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MediaTek Dimensity 9400 vs. Snapdragon 8 Elite: The Battle of Titans

Both chipsets are built using the cutting-edge 3nm process

The flagship chipset race for 2025 is heating up with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 making headway into the next generation of premium smartphones. While Qualcomm has traditionally dominated the high-end chipset market, MediaTek has been making strides in the premium segment for a while, and the Dimensity 9400 could be a game changer in the premium SoC space. Let’s dive into the details to see how they perform and what they mean to the users.

The underlying technology

Both chipsets are built using the cutting-edge 3nm process, signalling improvements in energy efficiency and computational power. However, their core design philosophy varies significantly.

Snapdragon 8 Elite is built on Oryon V2 cores, featuring two prime cores that operate at 4.32 GHz and six performance cores with a peak clock speed of 3.53 GHz. The multi-core setup focuses on delivering peak performance for demanding tasks like gaming and real-time rendering.

The MediaTek Dimensity 9400 uses a second-gen all-big-core CPU design with 1x 3.63 GHz Cortex-X925 as the prime core, and 3x 3.3 GHz Cortex-X4 and 4x 2.4 GHz Cortex-A720 as performance cores, giving stiff competition to 8 Elite. With significant enhancements in core distribution compared to the previous generation chipsets, the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 delivers flagship-level speed, consistent performance, and excellent battery efficiency during prolonged usage.

The gaming edge

Mobile gaming is a significant driver of chipset innovation, and both Snapdragon 8 Elite and Dimensity 9400 have superior features designed to delight gaming aficionados.

The Adreno 830 GPU in the Snapdragon 8 Elite offers next-level graphical performance, which is 56 per cent faster performance than the previous generation Adreno 750 GPU. With support for Unreal Engine 5’s Nanite technology, which enhances complex geometry and improves the quality of future mobile games, along with hardware-accelerated ray tracing and Snapdragon Elite Gaming features, smartphones powered by this chipset can support visually demanding games. Also, with Game Super Resolution (GSR) upscaler technology, Snapdragon 8 Elite can render 1080p games into sharper 4K resolution and offer a noticeable FPS boost, too.

On the other hand, the Arm Immortalis-G925 GPU in the flagship Dimensity 9400 brings about a 41 per cent boost in GPU performance and 44 per cent power reduction compared to the Dimensity 9300. (Source: Counterpoint Research). The GPU is capable of advanced hardware-accelerated ray-tracing and creates lifelike visuals in games. The latest Arm Accuracy Super Resolution (ASR) upscaler technology in Dimensity 9400 contributes to reducing GPU load and bandwidth requirements, leading to significant power savings and enhanced user experience. Opacity Micromaps (OMM) enhance visual fidelity by enabling realistic effects, reducing rendering complexity, and adding rich details to graphics-intensive applications. Further, with MediaTek Adaptive Gaming Technology (MAGT) 3.0, Dimensity 9400 uses a feedback mechanism between the game engine and the chip’s sensors to adjust the internal dynamics of the Dimensity SoC. This helps optimize power efficiency for high frame-rate gaming and ensures more responsive game play while keeping the device cool and extending battery life.

AI competence

Snapdragon 8 Elite introduces the first Snapdragon mobile platform featuring Qualcomm’s next-gen custom Qualcomm Oryon CPU. This is designed to support the emerging requirements of on-device generative AI and handle the complexities of multi-modal AI directly on the device, enabling the seamless understanding of speech, context, and images while safeguarding privacy. Further, Qualcomm’s AI Engine for the 8 Elite platform features the fastest Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, delivering a 45 per cent AI performance improvement and 45 per cent better performance per watt.

The highlight of Dimensity 9400 is its new AI capabilities powered by dedicated NPU 890, which delivers an impressive 50 trillion operations per second (TOPS), translating into faster AI computations. NPU 890 is also said to consume 35 per cent less energy than its predecessor. Dimensity 9400 also introduces on-device Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) training, enabling condensed AI models to function seamlessly with reduced resource usage. This innovation is extended to on-device video generation, a first in mobile chipsets. Another new feature, the Agentic AI engine, brings a new level of autonomy to smartphones. These AI agents can interpret user actions, perform multistep tasks independently, and integrate with third-party apps for enhanced usability.

Overall performance

Snapdragon 8 Elite: With higher clock speeds and powerful custom cores, Qualcomm’s chipset excels in single-threaded performance, making it the ideal choice for heavy users who demand superior responsiveness and multitasking capabilities.

Dimensity 9400: MediaTek’s efficiency-focused design ensures superior performance with a focus on thermal management and longer battery life. This makes it ideal for gamers, productivity enthusiasts, streamers, and those who prioritize sustained performance during prolonged usage.

Why MediaTek deserves a second look

For years, MediaTek was perceived as a mid-tier player, but in recent years, it has emerged as a formidable contender in the global chipset market, steadily gaining traction, particularly among leading Chinese smartphone manufacturers. With its Dimensity series, MediaTek has consistently introduced generation-over-generation advancements, excelling in areas like energy efficiency, AI capabilities, and graphics performance, often outpacing Qualcomm in specific segments such as mid-tier and efficiency-focused premium devices. The Dimensity 9400 represents a seismic shift in the company’s approach to flagship processors. By integrating advanced CPU cores and graphics capabilities with a focus on energy efficiency, MediaTek provides a viable alternative for users seeking flagship-level performance with longer battery life.

Upcoming flagship Devices

Realme GT 7 Pro is the first smartphone powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite. It was launched in India in November last week. OPPO Find X8 series was the first smartphone in India to feature Dimensity 9400, while the vivo X200 Pro, another device powered by the same chipset, was recently launched in India this December. vivo X200 Pro is also expected to be available in the UAE soon.

Final verdict

While Snapdragon 8 Elite is geared for heavy multitasking and hardcore gaming, the Dimensity 9400 emerges as a strong contender, offering flagship-level performance and enhanced gaming capabilities, while also focusing on sustained performance and superior energy efficiency.

The New Year is expected to be a banner year for smartphones, and MediaTek’s bold strides with the new Dimensity series suggest that Qualcomm’s leadership in the flagship space might face its strongest challenge yet.