MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro: 2 nm, 4.55 GHz, and 4137 points in Geekbench 6

On September 15, MediaTek will introduce the Dimensity 9600 Pro. According to preliminary data, it is the company’s first smartphone chip built on a 2 nm process. An engineering sample of the Vivo X500 Pro Max scored 4137 points in the single-core test and 12,751 in the multi-core test in Geekbench 6, with frequencies of up to 4.55 GHz.

Key specifications

Dimensity 9600 and 9600 Pro

MediaTek previously typically released one flagship chip and added a faster Plus version several months later. According to leaks, the new lineup will introduce the Dimensity 9600 and Dimensity 9600 Pro simultaneously.

According to preliminary data, the Pro version will use a 2 nm process. TSMC’s 2 nm production is expensive, so the new process will probably be limited to the higher-end model.

Sources cite two possibilities for the standard Dimensity 9600: an enhanced 3 nm process or a cheaper 2 nm version.

Process: probably TSMC N2P

Vivo has indirectly confirmed the move to 2 nm. In its materials about the X500 Pro Max, the company mentions a 2 nm Dimensity processor. The use of TSMC N2P specifically is currently known only from leaks.

For the Dimensity 9600 Pro, the move to 2 nm is particularly important because of power consumption and heat at high frequencies.

The performance gains claimed for N2P cannot be directly converted into a prediction of smartphone performance. The result depends on clock speeds, power limits, and cooling.

CPU: 2+3+3 configuration and frequencies of up to 4.55 GHz

MediaTek is once again doing without small energy-efficient cores, but it is changing the CPU layout. The Dimensity 9500 used a 1+3+4 configuration. In Geekbench, the new chip is detected with a 2+3+3 configuration.

Geekbench shows three clusters:

• 2 cores at up to 4.55 GHz;
• 3 cores at up to 4.35 GHz;
• 3 cores at up to 3.10 GHz.

Leaks in the spring mentioned a frequency of around 5 GHz, but in the known Dimensity 9600 Pro tests, the chip has not exceeded 4.55 GHz so far. Engineering samples of the new Snapdragon have reached frequencies above 5 GHz in tests.

MediaTek has not yet disclosed the CPU architecture. According to rumors, the high-performance cores belong to the new-generation Arm C2-Ultra. Arm introduced the architecture on September 8 and claimed gains of up to 15% in single-threaded and up to 12% in multi-threaded workloads compared with its predecessor.

If C2-Ultra is confirmed, the gains will come not only from higher clock speeds but also from the new architecture.

Geekbench 6: 4137 and 12,751 points

The best known Dimensity 9600 Pro result in Geekbench 6:

The test was conducted on a Vivo X500 Pro Max with 16 GB of RAM. Notebookcheck estimates the advantage over the Dimensity 9500 at approximately 30%.

An earlier engineering sample scored 2653 and 7516 points. The maximum frequency of the high-performance cores in that test was around 2.8 GHz, so the run poorly reflects the performance of the production chip.

In the spring, insiders expected around 4200-4300 points in the single-core test and 12,000-12,500 in the multi-core test. The new result is close to those figures.

A single Geekbench result says nothing about heat, power consumption, or frequency stability under sustained load.

GPU: probably Mali-G2-Ultra-NX MC12

MediaTek has not yet named the GPU model. Geekbench and leaks point to the Arm Mali-G2-Ultra-NX MC12.

Arm’s new graphics architecture supports AI acceleration for image upscaling and frame generation.

Arm also claims improved hardware ray tracing and higher gaming performance without using AI features. The final performance of the Dimensity 9600 Pro will depend on the GPU configuration and its clock speeds.

In its teasers, MediaTek separately highlights gaming, AI rendering, StarSpeed Engine, and ray tracing. Real-world gaming tests of the Dimensity 9600 Pro are not yet available.

Memory and NPU

The memory and NPU are currently known only from leaks.

They specify:

• LPDDR6;
• UFS 5.0;
• a dual NPU;
• distribution of AI workloads between the NPU and GPU.

According to the same data, the standard Dimensity 9600 may retain LPDDR5X.

Camera and video

MediaTek has already confirmed support for 4K slow-motion recording at 240 frames per second.

Vivo also claims that future smartphones will support 4K 120 fps HDR recording and Imaging NPU 2.0. Some of these features may relate to Vivo’s own hardware and software solutions rather than directly to the Dimensity 9600 Pro.

How much will the Dimensity 9600 Pro cost?

According to the Taiwanese press, MediaTek is preparing to raise prices for its flagship processors. The Dimensity 9600 Pro is estimated to cost smartphone manufacturers more than $216 per chip.

The purchase price of the SoC is not transferred to the smartphone’s retail price on a one-to-one basis, but it increases the device’s production cost. Together with more expensive memory and other components, this could lead to higher prices for finished devices.

Dimensity 9600 Pro vs. Dimensity 9500

The number of fastest CPU cores has increased from one to two. The estimated gain of around 30% is still based on only one run of an engineering sample.

What about the competition?

In September, new flagship SoCs are being released by MediaTek, Qualcomm, Apple, and Xiaomi.

The published results cannot be compared directly. The tests were conducted on devices at different stages of development, and some new results are already being published in Geekbench 7. Geekbench 7 uses a different scoring scale, so its scores are not comparable with GB6.

At present, the table shows more about the level of early samples than the final performance relationship.

A proper comparison will be possible after the production devices are released and tested using the same methodology.

Which smartphones will receive the Dimensity 9600 Pro?

The first smartphones with the new Dimensity chips should be models in the Vivo X500 series. The series will be introduced in China on September 21.

According to the available data:

• Vivo X500 Pro Max - Dimensity 9600 Pro;
• Vivo X500 Pro - Dimensity 9600 Pro;
• Vivo X500 - presumably Dimensity 9600.

The Oppo Find X10 Pro is expected to be another smartphone with the Dimensity 9600 Pro.

International versions will appear later. The Vivo series is expected to launch in India in October.

Preliminary conclusion

According to preliminary data, the Dimensity 9600 Pro changes the CPU layout, process technology, and graphics architecture at the same time. The new chip moves from a 1+3+4 configuration to 2+3+3, raises the maximum frequency from 4.21 to 4.55 GHz, and scores 4137 and 12,751 points in the best known Geekbench 6 result.

If the leaks are confirmed, the Pro version will also receive TSMC N2P, LPDDR6, and the Mali-G2-Ultra-NX.

It is not yet known how the chip performs under sustained load, how fast the new GPU is in games, or how much production smartphones will cost.

On September 15, MediaTek is expected to confirm the chip’s final specifications. Frequency stability and gaming performance will be revealed in reviews of the Vivo X500 Pro and X500 Pro Max.