MediaTek is hitting the flagship SoC market with a hat-trick soon with its upcoming Dimensity 9500 chipset. The new flagship processor is expected to be a key driving force behind MediaTek’s increasing shipments in 2025, following the commercialisation of the Dimensity 9400 and Dimensity 9400+ early and Q4 last year, respectively. The latest report suggests that flagship chipsets shipments may increase by 33 percent next year, equating to 24 million units, with China being the most significant market.
And the 9500 steps down from that, giving MediaTek a strong 1-0 punch.
MediaTek shipped an impressive increase of 60 percent year-over-year to 18 million units in 2024. However, the Taiwanese semiconductor giant is now ready to cement its place in the premium smartphone space with the introduction of the Dimensity 9500. According to Counterpoint Research, revenue from flagship chipsets doubled, exceeding $2 billion, in 2024 — which the firm says will help continue to grow (thanks to the Dimensity 9500).
Still, the vast majority of shipments to come will continue to use the Dimensity 9400 and Dimensity 9400+ horsepower, with the Dimensity 9500 adding incremental steps to fortune. The new chipset is expected to appeal to many of the major smartphone OEMs, particularly in China.
Models Powered By Dimensity 9500 From Leading Chinese OEMs
MediaTek have fought their way into some of the top Chinese smartphone brands as critical partners for this. The majority of Dimensity 9500 shipments are expected to come from Vivo, with OPPO in second, and Xiaomi sub-brand Redmi in third. And due to this huge reliance on Chinese OEMs, the most important market for Dimensity 9500 is China, where local manufacturers constantly fight for sales of premium smartphones.
On a similar note, the Dimensity 9500 also allows such brands a pricing leeway over Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 competition. Since Qualcomm’s chipset is rumoured to be pricier, partners using MediaTek processor can play around the flagship pricing.
Why the Dimensity 9500 Matters
What enabled such success for the Dimensity 9500? There are other contributing factors:
- Competitive pricing compared to Qualcomm
- Addressing battery efficiency and thermal performance
- Strong AI and gaming capabilities
- Target Markets do not Require millimeter-wave 5G support
- Joint ventures with leading Chinese smartphone OEMs
A combination of these gains has already helped MediaTek grab a third of China’s premium SoC space with the Dimensity 9400, and the Dimensity 9500 could be an extension of this footprint.
Risks Ahead for MediaTek
However, MediaTek’s reliance on China does come with its own set of risk factors, even considering the robust outlook. If demand dries up in the region, though, os shipments of Dimensity 9500 may take a hit, dragging down total revenue in these regions. The growing in-house chipset production by Huawei is another added pressure that they have to compete with.
At least for now, MediaTek’s growth strategy seems wholly focused on China, with no clear signs of expansion to other markets such as Europe or North America.
FAQ
It estimates shipments will increase by 33 percent to 24 million flagship chipsets.
Vivo will pioneer the transition, with OPPO and Redmi trailing in its wake.
Being the largest smartphone market in the world, MediaTek gets most of the revenue for its flagship chipsets from China.
Thanks to competitive pricing, good efficiency and good gaming performance, the Dimensity 9500 gives OEMs a bit more pricing wiggle room.
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