MediaTek unveils the Dimensity 9500s, a 3nm processor with flagship features like AI, 8K video, and 5G, designed for premium mid-range phones like the Redmi Turbo 5 Max.
© D. Novikov
MediaTek has unveiled the new Dimensity 9500s processor, designed as a more affordable alternative to the flagship Dimensity 9500 and aimed at premium mid-range smartphones. Alongside it, the company also announced the more budget-friendly Dimensity 8500 model.
The Dimensity 9500s is built on flagship-level architecture and manufactured using TSMC's refined second-generation 3nm process. It features one high-performance Cortex-X925 core clocked at 3.73 GHz, three Cortex-X4 cores at 3.3 GHz, and four power-efficient Cortex-A720 cores at 2 GHz. With a total transistor density exceeding 29 billion, the chip supports a "super memory compression" technology that can boost app launch speeds by up to 44% when activated. It also comes with substantial cache: 19 MB for the CPU and 10 MB for the system.
Graphics are handled by the flagship Immortalis-G925 GPU with ray tracing support. The chip can perform various AI tasks directly on the device without an internet connection, enhancing camera performance and video capabilities. The Dimensity 9500s includes advanced autofocus, rapid shooting, and a video engine for semantic image segmentation. Additionally, it supports 8K HDR video recording with Dolby Vision.
For connectivity, the processor is equipped with a Release 17 5G modem supporting four-band aggregation and theoretical download speeds of up to 7 Gbps. Wi-Fi 7 is also available with speeds up to 6.5 Gbps. MediaTek highlighted a new Bluetooth feature that enables direct phone-to-phone connections over distances of up to five kilometers without using cellular networks.
The first smartphone to feature the Dimensity 9500s will be the Redmi Turbo 5 Max. In lab tests, the device achieved an impressive 3,612,095 points in the AnTuTu benchmark, demonstrating performance on par with top-tier models.