MediaTek has launched the Dimensity 9600 Pro, its new flagship smartphone chipset built on an advanced 2nm process, promising significant gains in CPU, AI, gaming and imaging performance while sharply reducing power consumption.
The Dimensity 9600 Pro represents a major technology upgrade for MediaTek as smartphone vendors increasingly compete on on-device AI, battery efficiency, premium gaming and computational photography rather than raw processor speed alone.
MediaTek says the new flagship system-on-chip combines an All Big Core CPU architecture, dual NPU, G2-Ultra NX GPU, LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage. The first smartphones powered by the Dimensity 9600 Pro are expected to arrive this quarter.
Dimensity 9600 Pro Moves to 2nm
The biggest technology change is the move to the 2nm process node, which gives MediaTek more room to improve performance without imposing the same power penalty on premium smartphones.
That efficiency is particularly important as smartphones increasingly run AI models locally. More on-device processing can improve responsiveness and privacy, but it also increases demands on CPU, NPU, memory and battery resources.
MediaTek is addressing this challenge with what it calls a Native AI architecture, designed around agentic AI workloads that can perceive information, reason over it and take actions on behalf of users.
CPU Performance Rises Up to 17%
The Dimensity 9600 Pro features a 2+3+3 All Big Core CPU configuration.
At the top are two C2-Ultra cores running at up to 4.55GHz. They are accompanied by three C2-Pro cores clocked at 4.35GHz and another three C2-Pro cores operating at 3.1GHz.
MediaTek claims the architecture delivers up to 17 percent higher single-core performance and 15 percent higher multi-core performance compared with the previous generation.
More significant for smartphone makers could be the improvement in efficiency. MediaTek says multi-core power consumption has been reduced by 61 percent.
AI Performance Gets Major Upgrade
Artificial intelligence is another major focus of the Dimensity 9600 Pro.
The chipset combines a dual-NPU architecture, NPU 1090 and Agentic AI Engine to handle increasingly sophisticated AI workloads directly on smartphones.
The NPU 1090 provides 51 percent higher large language model prefill performance and 55 percent higher token generation per watt, according to MediaTek.
Its second-generation Super Efficient NPU, meanwhile, cuts power consumption for always-on AI workloads by 40 percent.
The platform can support on-device AI models containing as many as 30 billion parameters.
That capability could expand the role of smartphones from running relatively simple generative AI functions to performing more sophisticated agentic tasks, including analysing information stored on the device, providing proactive recommendations and generating personalized responses.
MediaTek describes the longer-term objective as enabling AI experiences that learn user preferences and behave increasingly like a personalized digital assistant.
CPU and NPU Work Together for Agentic AI
Instead of treating the NPU as an isolated AI accelerator, MediaTek has introduced an AI Computing Fusion Architecture that brings CPU and NPU resources together.
The Dimensity 9600 Pro includes a larger 34.5MB cache and supports LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage for the first time in the platform.
Higher memory bandwidth and faster storage will become increasingly relevant as smartphone AI models grow larger and AI applications need to move significant amounts of data between storage, memory and processing engines.
The upgraded Dimensity Scheduling Engine coordinates computing, memory and power resources according to workloads. This is designed to maintain responsiveness when multiple applications and AI processes operate simultaneously in the background.
G2-Ultra NX GPU Delivers 27% Performance Gain
Gaming performance is another major upgrade.
The integrated G2-Ultra NX GPU delivers up to 27 percent higher peak performance while consuming 24 percent less power at peak performance.
Ray-tracing performance improves by 18 percent, while supported games can operate at up to 185 frames per second.
MediaTek is also combining conventional GPU processing with AI through its Dimensity Neural Graphics Architecture. This allows AI processing to contribute to graphics workloads rather than relying entirely on traditional GPU rendering.
MediaTek HyperEngine provides additional resource and gaming optimization designed to maintain smooth gameplay and high-resolution graphics.
The combination of a 27 percent performance increase and 24 percent reduction in peak power consumption could be particularly important for sustained gaming, where thermal throttling can prevent smartphones from maintaining their maximum advertised performance.
Dimensity 9600 Pro Pushes 4K Video to 240fps
Imaging receives another substantial performance boost through MediaTek’s Imagiq 1290 ISP and Dimensity AI Imaging Fusion Architecture.
The architecture combines ISP and NPU processing for computational photography and video.
One headline capability is 4K video capture at 240fps for native ultra-slow-motion recording.
The chipset also supports NPU-powered 60fps motion capture, 4K60 AI True Color Tone, 4K120 cinematic log video and 17EV imaging.
Combining the NPU with the image signal processor is increasingly important as smartphone cameras rely on computational processing for exposure, color, object recognition, motion tracking and video enhancement.
Dimensity 9600 Pro Performance: Key Numbers
The performance improvements highlight the scale of MediaTek’s generational upgrade:
2nm semiconductor process
4.55GHz maximum CPU clock speed
17% higher single-core CPU performance
15% higher multi-core CPU performance
61% lower multi-core power consumption
51% higher LLM prefill performance
55% higher token generation per watt
40% lower always-on AI power consumption
AI models up to 30 billion parameters
27% higher peak GPU performance
24% lower GPU power consumption at peak performance
18% faster ray tracing
Gaming performance up to 185fps
34.5MB cache
4K240 native ultra-slow-motion video
Dimensity 9600M Expands the Flagship Platform
MediaTek is also introducing the Dimensity 9600M, aimed at bringing many of the flagship platform’s capabilities to a broader range of premium smartphones.
The Dimensity 9600M incorporates the Agentic AI Engine and Dimensity Scheduling Engine, alongside on-device AI, real-time AI-enhanced imaging and advanced gaming capabilities.
Its NPU supports always-on perception and other local AI workloads, while MediaTek HyperEngine enables gaming at up to 185fps.
The strategy could allow MediaTek to use the Dimensity 9600 family across multiple premium smartphone price tiers rather than limiting its latest architecture to ultra-premium devices.
2nm Efficiency Could Be the Biggest Dimensity 9600 Pro Advantage
The headline specifications make the Dimensity 9600 Pro a major performance upgrade, but its most important improvement may ultimately be performance per watt.
A 61 percent reduction in multi-core CPU power consumption, 40 percent lower power requirements for always-on AI and 24 percent lower GPU consumption at peak performance address three workloads that can place substantial pressure on smartphone batteries.
At the same time, the chipset pushes performance higher across CPU, GPU and AI workloads.
With smartphones increasingly expected to run generative and agentic AI locally, the combination of 2nm manufacturing, 30B-parameter model support, LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage positions the Dimensity 9600 Pro as more than a conventional smartphone processor upgrade.
It represents MediaTek’s push toward smartphones where AI processing becomes a persistent part of the computing architecture rather than an occasional application feature.
The first smartphones using the MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro and Dimensity 9600M are expected to launch during the current quarter, setting up the next phase of competition in flagship mobile processors.
BABURAJAN KIZHAKEDATH