In a few months, MediaTek will launch Dimensity 9600 chips, which will power the next-generation of flagship smartphones. Alongside the Dimensity 9600, the chipmaker is also expected to unveil the Dimensity 9600 Pro as the company’s first Pro-branded mobile processor with huge upgrades.
While we’re still months away from the official launch, which is likely to happen in September, leaks have already spilled enough details about the upcoming Dimensity flagships to show us what’s to come.
[Note: MediaTek hasn’t officially revealed any details about the upcoming Dimensity 9600 and Dimensity 9600 Pro, so all the details in the post are purely based on leaks and rumors.]
MediaTek Dimensity 9600 series: Spec sheet
| Dimensity 9600 | Dimensity 9600 Pro | |
| Launch | September 2026 | September 2026 |
| Process node | 2 nm (TSMC) | 2 nm (TSMC) |
| CPU | 2 x prime cores 3 x performance cores 3 x efficiency cores | 2 x prime cores 3 x performance cores 3 x performance cores |
| Peak CPU speed | ~4.X GHz | ~5.0 GHz |
| GPU | Arm Immortalis “Magni” ray tracing support | Arm Immortalis “Magni” (higher core count) ray tracing support |
| Memory | LPDDR5X | LPDDR6 |
| Storage | UFS 4.0 | UFS 5.0 |
MediaTek Dimensity 9600 series: Everything you need to know
MediaTek will split its next-gen tier into a standard Dimensity 9600 and a high-performance Dimensity 9600 Pro. Not just MediaTek but Qualcomm will introduce a “Pro” version of its upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip around the same time later this year.
The battle is going to be more intense this year as the Dimensity 9600 Pro reportedly brings major performance upgrades and will closely compete with the best from Apple and Qualcomm.
Process node and CPU architecture
The Dimensity 9600 Pro will reportedly utilize TSMC’s advanced 2nm (N2P) node. This could offer a 10–15% performance boost and a 25–30% improvement in power efficiency compared to the previous generation. However, uncertainty remains regarding whether the standard Dimensity 9600 will use the same node.
TSMC’s factories are unable to meet the unprecedented demand for high-performance chips, and so, securing a supply of advanced nodes is a big battle in itself. And to keep the cost in check, the standard Dimensity 9600 may use the 3nm node, or it could be a lower-binned 2nm chip.
Besides an advanced node, the Dimensity 9600 Pro is reportedly getting a major CPU architecture upgrade. Instead of a traditional ‘1+3+4’ design, the Pro chip may use a ‘2+3+3’ configuration, featuring two Ultra cores with a 5.0 GHz peak frequency. The standard Dimensity 9600 may also use the new configuration, but will likely have a lower peak frequency.
The Ultra cores are rumored to be Arm’s next-gen Cortex C2-Ultra codenamed “Canyon”. The three performance cores are codenamed “Gelas-B” and the three balanced performance cores are codenamed “Gelas”.
GPU and gaming capabilities
The Dimensity 9600 chips are reportedly getting huge graphics advancements, designed to rival or beat top-tier chips from rivals. Both variants are said to feature Arm’s next-generation “Magni” GPU architecture, but the Pro chip may have higher core counts.
Furthermore, the chip could feature integrated dedicated hardware blocks directly into the silicon to offload heavy gaming tasks. According to leakster Digital Chat Station, the chip can artificially insert frames into games at a hardware level, allowing a game running at 60 FPS to be smoothly scaled to 120 FPS or higher. The Magni GPU is also said to have native resolution upscaling rather than relying purely on software tricks.
The chips reportedly feature upgraded ray tracing performance, resulting in more realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections in modern titles. Furthermore, the Dimensity 9600 Pro is said to support LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.0 storage, which should greatly improve data transfer speeds, resulting in faster game launches and faster loading of gaming assets.
AI and NPU capabilities
MediaTek is said to have greatly improved the AI capabilities on the Dimensity 9600 chips. The same chip is also expected to power OpenAI’s first AI-first smartphone.
The Dimensity chips may utilize a dual-NPU design for layered computing and a Neural Shader Scheduler (NSS) that dynamically analyzes machine learning tasks and divides the compute fluidity between the GPU and NPU based on real-time efficiency.
The processor may feature integrated hardware support for Arm’s Scalable Matrix Extension 2 (SME2), which would significantly accelerate matrix math to achieve faster AI responses with better power efficiency.
Benchmark numbers
Tipster Digital Chat Station has shared early Geekbench 6 estimates based on engineering samples. While they do not represent the final figures, they do give an idea of where things might land.
According to the leak, the Dimensity 9600 Pro could deliver a single-core score of 4200–4300 on Geekbench 6, and multi-core performance could be around 12000–12500. For context, the estimated Geekbench scores for the previous generation were 4000 for single-core and 11000 for multi-core, as shared by the tipster. These figures suggest a steady, incremental generational leap for the Dimensity 9600 Pro, rather than a dramatic shift.
Upcoming devices with the Dimensity 9600 series chips
Here’s a list of upcoming phones expected to be powered by the upcoming Dimensity chips:
- Vivo X500 (Dimensity 9600)
- Vivo X500 Pro (Dimensity 9600 Pro)
- Oppo Find X10 (Dimensity 9600)
- Oppo Find X10 Pro (Dimensity 9600 Pro)
The first smartphone could launch as early as September 2026.
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