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MediaTek has confirmed a China launch event on January 15, teasing two new entries in its Dimensity lineup. The Taiwanese chipmaker appears ready to expand its premium and upper-midrange offerings with a refreshed 9-series flagship and an 8500 variant already seen in recent phones.
What to expect on January 15
The company has signaled that two chipsets will be unveiled at the event: the already known Dimensity 8500 and a new Dimensity 9500s. While the 8500 is already shipping in devices such as the Honor Power 2, the Dimensity 9500s promises to be a more advanced, performance-focused silicon built on a newer TSMC node.
Dimensity 8500: proven upper-midrange silicon
Built on TSMC's N4P process, the Dimensity 8500 uses an octa-core Cortex-A725 arrangement designed to balance performance and efficiency. The configuration reportedly includes one core clocked at 3.4GHz, three additional cores at 3.2GHz, and four efficiency cores at 2.2GHz. Graphics come courtesy of the Mali-G720 MC8 GPU, making the 8500 a solid choice for mainstream flagship experiences without the highest flagship price tag.
Dimensity 9500s: N3E node and premium GPU
Leaked details suggest the Dimensity 9500s is manufactured on TSMC's N3E process, a step up in density and power efficiency. The CPU layout looks notably more aggressive: a single Cortex-X925 core at 3.73GHz for peak single-threaded performance, three Cortex-X4 performance cores at 3.30GHz, plus four Cortex-A720 efficiency cores at 2.40GHz. On the graphics side, MediaTek appears to pair the chip with a Mali Immortalis-G925 MC12 GPU running at around 1612MHz — a configuration aimed at high-refresh displays, gaming, and demanding multimedia workflows.
What this means for phones
Reports also tie these chips to the upcoming Redmi Turbo 5 Max series, which may ship in two variants: a base model using the Dimensity 8500 and a higher-end model powered by the Dimensity 9500s. If those rumors hold, we could see strong price-to-performance choices in early 2026 midrange and premium phones.
Why should you care? The move to N3E for the 9500s signals MediaTek's push into more efficient, high-performance silicon that can challenge other flagship chip designs. For consumers, that typically translates to better battery life under load, higher sustained performance in games, and more capable AI and camera processing.
Keep an eye on MediaTek's January 15 event for official benchmarks, power metrics, and device partnerships. The company’s next moves may reshape the 2026 smartphone lineup, especially in markets where MediaTek already dominates.
Source: gizmochina
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