Dimensity 9500 Costs Over 50% Less Than Snapdragon 8 Elite

MediaTek’s upcoming Dimensity 9500 is drawing attention for one clear reason: price. New estimates suggest the flagship SoC could be more than 50% cheaper than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, offering manufacturers a tempting cost-saving option — even if it comes with trade-offs.

Why the Dimensity 9500 looks so attractive to phone makers

According to pricing intel shared on X by industry analyst Abhishek Yadav, the Dimensity 9500 may land in the $180–$200 range per unit. That’s a dramatic contrast to reports that pegged the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 around $280. For OEMs focused on margins, that difference can be decisive: lower component cost means either cheaper devices or healthier profits.

Both chips are reportedly mass-produced on TSMC’s advanced 3nm N3P node, so the manufacturing process itself isn’t the main cost driver. Instead, MediaTek keeps its bill-of-materials down by continuing to use ARM-designed CPU and GPU blocks, while Qualcomm pushed ahead with custom Oryon cores — an approach that’s more expensive but delivers higher benchmark performance.

Estimated OEM costs (reported)

• Dimensity 9300: $120–$130
• Dimensity 9300+: $130–$145
• Dimensity 9400: $155
• Dimensity 9400+: $165–$175
• Dimensity 9500: $180–$200

These are estimated manufacturing costs and will vary by OEM contracts, volumes and negotiated terms — meaning not every partner will see the same discount.

Performance trade-offs: cheaper but not faster

Cost savings don’t come for free. Benchmarks and early previews indicate the Dimensity 9500 lags behind the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in several key areas. A Geekbench 6 analysis showed the Dimensity 9500 scoring lower on multi-core tests while drawing more power, producing one of the weakest performance-per-watt figures among current flagships. In practical terms, that means slower sustained performance and potentially worse battery efficiency under heavy loads.

A gaming preview of the OnePlus 15 using Qualcomm’s chip also highlighted thermal and throttling differences: devices with the Dimensity 9500 tended to run hotter under identical workloads. That’s consistent with engineering choices — sticking with ARM reference designs saves R&D and licensing costs but leaves headroom on the table where custom cores can optimize speed and efficiency.

What this means for MediaTek’s strategy

MediaTek’s low-cost flagship approach is smart if partners prioritize margins over absolute performance. It keeps phones competitive on price and still delivers flagship-class features in many scenarios. But as Qualcomm has argued in past litigation and acquisitions, custom core development (like Qualcomm’s Nuvia-backed move) can be a key differentiator against rivals and even Apple.

For now, expect the Dimensity 9500 to be an appealing option for manufacturers looking to cut costs while shipping capable Android flagships. Over the longer term, if MediaTek wants to consistently chase Qualcomm’s peak performance metrics, it may need to invest more heavily in custom CPU and GPU development.

Here’s why it matters: lower chip costs can translate to more affordable flagship phones worldwide, but buyers who chase top-tier benchmarks and efficiency may still prefer Qualcomm-based devices.

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