MediaTek Reenters Flagship Phones
December 14, 2021 - Author: Aakash Jani
After several attempts, MediaTek has delivered its first true flagship processor: the Dimensity 9000. The new smartphone chip features eight CPU cores, including Cortex-X2, Cortex-A710, and Cortex-A510. For graphics, it has a Mali-G710 GPU and a custom display engine for industry-leading refresh rates.
MediaTek also revamped the deep-learning accelerator and image processor to provide sizable performance gains over the previous generation. The chip comes packed with LPDDR5X controllers; the Taiwanese silicon vendor worked with Micron to create the first generation of LPDDR5X smartphones. The new chip employs a new custom modem, that delivers a sizeable step forward in downlink and uplink rates, compared to the previous generation. It manufactures the D9000 in TSMC’s leading-edge 4nm node, and products should reach customers by 1Q22.
MediaTek’s new chip sits above the Dimensity 1200. Lacking an X-series prime core and leadership GPU, the D1200 failed to win any flagship phones and was largely relegated to the mid-premium segment. Over the years, the company has promoted flagship status for other products, such as the Dimensity 1000 and the decacore MT6797, that also didn’t make the cut. We expect the new chip to fare better in this highly competitive segment, going head to head with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, the Apple A15, and the next-generation Samsung Exynos.
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