MediaTek and Qualcomm eye dual 2 nm flagships as costs rise

MediaTek may revisit its habit of launching one flagship platform per year and shift to a lineup with two top-tier chips, a path rumors also attribute to Qualcomm. Judging by the chatter, the catalyst is less about marketing and more about the economics of the 2 nm process. In Weibo discussions, insider Repeater 002 said MediaTek has not made a final decision yet, but rising 2 nm wafer costs at TSMC could make a lighter flagship almost unavoidable.

For now, 2026 leaks most often point to a single primary flagship from MediaTek — the Dimensity 9600 — and the company has already reported the successful creation of a template for its first 2 nm solution. But if manufacturing prices do climb sharply, the logic of two versions is easy to read: a Pro-style option for the priciest devices alongside a slightly more attainable variant with the same key capabilities, lower clocks and, potentially, a gentler approach to graphics. That keeps the flagship badge intact without turning every phone on a 2 nm platform into a product with a price tag that pushes away the mainstream.

Against this backdrop, Qualcomm is rumored to be readying a two-chip strategy for the next generation: a split into Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro. The senior model may bring a more powerful GPU and support new memory and storage standards such as LPDDR6 and UFS 5.0. If competitors truly embrace this segmentation, MediaTek faces an awkward choice: hold the line with a single expensive flagship or give the high end more breathing room with a second tier.

TSMC’s capacity allocation adds pressure. Reports suggest Apple has allegedly reserved a substantial share of 2 nm production for upcoming A20 and A20 Pro chips. In that setup, MediaTek and Qualcomm could be nudged toward an improved but potentially even pricier variant of the 2 nm node, which inevitably lifts the cost of any top-tier SoC and turns a second, more affordable flagship from a nice-to-have into a practical way to keep smartphone partners onboard.

For now, this remains rumor, and leaks do not mention a name for a possible junior companion to the Dimensity 9600. Still, the direction looks plausible: as process technology gets pricier, brands tend to layer the flagship class to protect the premium segment without sending prices into the stratosphere.