Dimensity 9600 Pro priced at $220, narrows gap with Qualcomm

Taiwanese outlet TaiSounds, sometimes referred to as Tai Pao, reports that MediaTek's new Dimensity 9600 Pro is priced as high as $220. That level marks a new high for MediaTek's top-tier system on chip and arrives alongside similar cost increases from rivals.

The previous generation, the Dimensity 9500, was priced between $180 and $200. Qualcomm's competing Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro is said to cost around $300 per chip, and Apple’s A20 Pro is reportedly near $280, narrowing the usual price gap between vendors.

According to TaiSounds, the Dimensity 9600 Pro is priced as high as $220, a new high for MediaTek's top-tier SoC.

Manufacturing cost and technical context

The Dimensity 9600 Pro, unveiled recently, is built on TSMC's 2 nanometre process and contains more than 33 billion transistors. MediaTek vice president and general manager of the Wireless Communications Business Unit, Hsu Ching-Chuan, attributed part of the price rise to the higher costs of the 2nm node. Hsu also said the company is working with partners to reduce the physical size of memory chips and is pushing related technologies to help keep overall system costs in check.

MediaTek is positioning the Dimensity 9600 Pro for the premium segment. The higher chip price could push up device prices, but it also highlights the investment required for cutting-edge process nodes and on-device AI capabilities. The first phones using the Dimensity 9600 Pro are expected to start showing up in the coming weeks.