This is a successor to the Dimensity 8400 that went official back in December last year. The additional performance may sound like a relatively incremental upgrade, but the Dimensity 8450 is a big step forward for gaming, AI processing, and imaging.
Built on TSMC’s second-generation 4nm process, the Dimensity 8450 sticks to the same octa-core CPU design: one Cortex-X4 at 3.25GHz, three Cortex-A720 at 3.0GHz, and four Cortex-A520 that clock in at 2.1GHz. Graphics wise, the Mali-G720 MC7 GPU is also present once again, however clocked 1300 MHz this time round—no changes here but an update is packed in; the GPU has been given the new StarSpeed Engine designed to enhance real-world gaming performance.
A noteworthy upgrade with the Dimensity 8450 is its AI and image enhancing skills. The newly upgraded NPU 880 with the Agentic AI Engine now also supports on-device GenAI and LLM workloads, complementing the increasingly demanded smart localized processing. This addition future-proofs devices for generative AI experiences without the need for connecting to the cloud.
The Image signal processor (ISP) of the chipset also gets an enhancement offering zero-lag HDR and capturing images up to 320MP. MediaTek suggests that the ISP is also built for real-time live-streaming, which is an obvious hawk wink to the social-first crowd.
It’s one area where practical changes are being made to how the network operates. Dimensity 8230’s 5G modem now integrates UltraSave 3.0+, a new power-saving technology designed to decrease power consumption during data transfers. That means improved battery life on phone built with this chip in the future, especially in times of heavy 5G use.
The Oppo Reno14 Pro comes as the first phone to feature the Dimensity 8450, telling us that MediaTek is not taking long to spread it out in the upper mid-range of the smartphone market. There are more phones to come that will also be shipping with this chip in the next few weeks, so it’s a quick pick-up from OEMs who have been looking for high efficiency and AI power.
Although the Dimensity 8450 feels like a bit of a tweak to the 820, it actually represents MediaTek’s strategic progression – one of emphasizing AI, efficiency and user experience. It is not going to be disruptive but it will however try to retain the leading performance position in mid to upper end chipsets.
For users, that means improved gaming performance, more intelligent photo and video processing, better 5G utilization. And for manufacturers, Dimensity 8450 provides a stable, trustworthy platform with added next-gen features from day one–in particular GenAI readiness.
With a combination of smart improvements and practical optimizations, the Dimensity 8450 will be a name you hear often in 2025’s upper-mid-range phones.
