Gadgets
MediaTek Unveils Dimensity 9600 Pro, Its First 2nm Phone Chip
The flagship Dimensity 9600 Pro is MediaTek’s first smartphone processor on TSMC’s 2-nanometer process, with a 3nm 9600M sibling and first phones due this quarter.
HSINCHU, Taiwan · Maya Chen, Gadgets · Sep 15 2026
HSINCHU, Taiwan - MediaTek on Tuesday unveiled the Dimensity 9600 Pro, saying the flagship smartphone system-on-chip is its first mobile processor built on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s 2-nanometer process, a process node Reuters described as TSMC’s most advanced manufacturing technology.
Photo: MediaTek
The company also introduced the Dimensity 9600M, a related chip built on TSMC’s 3-nanometer process and aimed at a broader slice of the flagship phone market. First smartphones using both chips are expected this quarter, MediaTek said in a PR Newswire release.
On the 9600 Pro, MediaTek specifies a 2+3+3 all-big-core CPU: two C2-Ultra cores clocked up to 4.55GHz, three C2-Pro cores at 4.35GHz, and three C2-Pro cores at 3.1GHz. Versus the prior generation, the company claims up to 17 percent higher single-core performance, up to 15 percent higher multi-core performance, and a 61 percent reduction in multi-core power consumption. Those figures come from MediaTek lab testing on demo devices, the company noted.
Photo: MediaTek
Graphics and AI are central to the pitch. The chip integrates Arm’s G2-Ultra NX GPU. MediaTek says the GPU delivers up to 27 percent higher peak performance, 24 percent lower power at peak, and 18 percent faster ray tracing, with gaming claims of up to 185 frames per second. A dual-NPU design and Agentic AI Engine are meant to support on-device models of up to 30 billion parameters. The company also lists a larger 34.5MB cache and, for the first time on Dimensity, LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage.
Imaging features include the Imagiq 1290 ISP. MediaTek says the platform adds 4K240 native ultra-slow-motion video, alongside 4K60 AI True Color Tone, 4K120 cinematic log, and 17EV imaging claims.
Handset partners are already lining up. Vivo said the X500 Pro and X500 Pro Max will be among the first phones worldwide on the Dimensity 9600 Pro, with a China launch around Sept. 21. OPPO confirmed the Find X10 Pro Max will use the same 2nm chip, with a China debut around Sept. 22. Pete Lau, OPPO’s chief product officer, confirmed a global Find X10 Pro Max configuration on the 9600 Pro, according to reports of the company’s launch communications. MediaTek has long supplied Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo in the premium Android segment and is pressing Qualcomm in higher-margin flagship silicon, Reuters reported.
JC Hsu, corporate senior vice president at MediaTek and general manager of the Wireless Communications Business Unit, said in the company’s statement that devices need greater performance, efficiency, and intelligence for agentic AI experiences, and that the Dimensity 9600 Pro’s Native AI architecture is meant to meet those demands.
