MediaTek Dimensity 9600M brings 9600 Pro features

MediaTek has added a second chipset to its recent flagship announcements: alongside the Dimensity 9600 Pro the company has revealed the upcoming Dimensity 9600M, which brings some software and AI features from the 9600 Pro to a broader segment of flagship phones. From a hardware perspective MediaTek says the 9600M is essentially a repackaged Dimensity 9500, but it carries new software and scheduling capabilities intended to expand AI functionality across more devices.

From a hardware viewpoint the Dimensity 9600M uses the same components and TSMC 3nm N3P node as the Dimensity 9500.

Specifications and features

The 9600M is fabricated on TSMC's 3nm N3P process and retains an all-large-core CPU layout with a peak frequency of 4.21GHz on the Arm C1-Ultra prime core. The CPU cluster comprises 1x Arm C1-Ultra (2MB L2 cache), 3x Arm C1-Premium (1MB L2 cache) and 4x Arm C1-Pro (512KB L2 cache), supported by a 16MB L3 cache and 10MB SLC. Memory and storage support include LPDDR5X 10667 and UFS 4.1 in a 4-lane configuration.

Graphics and neural processing remain unchanged from the 9500: the GPU is the Arm Mali-G1 Ultra MC12 and the neural engine is MediaTek's NPU 990, which MediaTek describes as capable of generative AI and agentic AI workloads. To complement those capabilities the company is equipping the 9600M with its Agentic AI Engine and the Dimensity Scheduling Engine, features MediaTek positions as improving on-device AI efficiency and task management.

Connectivity covers 3GPP Release 17 and a wide range of cellular modes including Sub-6GHz (FR1), 2G-5G multi-mode, 5G carrier aggregation, 4G carrier aggregation, 5G FDD and TDD, 4G FDD and TDD, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, EDGE and GSM. GNSS support is comprehensive, with GPS L1CA + L5 + L1C, BeiDou B1I + B1C + B2a + B2b, Glonass L1OF, Galileo E1 + E5a + E5b, QZSS L1CA + L5, and NavIC L5 + L1. For local wireless the chip supports Wi-Fi 7 (a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) with Triple Band Triple Concurrency and peak throughput up to 7.3 Gbps, and Bluetooth 6.0 with a dual Bluetooth engine and data rates up to 12 Mbps.

Camera and multimedia capabilities match flagship expectations: the 9600M supports sensors up to 320MP, video encoding and playback up to 8K60 (7680 x 4320), 4K120 with electronic image stabilization, and a 4K60 cinematic mode. Display support includes WQHD+ at up to 180Hz and a tri-port MIPI interface intended for tri-fold displays.

MediaTek says the first Dimensity 9600M phones are expected to arrive later this quarter, with the vivo X500 and Oppo Find X10 among the devices anticipated to reach the market early.