MediaTek's Dimensity 9500 debuts on TSMC 3 nm with ARM C1, A19-class benchmarks, faster ray tracing, stronger NPU for on-device AI, and 7.4 Gbps 5G speeds.
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MediaTek has officially unveiled its most powerful mobile processor to date, the Dimensity 9500, marking a decisive push in its rivalry with Qualcomm and Apple. Built on TSMC’s 3 nm N3P process and debuting the ARM C1 architecture, the chip posts results on par with Apple’s A19 Pro in both single-core and multi-core tests.
Under the hood, the CPU packs eight cores: one C1-Ultra at 4.21 GHz, three C1-Premium cores at 3.5 GHz, and four C1-Pro cores at 2.7 GHz. According to MediaTek, the Dimensity 9500 scores 4,007 in single-core and 11,217 in multi-core benchmarks, a 32% jump over the Dimensity 9400. At the same time, power consumption drops by a third, while app response times stay within 50 ms — a combination that suggests not just raw speed, but responsiveness users will notice.
On the graphics side, the new ARM Mali-G1 Ultra GPU doubles the number of ray-tracing cores. MediaTek cites up to a 119% uplift in ray tracing and up to 120 fps in games. With support for Unreal Engine 5.5+, smartphones powered by the Dimensity 9500 edge closer to a PC-like gaming experience on paper, narrowing a gap that once felt wider.
The AI workload is handled by the NPU 990 with a second-generation Gen-AI engine. MediaTek says it is 111% faster and doubles token generation speed, while enabling 4K image creation with lower power draw. That kind of headroom points to smoother on-device generative features without a steep battery penalty.
Connectivity rounds out the spec sheet: an integrated modem with 5CC-CA delivers download speeds of up to 7.4 Gbps, and the UltraSave technology trims energy use by up to 10%. The chip also promises more precise location services, better voice call quality, and Wi-Fi that is 20% faster.
MediaTek says the first smartphones with the Dimensity 9500 will arrive soon. The message is clear: the company expects this chip to anchor a new wave of Android flagships, pairing top-tier performance with efficiency that, until now, was often associated with Apple’s best.