MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro: 2nm chip ditches efficiency cores entirely
MediaTek has officially unveiled the Dimensity 9600 Pro, its first chip built on TSMC's 2nm N2P process. The new SoC packs 33 billion transistors and is set to power the next wave of Android flagships — though for now, every confirmed launch partner is based in China, with no Western device announced.
No efficiency cores, full speed ahead
The Dimensity 9600 Pro takes an unusual approach to CPU design: it has no small, power-saving efficiency cores at all. Every core runs fast. The eight-core CPU is configured as 2× 4.55GHz + 3× 4.35GHz + 3× 3.10GHz, all performance-class. MediaTek claims this delivers a 17% single-thread and 15% multi-thread boost over last year's Dimensity 9500, along with 34.5MB of combined cache. The chip also supports LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.0 storage — the fastest memory standards available right now.
MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro — the company's first chip on TSMC's 2nm N2P process, with 33 billion transistors and no efficiency cores.
The GPU is an ARM Mali-G2-Ultra NX MC12 with 12 cores split between rendering and AI tensor acceleration. MediaTek says it's 18% faster than the Dimensity 9500 at the same power draw — and if you push it harder, power consumption actually drops 24% at peak. On the camera side, the chip supports 4K/240fps slow-motion, 4K/120fps Log recording for color grading, and a dynamic range up to 17 EV. GPS accuracy is also up 30%.
The Snapdragon gap
Here's the catch: early Geekbench 7 numbers, per Notebookcheck, show the Dimensity 9600 Pro scoring 3,242 in single-core versus 3,582 for Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 — a 10% gap that undermines MediaTek's competitive claims. The test device was an Oppo Find X10 Pro Max prototype, so thermal tuning could shift things, but the deficit is real.
Confirmed launch partners are Vivo (X500 Pro) and Oppo (Find X10 Pro Max), reports Gizmochina. Neither brand has significant retail presence in the US or UK. MediaTek has historically struggled to land flagship slots at Samsung, Google, or OnePlus in Western markets, and there's no sign that changes here.
What to expect if you're outside China
Pricing for the Dimensity 9600 Pro chip itself is unconfirmed. The previous Dimensity 9500 was estimated at $180–200 per unit wholesale; 2nm yields from TSMC are constrained, which will likely push costs higher and keep adoption cautious. Phones carrying this chip could appear in late 2026, but US and UK availability will depend entirely on whether an OEM decides to bring them over — and right now, none have. The chip launched officially on September 15.
