Both Oppo and Vivo are expected to launch their Ultra flagship phones from their current lineups in late Q1 or early Q2 2026. Once those devices arrive, we will have to wait for the next major chipset refresh before a new wave of flagships can debut.
This year, Qualcomm set the pace early by announcing the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in early September. This allowed Xiaomi to unveil the Xiaomi 17 series in the same month.
MediaTek, however, debuted its Dimensity 9500 late in September. As a result, phones powered by that chip, including the Oppo Find X9 and Vivo X300 series, only arrived in October.
A new report now suggests MediaTek is preparing to change that timeline.
Dimensity 9600 early refresh makes Oppo and Vivo prepare their next flagship
According to the leak, the chipmaker is planning to launch its next flagship Dimensity processor in September only. As a result, at least one brand from Oppo and Vivo could launch their new-gen flagship powered by the Dimensity 9600 in the same month.
Word for this comes from tipster Digital Chat Station, who also claims that the current-generation Oppo Find X9 Ultra and Vivo X300 Ultra will launch in April.
Xiaomi, however, will not make any changes to its launch timeline. The company is expected to unveil the standard and Pro versions of the Xiaomi 18 (name is speculative) in September, followed by the Xiaomi 18 Ultra in December.
Xiaomi’s release of the 17 series early in September worked in its favor. September is also when Apple usually launches new iPhones.
Xiaomi going head-to-head with the iPhone 17 series by offering more competitive features helped the company win the battle in its home market.
Both the Xiaomi 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max have individually crossed the one-million-unit sales mark in China alone. Meanwhile, the iPhone has reportedly failed to make it to that list.
Vivo and Oppo bring their own set of hardware and software benefits, so it’s not much of a surprise if they want to go all-in on the competition. MediaTek’s earlier refresh for the Dimensity 9600 could give them exactly that opportunity.
For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.
Tech enthusiast? Get the latest news first! Follow our Telegram channel and subscribe to our free newsletter for your daily tech fix!
Comments