MediaTek Dimensity 9500 Leak Points to Big CPU and GPU Upgrades Ahead of Launch

September is shaping up to be one of the busiest months in the mobile chip world. MediaTek’s upcoming Dimensity 9500 is tipped to launch on September 22, just one day before Qualcomm takes the stage with its reportedly named Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

With both chips expected to anchor the next wave of flagship phones, the timing feels less like a coincidence and more like a head-to-head showdown.

Dimensity 9500: Slimmed Down Cores, Bigger AI

The leaked Dimensity 9500 specs (via) come courtesy of tipster Digital Chat Station (DCS), who has built a reputation for accurately detailing smartphone hardware ahead of launch. According to DCS, the processor will be built on TSMC’s advanced N3P 3nm process and will continue MediaTek’s “all-big-core” layout. The CPU reportedly includes:

• One Cortex-X930 core at 4.21GHz
• Three Cortex-X930 cores at 3.5GHz
• Four Cortex-A730 cores at 2.7GHz

On the graphics side, the Mali-G1 Ultra MC12 GPU is said to feature a new microarchitecture that improves ray tracing while lowering power consumption.

Other highlights shared by DCS include:

• NPU 9.0 delivering around 100 TOPS
• 16MB L3 cache + 10MB system-level cache
• LPDDR5X RAM support at 10667Mbps
• UFS 4.1 storage with a 4-lane setup
• Imaging compatibility with Vivo’s V3+ ISP (likely exclusive to Vivo phones)

Qualcomm’s new flagship is also generating buzz. As reported by DCS, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 will feature two prime cores at 4.61GHz, six performance cores at 3.63GHz, and an Adreno 840 GPU at 1.2GHz.

Benchmark numbers are already floating around. The chip is said to have crossed 4 million points on AnTuTu v11, putting it in direct competition with the Dimensity 9500. A higher-binned version reserved for Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series may even push clocks up to 4.74GHz.

A Clash of Launch Dates

The launch calendar makes things even more interesting:

• Apple kicks off September 9 with the iPhone 17 and A19 Pro chip.
• MediaTek follows on September 22 with the Dimensity 9500.
• Qualcomm wraps up on September 23 with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

That’s three major chip launches in just two weeks.

Which Phones Will Use Them First?

Leaks suggest the Vivo X300 series will be the first phones powered by the Dimensity 9500, followed by Oppo’s Find X9 lineup in October.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, meanwhile, is expected to show up first in phones from Xiaomi, Honor, iQOO, OnePlus, and Realme. Samsung’s Galaxy S26, expected next year, should get the custom higher-clocked "Snapdragon For Galaxy" variant.