MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro Said to Be Its Costliest Flagship Chip Yet

MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro Said to Be Its Costliest Flagship Chip Yet

MediaTek’s Dimensity 9600 Pro is reportedly the company’s most expensive flagship phone processor so far. The chip is expected to cost more than the previous generation. It may still undercut Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro. Prices are rising as makers move to finer manufacturing. The new MediaTek flagship uses TSMC’s 2nm process. First phones are expected in the coming weeks.

A TaiSounds report, cited by Gizmochina, puts the Dimensity 9600 Pro as high as $220 per unit, or about Rs 21,100. The last-generation Dimensity 9500 was linked to a range of $180 to $200, or about Rs 17,200 to Rs 19,200. If the new figure holds, it would be MediaTek’s highest flagship SoC price to date.

Qualcomm’s next top chip is also said to cost more. Reports put the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro near $300 per unit, or about Rs 28,700. That would keep Qualcomm well above MediaTek on list cost.

MediaTek recently introduced the Dimensity 9600 Pro on TSMC 2nm. The processor is said to hold more than 33 billion transistors. The move to 2nm is one reason production costs are climbing.

The rise is not limited to one vendor. Apple’s A20 Pro is also reportedly about $280 per chip, or about Rs 26,800. On those figures, Apple would sit above the Dimensity 9600 Pro and below the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro.

Phones with the Dimensity 9600 Pro should appear soon. Higher silicon cost could lift handset prices. MediaTek’s chip would still look cheaper than Qualcomm’s next premium part. The reported numbers point to a broader fact. Newer smartphone processors are becoming more expensive to make. These prices remain unconfirmed by the chipmakers.