MediaTek has officially launched the Dimensity 9600 Pro, a new flagship smartphone processor built using TSMC’s advanced 2nm manufacturing process. The chipset combines an all-big-core CPU design, dual neural processing units and improved power efficiency for next-generation smartphones.
Announced on September 15, 2026, the Dimensity 9600 Pro is positioned as MediaTek’s flagship platform for smartphones focused on performance, gaming, photography and on-device artificial intelligence.
Alongside the Pro model, MediaTek also introduced the Dimensity 9600M, a related chipset designed to bring several flagship capabilities to a broader range of devices.
Dimensity 9600 Pro Uses TSMC’s 2nm Process
The biggest headline feature of the Dimensity 9600 Pro is its manufacturing technology.
MediaTek says the processor uses TSMC’s 2nm process, making it the company’s first smartphone chipset built on this advanced node. Smaller manufacturing processes can help chip designers improve transistor density, performance and power efficiency, although real-world results depend on the complete chip design and the smartphone manufacturer’s implementation.
MediaTek is using the 2nm platform to target more demanding workloads, including generative AI, gaming, photography and continuous background intelligence.
The company describes the processor as a foundation for “agentic AI” smartphones, where AI assistants can understand context, perform tasks and work across supported apps.
New 2+3+3 All-Big-Core CPU Design
The Dimensity 9600 Pro features a 2+3+3 all-big-core CPU configuration.
The CPU includes:
- Two Arm C2-Ultra cores clocked at up to 4.55GHz.
- Three Arm C2-Pro cores clocked at up to 4.35GHz.
- Three additional Arm C2-Pro cores clocked at up to 3.1GHz.
MediaTek says the design delivers up to:
- 17% higher single-core performance than the previous generation.
- 15% higher multi-core performance.
- 61% lower multi-core power consumption, based on MediaTek’s own comparisons.
These figures are manufacturer-provided claims and should not be treated as independent benchmark results. Actual performance and battery life will vary depending on the phone’s cooling system, software, battery capacity and power-management settings.
Dual NPUs Power On-Device AI
AI is one of the main focus areas of the Dimensity 9600 Pro.
The chipset uses a dual-NPU architecture consisting of:
- MediaTek NPU 1090, designed for demanding generative and agentic AI workloads.
- Super Efficient NPU 2.0, designed for low-power, always-on AI activity.
MediaTek says the NPU 1090 delivers:
- 51% higher large-language-model prefill performance.
- 55% greater token generation per watt.
- Support for complex on-device AI applications, including models of up to 30 billion parameters.
The company also claims that the Super Efficient NPU 2.0 can reduce power consumption for always-on AI activity by 40%.
These capabilities could support features such as real-time translation, AI photography, voice processing, personal assistants and other AI functions that run directly on a smartphone instead of depending entirely on cloud servers.
However, the availability of specific AI features will depend on the phone brand, operating system, software support and model optimization.
Improved Gaming and Graphics Performance
The Dimensity 9600 Pro also includes MediaTek’s updated HyperEngine gaming technologies and a new neural graphics architecture.
MediaTek claims that the chipset provides:
- Up to 27% greater peak graphics performance.
- Up to 24% better power efficiency at peak performance.
- Up to 18% faster ray-tracing performance.
- Support for native gameplay above 185 frames per second in supported scenarios.
- Hardware-accelerated ray tracing and advanced reflections.
The processor combines GPU and NPU capabilities to improve graphics rendering and AI-based image enhancement.
High frame rates will still depend on the game, display refresh rate, thermal conditions and software optimization. A chipset’s maximum supported frame rate does not mean every game will run at that frame rate.
Advanced Camera and Video Features
MediaTek has equipped the Dimensity 9600 Pro with the Imagiq 1290 image signal processor and its AI Imaging Fusion Architecture.
The company says the platform supports:
- Continuous subject focus tracking at 60 frames per second.
- 4K video recording at 60 frames per second with AI True Color Tone.
- 4K120 cinematic log video.
- 17EV HDR video capture.
- 4K240 slow-motion video output.
- AI-assisted computational photography and content creation.
The ISP and NPU are designed to work together so that smartphones can process images and video more intelligently.
In practice, camera quality will also depend on the phone’s sensors, lenses, image-processing software and tuning by the manufacturer.
LPDDR6 and UFS 5.0 Support
The Dimensity 9600 Pro includes first-wave support for LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage.
MediaTek says:
- LPDDR6 can provide up to 33% higher effective memory bandwidth at the same frequency.
- UFS 5.0 can deliver up to twice the read and write performance of the previous generation.
Faster memory and storage can help with app loading, multitasking, large file transfers, gaming and AI model processing.
These benefits will depend on whether smartphone manufacturers pair the chipset with LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage in their final devices.
New Multimedia and Connectivity Features
The chipset also includes several upgrades for multimedia and connectivity.
MediaTek says the Dimensity 9600 Pro supports:
- H.266 hardware video decoding.
- MV-HEVC support for spatial video.
- BT.2020 colour support.
- 5G Advanced connectivity.
- 5CC carrier aggregation up to 350MHz.
- Download speeds above 7.4Gbps under supported conditions.
- Bluetooth 6.2.
- AI-based network optimization for improved connectivity and gaming latency.
The processor also includes security features such as hardware root of trust, protection against future quantum-related attacks and AI privacy isolation through hypervisor technology.
Which Phones Will Use the Dimensity 9600 Pro?
MediaTek says the first smartphones powered by the Dimensity 9600 Pro and Dimensity 9600M are expected to launch during the third quarter of 2026.
OPPO has announced that its upcoming Find X10 Pro Max will be among the first smartphones to feature the Dimensity 9600 Pro and will launch in international markets.
Other smartphone brands expected to use the new platform include Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo, although exact models, markets and launch dates may vary.
MediaTek has not announced universal pricing for the chipset because processors are generally sold to smartphone manufacturers rather than directly to consumers.
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Dimensity 9600M Also Introduced
MediaTek also announced the Dimensity 9600M.
The 9600M is designed to make several flagship-level experiences available to more smartphones. It focuses on performance, AI, imaging, gaming and power efficiency while using a different platform configuration from the Pro model.
MediaTek says the 9600M supports its Agentic AI Engine, Dimensity Scheduling Engine and HyperEngine gaming technologies.
The company also claims support for gameplay of up to 185 frames per second in supported conditions.
The 9600M is intended to expand MediaTek’s high-end portfolio rather than replace the flagship positioning of the Dimensity 9600 Pro.
What the Dimensity 9600 Pro Means for Smartphone AI
The Dimensity 9600 Pro shows how smartphone processors are increasingly being designed around AI workloads instead of traditional CPU and GPU performance alone.
The dual-NPU architecture, always-on AI processing and support for larger on-device models could help smartphone makers offer more advanced assistants and AI-powered applications without sending every task to a remote server.
Running AI locally can also provide benefits for privacy, responsiveness and offline functionality. However, large AI models can still require substantial memory, storage and thermal resources.
The actual user experience will depend on how smartphone brands integrate MediaTek’s hardware with their own software and AI services.
Final Takeaway
MediaTek’s Dimensity 9600 Pro is a new flagship smartphone chipset built on TSMC’s 2nm process.
Its key features include a 2+3+3 all-big-core CPU, dual NPUs, advanced on-device AI support, LPDDR6 and UFS 5.0 compatibility, improved gaming capabilities and enhanced camera processing.
MediaTek claims meaningful performance and power-efficiency improvements over the previous generation, but independent testing will be needed to determine how the chip performs against competing flagship processors in real smartphones.
The first Dimensity 9600 Pro devices are expected to arrive during the third quarter of 2026, with OPPO’s Find X10 Pro Max among the first announced phones to use the platform.
