Qualcomm and MediaTek have unveiled their latest flagship mobile chipsets, with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and Dimensity 9600 Pro set to power some of 2027’s most capable Android phones.
Both are manufactured using TSMC’s latest 2nm process and promise huge gains in performance and power efficiency. They also support the latest LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage standards, alongside more advanced on-device AI and gaming features.
However, Qualcomm and MediaTek have taken markedly different approaches to their flagship processors. With that said, here are some of the biggest differences between the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro.
The 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 boasts a higher peak clock speed
Both chipsets feature eight-core CPUs, but Qualcomm uses its custom Oryon architecture while MediaTek continues with its Arm-based All-Big-Core design.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 has two Prime Oryon cores clocked at an industry-first 5GHz, accompanied by six 4GHz Performance cores. Qualcomm claims it delivers 13% faster CPU performance and a 37% improvement in energy efficiency compared to the previous-gen 8 Elite Gen 5.
MediaTek, on the other hand, has opted for a 2+3+3 configuration comprised of two Arm C2-Ultra cores clocked at 4.55GHz and six C2-Pro cores.
That gives the Snapdragon a clear clock-speed advantage, but frequency only tells part of the story. MediaTek claims a 17% improvement to single-core performance and a sizeable 61% boost to multi-core power efficiency compared to its predecessor.
Those manufacturer-provided percentages aren’t directly comparable, so we’ll need to benchmark both chipsets in the coming months before knowing which is genuinely faster. Still, Qualcomm appears focused on delivering the highest possible peak performance, while MediaTek is placing more of a focus on sustained multi-core efficiency.
The 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 has more dedicated gaming hardware
Qualcomm and MediaTek have also taken different approaches to graphics performance.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 features an Adreno GPU clocked at 1.45GHz. Qualcomm claims it delivers 44% faster graphics performance and consumes 40% less power than the previous Elite chip.
The Extreme chipset also has 18MB of dedicated on-die Adreno memory, which should reduce the need to access slower system memory when dealing with demanding graphics and detailed game textures.
Qualcomm’s new Adreno Matrix Cores power a feature called Adreno Neural Fusion, which uses AI to provide super-resolution and frame generation directly on the GPU. The company claims this can reduce power consumption by up to 40% in supported games.
The Dimensity 9600 Pro instead uses Arm’s Mali-G2 Ultra NX GPU, with MediaTek claiming a 27% improvement in peak rendering performance and an 18% boost to ray-tracing performance.
It also allows the GPU and NPU to directly work together for AI-powered graphics rendering, with MediaTek targeting gameplay at more than 185fps. However, whether phones reach those frame rates will depend on their displays, cooling systems and the games themselves.
The Snapdragon offers the more elaborate gaming hardware on paper, particularly with its dedicated memory and Matrix Cores, though we’ll need to test both in finished smartphones to see whether that translates into a noticeable advantage during extended gameplay sessions.
Qualcomm supports faster slow-motion video capture
Both chipsets support recording video at up to 8K and 60fps, but the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 has an advantage when it comes to high-res, slow-mo footage.
Qualcomm’s Spectra ISP boasts 4K video capture at up to 240fps, compared to a maximum of 4K at 120fps for the Dimensity 9600 Pro. It also features a 16-bit AI data link between the NPU and ISP, allowing AI processing to analyse additional image data during capture.
The Dimensity 9600 Pro supports 10-bit 8K recording at 60fps and stands out when it comes to video playback. It includes hardware decoding for the VVC, otherwise known as H.266, codec alongside AV1, HEVC, H.264 and VP9.
Qualcomm’s chipset looks more capable for capturing high-resolution slow-motion footage, while MediaTek’s wider hardware decoding support could make the Dimensity more efficient when playing newer video formats.
Of course, the chipset is only one part of a smartphone’s camera setup. Sensor hardware, lenses and each manufacturer’s processing will have a much greater impact on the finished results.
The Snapdragon has the more advanced 5G modem
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 features Qualcomm’s new X105 modem, with support for the newer 3GPP Release 19 5G Advanced standard and theoretical download speeds of up to 14.8Gbps.
It also supports integrated 5G satellite connectivity, potentially giving smartphone manufacturers more options for providing connectivity when conventional mobile coverage is spotty or outright unavailable.
The Dimensity 9600 Pro uses a 3GPP Release 17 modem with 4×4 sub-6GHz connectivity. It also supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.2, although Qualcomm’s chipset appears to offer the more future-facing hardware.
You shouldn’t expect to reach Qualcomm’s maximum 14.8Gbps download speed in everyday use though, with real-world performance still dependent on your phone, network, location and data plan.
Both are already confirmed for upcoming flagship phones
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 is expected to appear in plenty of high-profile Android smartphones, including the Xiaomi 18 Pro and Motorola Signature 27, as revealed at Snapdragon Summit.
MediaTek’s Dimensity 9600 Pro, on the other hand, is set to make its debut in the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max, although more manufacturers are likely to announce phones powered by both chipsets as 2027 approaches.
The number and availability of those devices could prove just as important as performance. Qualcomm has traditionally enjoyed wider adoption at the top end of the market, especially in the Western market, despite big improvements to the competing MediaTek hardware in the past few years.
Early thoughts
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 looks like the more ambitious gaming chipset on paper. Its 5GHz Prime cores, dedicated Adreno memory, Matrix Cores, 4K at 240fps capture and newer modem give it clear hardware advantages.
The Dimensity 9600 Pro isn’t to be written off though; it could still be the more efficient option for sustained multi-core workloads, while its upgraded NPU and hardware VVC decoding provide advantages of their own. MediaTek’s claimed 61% improvement to multi-core power efficiency is particularly promising, although it needs to be verified through testing.
Realistically, we won’t know which chipset is actually better until they begin appearing in smartphones. Reference hardware and manufacturer performance claims don’t always reflect finished devices, where cooling, software optimisation and power limits can significantly affect the experience.