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MediaTek has announced its newest flagship mobile chipset, the Dimensity 9300, which the company claims delivers performance that beats Qualcomm’s recently announced Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. The Dimensity 9300 features an innovative “All Big Core” CPU design and upgraded AI capabilities for enhanced performance.
All Big Core Design for More Powerful Computing
The Dimensity 9300 utilises an all big core CPU configuration with four Arm Cortex-X4 cores and four Cortex-A720 cores. This provides a 15% increase in single-core performance and 40% multi-core performance boost over the previous Dimensity 9200 chipset, according to MediaTek. The chipmaker argues this all big core design is more powerful and efficient than Qualcomm’s approach with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which uses one X4 “Prime” core, then five A720 performance cores, and two A520 small cores. MediaTek claims the Dimensity 9300 can deliver 33% lower power consumption at the same performance level as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
Independent benchmark tests on reference devices show the Dimensity 9300 scoring over 2 million on AnTuTu v10 and over 2100 on the ETHZ AI benchmark, surpassing scores from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset.
Faster On-Device AI with Upgraded APU
The Dimensity 9300 integrates MediaTek’s next generation APU 790 AI processor, which has been engineered specifically for accelerating on-device generative AI applications. Key upgrades include 2x faster integer and floating point performance, 45% greater power efficiency, and 8x faster processing for transformer-based generative AI models like Stable Diffusion. With this level of performance, the APU 790 can generate images with Stable Diffusion in under 1 second and support large language models with up to 33 billion parameters. The chipset also utilises MediaTek’s NeuroPilot memory compression technology, which can reduce memory requirements for large AI models by up to 61%. This enables the deployment of more advanced AI capabilities on smartphones.
Faster Gaming Graphics with the Latest Arm GPU
For enhanced gaming performance, the Dimensity 9300 utilises Arm’s new Immortalis-G720 GPU. This provides a 46% boost in peak graphics performance and 40% power savings compared to the previous Dimensity 9200 chipset. According to MediaTek, this will enable console-level graphics capabilities like global illumination and hardware-accelerated ray tracing on smartphones. The company says the Dimensity 9300 can hit 344 fps in the Manhattan 3.1 benchmark, 23% higher than scores from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
Upgraded Photography and Video Capture
The Dimensity 9300 features an upgraded AI-powered image signal processor (ISP) with support for always-on HDR video recording up to 4K 60 fps. New capabilities include 4K cinematic video capture with depth of field effects, 3-mic HDR audio recording, and 100% pixel-level autofocus with dual-lossless zoom. For displays, the chipset supports the new Ultra HDR format arriving in Android 14. This enables more vibrant images and videos. The Dimensity 9300 is also the first chipset to feature MediaTek’s AI depth engine for smartphone displays, bringing depth-of-field and 3D effects previously only seen on high-end TVs.
Enhanced 5G, Wi-Fi 7, and Security
Connectivity is also upgraded on the Dimensity 9300 with the latest 5G, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.4 capabilities. It incorporates MediaTek’s 5G UltraSave 3.0+ technology for improved power efficiency. The chipset has an integrated secure processor and supports new Arm MTE technology to protect user privacy and security.
First Devices Expected End of 2023
MediaTek says the first smartphones featuring the Dimensity 9300 chipset are expected to launch by the end of 2023. With its upgraded performance and efficiency, the Dimensity 9300 looks set to compete head-on with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for the title of most powerful Android mobile chipset. We’ll have to wait for real-world devices to see how they compare, but MediaTek is confident its new All Big Core approach will deliver superior experiences, especially for gaming, photography, on-device AI, and more.
MediaTek Dimensity 9300 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Specs
| Feature | MediaTek Dimensity 9300 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing Process | TSMC 4nm | TSMC 4nm |
| CPU | 4x Cortex-X4 @ 3.25GHz 4x Cortex-A720 @ 2GHz | 1x Kryo (ARM Cortex X4-based) Prime core @ 3.3GHz 3x Kryo (ARM Cortex A720-based) Performance cores @ 3.2GHz 2x Kryo (ARM Cortex A720-based) Performance cores @ 3.0GHz 2x Kryo (ARM Cortex A520-based) Efficiency cores @ 2.3GHz |
| GPU | Arm Immortalis-G720 | Adreno 740 |
| AI Processor | APU 790 | Hexagon processor |
| 5G Modem | Integrated 5G R16 modem | Snapdragon X75 modem |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7, 6.5Gbps | FastConnect 7800, Wi-Fi 7 |
| Bluetooth | v5.4 | v5.3 |
| RAM | LPDDR5X @ 9600Mbps | LPDDR5X @ 4800MHz, 24GB |
Dimensity 9300 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: The Performance Battle
Several benchmark tests have revealed that the Dimensity 9300 performs impressively against its prime competitor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 from Qualcomm.
AnTuTu Benchmark Test
In the AnTuTu benchmark test, the Dimensity 9300 scored 2,249,858 points, edging past the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 by a small margin. This victory is impressive, considering that the Dimensity 9300 relies on four Cortex-X4 cores to deliver unrivalled multi-core performance, as opposed to Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s combination of one ultra-large core, five big cores, and two small cores.
Geekbench Test
In the Geekbench 6.1 listings, a Dimensity 9300-powered device scored 2,139 and 7,110 in the benchmark’s single and multi-core tests, respectively. On the other hand, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered device scored 2,244 and 6,820 in the same tests. This shows a slight multi-core lead for the Dimensity 9300, a victory attributed to its all-big-core CPU architecture.
Overall
Last year, with the Dimensity 9200, MediaTek finally produced a chipset that can directly compete with the Qualcomm flagship chipset, perhaps even surpass it.
However, MediaTek continued to struggle to get manufacturers to integrate the chipset over Qualcomm, and it looked like we would go another year without a phone launching in Western markets with the flagship MediaTek chipset.
That changed with the recent launch of the Xiaomi 13T Pro, and it is hopefully a sign of the tide changing with more brands adopting MediaTek for high-end phones.
While it is too early to confirm if the Dimensity 9300 is better than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, things look very promising and having two fantastic flagship chipsets is always good for the consumer.
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
