Early benchmarks of MediaTek Dimensity 9500 show lower scores than Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2, but optimization may improve performance before the official release.
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Ahead of its official unveiling, early benchmark results for MediaTek’s upcoming Dimensity 9500 have surfaced — and they paint a mixed picture when compared with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2. Tested on a Vivo X300 using Geekbench 6, the new flagship chip posted 2,352 points in single-core and 7,129 points in multi-core performance. Contrary to earlier reports suggesting a «2 + 6» configuration, it features a «1 + 3 + 4» setup, with its prime core clocked at 4.20 GHz. Sources noted that the test was conducted at reduced clock speeds, a factor that may have affected the outcome.
In a comparable «throttled» scenario, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 — tested in Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Edge — delivered markedly stronger results: 3,393 in single-core and 11,515 in multi-core, up to 61% faster than the Dimensity 9500. Analysts attribute this lead to Qualcomm’s shift toward custom CPU cores, moving away from ARM’s standard designs.
While the Dimensity 9500 lags in these early numbers, it remains under active optimization, and final performance at launch could improve. MediaTek may also carve out competitiveness in other benchmarks, especially those emphasizing energy efficiency, GPU capabilities, or AI processing. The official announcement is expected to land just a day before Qualcomm unveils its own next-generation chip.