MediaTek sees 3Q25 growth "largely supported by strong performance of [3nm] Dimensity 9500"
A steady quarter for MediaTek, before the chill of winter demand
Jay Liu, analysis; Jingyue Hsiao, DIGITIMES Asia
Tuesday 14 October 2025
MediaTek reported steady revenue growth in September and the third quarter of 2025, largely supported by the strong performance of the Dimensity 9500. Despite a drop in quarterly revenue, the decline was less severe than market analysts had anticipated...
Copilot:
Yes—MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500 is a flagship 3nm chip built on TSMC’s N3P node, and as of October 2025, it is the only confirmed 3nm chip from MediaTek in commercial devices. A 2nm successor (likely Dimensity 9600) is in development for 2026.
Dimensity 9500: Key Specs & Architecture
- Process Node: TSMC N3P (3nm)
- CPU Layout: 1× C1-Ultra @ 4.21GHz, 3× C1-Premium @ 3.5GHz, 4× C1-Pro @ 2.7GHz
- Instruction Set: Armv9.3-A with SME2 (Scalable Matrix Extension) for AI acceleration
- GPU: Mali-G1 Ultra MP12, supports Vulkan Raytracing Pipeline and Unreal Engine 5.5+
- NPU: MediaTek NPU 990 with Gen-AI Engine 2.0, up to 100 TOPS, CIM-based architecture
- Memory: LPDDR5X @ 5333MHz, up to 24GB, UFS 4.1 (4-lane) for 100% faster sequential speeds
- ISP: Imagiq 1190, supports up to 320MP, RAW-domain pre-processing, 4K/120fps video capture
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, 5G up to 10.7Gbps, satellite support
Benchmarks & Performance
- Geekbench 6.5:
- Single-core: 3,635
- Multi-core: 10,941
- AnTuTu v11:
- Total: ~4,011,932
- CPU: 1,043,247
- GPU: 1,510,982
- Memory: 667,254
- UX: 790,449
- AI & Gaming Features
- Raytracing: First mobile chip to support 120FPS raytraced gaming
- AI Generation: 4K text-to-image, 128K token LLMs, 3B parameter models on-device
- Gaming Enhancements: MRFC 3.0 upgrades 60FPS titles to 120FPS; supports MegaLights and Nanite rendering
Other 3nm Chips from MediaTek?
- No other 3nm chips are confirmed in-market yet.
- Dimensity 9400+ (late 2024) was built on N4 or N3E, not N3P.
- Dimensity 9600 is expected in late 2026, built on TSMC’s 2nm N2P node, with a 15–18% performance uplift and 25–36% power savings.
Market Impact
- OEM Cost: ~$180–$200 per unit, ~50% cheaper than Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
- Adoption: Vivo X300/X300 Pro, Oppo flagships, and Satellite Communication Editions
- Revenue Driver: Dimensity 9500 is credited with stabilizing MediaTek’s Q3 2025 revenue despite broader market softness
If you're benchmarking against Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 or mapping N3P yield curves, I can help break down cache architecture, thermal envelopes, or AI throughput comparisons. Just say the word. |
