The company announced the new chip on September 15, 2026, positioning it as a flagship platform designed to combine high performance, power efficiency and more advanced AI capabilities directly on smartphones.
The launch comes as smartphone makers and semiconductor companies increasingly focus on bringing more AI processing onto devices instead of relying entirely on cloud-based systems. Reuters reported that MediaTek is using the new processor to compete more aggressively in the premium smartphone market.
A New 2nm Smartphone Chip
The Dimensity 9600 Pro is built using TSMC's 2nm process technology. MediaTek describes the move as a significant step for its flagship mobile chip lineup and says the new manufacturing process is intended to support improvements in both performance and power efficiency.The processor is built around a new AI-focused architecture and combines CPU, GPU and neural processing capabilities for demanding mobile workloads. MediaTek says the platform is designed to support more advanced AI experiences while maintaining the responsiveness and efficiency expected from flagship smartphones.
Alongside the Dimensity 9600 Pro, MediaTek also introduced the Dimensity 9600M. The 9600M uses a 3nm process and is aimed at a broader segment of high-end smartphones.
A Bigger Focus on On-Device AI
One of the central features of the Dimensity 9600 Pro is its emphasis on running artificial intelligence directly on the smartphone.MediaTek says its NPU 1090 delivers a 51% improvement in large language model prefill performance compared with the previous generation. The company also introduced a dual-NPU architecture designed to manage different types of AI workloads, including demanding tasks and lower-power background processing.
According to MediaTek, the new architecture is designed to support generative AI and agentic AI experiences directly on the device. This can allow certain AI functions to operate without sending every request to a remote data center.
The growing importance of on-device AI is closely connected to the way smartphone manufacturers are adding AI-powered features to cameras, productivity tools, voice assistants and other applications.
Performance and Efficiency
The new processor also introduces an all-big-core CPU architecture along with support for newer memory and storage technologies.MediaTek says the Dimensity 9600 Pro supports LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage. These technologies are designed to provide faster data access and storage performance for demanding applications.
The company is also emphasizing energy efficiency. As smartphones gain more powerful processors and AI capabilities, managing battery consumption has become increasingly important. MediaTek says the new platform is designed to deliver higher performance while improving efficiency compared with previous generations.
The combination of a smaller manufacturing process, updated CPU architecture and dedicated AI hardware is intended to give smartphone manufacturers more computing capability without relying entirely on larger or more power-hungry components.
MediaTek's Push Into AI
The Dimensity 9600 Pro is part of a broader effort by MediaTek to expand its role in artificial intelligence beyond smartphone processors.Reuters reported that the company is also expanding its AI efforts into data centers and custom chip solutions. MediaTek is preparing an AI accelerator for a major US cloud provider, with mass production expected later in 2026.
The company's growing AI ambitions come as demand for specialized computing hardware continues to increase across smartphones, cloud infrastructure and other connected devices.
What It Means for Smartphone Users
The biggest practical change for consumers could be the increasing number of AI functions that can operate directly on smartphones.On-device processing can reduce the need to send certain tasks to cloud servers, which may improve responsiveness and reduce dependence on an internet connection for some features. It can also give manufacturers greater control over how AI functions are integrated into their devices.
However, the actual experience will depend on how smartphone manufacturers use the processor and which software features they enable. A powerful chip alone does not determine how useful an AI feature will be for consumers.
Upcoming Smartphones
Reuters reported that the new processors are expected to appear in upcoming smartphones from brands including Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo.MediaTek has not announced every smartphone model that will use the Dimensity 9600 Pro, but the company is positioning the processor for flagship devices and premium smartphones.
As manufacturers prepare their next generation of devices, the new chip will put more emphasis on AI processing, high-performance computing and power efficiency as key parts of the smartphone experience.
For MediaTek, the Dimensity 9600 Pro represents a major step in bringing advanced AI hardware into flagship smartphones while expanding the company's broader ambitions in AI computing.
Source: Reuters, MediaTek
Published: September 16, 2026