lag, 30fps real-time semantic segmentation (limitless) up to 4K/120fps video recording |
| Connectivity | 3GPP Release 17 standard download speed: 7 Gbps (peak) Wi-Fi 7 (peak speed: 6.5 Gbps) Bluetooth 5.4 | 3GPP Release 18 standard download speed: 10 Gbps (peak) upload speed: 3.5 Gbps (peak) Wi-Fi 7 (peak speed: 5.8 Gbps) Bluetooth 6.0 |
Dimensity 9500s vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: Who has the edge?
Both Snapdragon 9500s and Snapdragon 8s Gen 5 use TSMC’s 3nm process node, though there are some differences. The Dimensity chip uses N3E process technology, while the Snapdragon chip uses a more refined N3P node, offering slight improvements to performance and efficiency.
CPU performance
The Dimensity 9500s features an all-big-core CPU design, led by a Cortex-X925 prime core. The octa-core CPU also includes three Cortex-X4 performance cores and four Cortex-A720 power efficiency cores.
- 1 x Cortex-X925 at 3.73 GHz
- 3 x Cortex-X4 at 3.30 GHz
- 4 x Cortex-A720 at 2.0 GHz
In contrast, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 features a 2+6 CPU configuration with all third-generation custom-designed Oryon cores.
- 2 x Oryon cores (3rd-gen) at 3.8 GHz
- 6 x Oryon cores (3rd-gen) at 3.32 GHz
From the spec sheet alone, it’s difficult to say which chipset has a faster CPU. And unfortunately, we don’t have benchmark data for the Dimensity 9500s yet. It will take a while for the brand to launch devices with this new Dimensity chipset.
However, if I had to take a calculated guess, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 should offer faster CPU performance. That’s because this chip has the same CPU configuration as the flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, but with a slightly lower clock speed. That gap in clock speeds shouldn’t matter as much as the Dimensity 9500s using CPU cores a generation older than the Dimensity 9500.
GPU performance
For graphics rendering, the Dimensity 9500s uses Immortalis-G925 MP12 GPU. MediaTek hasn’t provided more details about the GPU, such as frequency, binning, etc. So, for now, it’s inaccurate to say it’s the same Immortalis-G925 GPU that’s been used inside the Dimensity 9400 and 9400+ chips.
We’ll have to wait for benchmark data or third-party teardowns for better clarification. However, I’m pretty sure the Dimensity 9500s would bring some GPU improvements, if not major upgrades.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, on the other hand, ships with an Adreno 829 GPU with ray tracing support and a full suite of Snapdragon Elite Gaming features. We’ll run benchmark tests and update the data here to provide clearer insight into GPU performance.
AI capabilities
The demand for on-device AI capabilities, such as AI assistants, AI image/video editing, and generative AI, is stronger than ever. Both MediaTek and Qualcomm understand this, and therefore most of their new chips come with powerful NPUs.
The Dimensity 9500s has a MediaTek NPU with support for multimodal models and agentic AI. The NPU also helps with AI photo editing, AI summarization, and a wide range of tools for cameras, creativity, and productivity.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5’s Hexagon NPU also supports agentic AI, which can learn and adapt to your preferences over time for highly personalised recommendations. The AI also helps improve camera output and connectivity.
Camera & imaging
The Dimensity 9500s integrates an 18-bit Imagiq ISP. It’s a content-aware ISP, which uses advanced Super Resolution techniques to improve clarity, even at high zoom levels. The chip supports up to 320MP single camera and up to 8K video recording at 60fps.
In contrast, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 features a 20-bit triple AI ISP, with up to 320MP single camera and 4K/120fps video recording. The chip also supports up to 8K video recording, but at lower frame rates. Additionally, the 8 Gen 5 offers numerous photo and video features, including Truepic photo capture, Bokeh Engine, and Video super resolution.
Connectivity
Both chipsets offer excellent connectivity features, although there are several notable differences. For example, the Dimensity 9500s supports the 3GPP Release 17 standard, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 supports the newer Release 18 standard with additional enhancements.
Over a 5G connection, the Dimensity chip’s download speed can go up to 7 Gbps, while the Snapdragon chip can reach even higher, up to 10 Gbps. The Dimensity 9500s makes a comeback with a higher peak Wi-Fi speed (6.5 Gbps vs 5.8 Gbps).
Dimensity 9500s vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 5: Conclusion
From the spec sheet, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 appears to have an edge over the Dimensity 9500s. However, note that specs alone do not give the complete picture. We’ll update this post once we’ve tested a device powered by a Dimensity 9500s for better clarity.
The Redmi Turbo 5 Max will be among the very first phones to feature the Dimensity 9500s chip. It’s expected to launch later this month. Meanwhile, click here to see how the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 stacks up against the competition.
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