Summary
MediaTek has launched the Dimensity 9600 Pro, a flagship smartphone SoC built on a 2nm process and designed for on-device AI, gaming and imaging. The company reports higher performance and lower power consumption, with the first phones expected this quarter.
MediaTek has launched the Dimensity 9600 Pro, a flagship smartphone system-on-chip (SoC) that the company says uses a 2nm process node. Announced on September 15, 2026, the chip combines a new CPU design, dual neural-processing units for on-device AI, a new graphics architecture and upgraded imaging hardware.
MediaTek says the first smartphones powered by the Dimensity 9600 Pro and the related Dimensity 9600M are expected to launch this quarter.
A 2nm flagship platform with an all-big-core CPU
The Dimensity 9600 Pro uses a 2+3+3 All Big Core CPU configuration. It includes two C2-Ultra cores clocked at up to 4.55GHz, three C2-Pro big cores at up to 4.35GHz and three additional C2-Pro big cores running at up to 3.1GHz.
According to MediaTek, the design delivers up to 17% higher single-core performance and up to 15% higher multi-core performance than the previous generation. The company also reports a 61% reduction in multi-core power consumption. A smaller process node can improve the balance between transistor density, performance and energy use, although the effect in a finished phone also depends on its software, cooling system, battery and workload.
The platform introduces LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage to the Dimensity lineup. A 34.5MB cache and the Dimensity Scheduling Engine are intended to help coordinate CPU, AI and memory resources, including when several applications remain active in the background.
On-device AI, gaming and imaging
MediaTek is positioning the chip around what it calls “agentic AI”: on-device systems that can interpret information, reason about it and take actions. The Dimensity 9600 Pro combines two NPUs with an Agentic AI Engine so that applications can analyse data stored on the phone, provide proactive assistance and produce responses personalised to the user.
The second-generation Super Efficient NPU is claimed to reduce power consumption for always-on AI by 40%. MediaTek also reports 51% higher large-language-model prefill performance and 55% higher token generation per watt from the NPU 1090. In practical terms, prefill concerns the initial processing of a prompt, while token generation is the stage in which a language model produces its response. The company says the hardware supports on-device applications using models of up to 30 billion parameters.
For gaming, the chip integrates the G2-Ultra NX GPU. MediaTek reports up to 27% higher peak graphics performance, 24% lower power consumption at peak performance and 18% faster ray tracing. The company says the platform can support on-device gaming at up to 185 frames per second. Its Dimensity Neural Graphics Architecture combines GPU and AI computing, while MediaTek HyperEngine is designed to optimise gameplay and responsiveness.
The imaging system uses the Imagiq 1290 image signal processor and a Dimensity AI Imaging Fusion Architecture that combines ISP and NPU processing. Listed capabilities include NPU-powered 60fps motion capture, 4K240 native direct-output ultra-slow-motion video, 4K60 AI True Color Tone, 4K120 cinematic log and 17EV imaging.
MediaTek is also introducing the Dimensity 9600M. It is described as an upcoming chipset using the same Agentic AI Engine and Dimensity Scheduling Engine, with support for always-on perception, AI-enhanced imaging, real-time tracking and gaming at up to 185fps. The company has not identified specific smartphone models in the announcement.
The performance figures marked by MediaTek were achieved through demo-device testing in the company’s laboratories. They therefore describe MediaTek’s reported results for its test setup, while the experience of retail phones will also depend on each manufacturer’s design and software.