- MediaTek’s upcoming Dimensity 9400+ AP promises faster clock speeds, offering even better smartphone performance.
- The upgraded chipset could challenge Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite in the race for speed supremacy.
- It may debut with the Oppo Find X8S in the first half of next year.
In October 2024, MediaTek introduced its flagship Dimensity 9400 processor. The Taiwanese chipmaker is now preparing to launch the Dimensity 9400+ chipset, which will compete with other flagship processors like the Snapdragon 8 Elite and Apple’s A18 Pro.
A recent post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo by leaker Digital Chat Station suggests that MediaTek will soon unveil the Dimensity 9400+ processor, featuring a higher clock speed than the Dimensity 9400.
This release is expected to follow the same naming convention MediaTek has used for its other flagship processors. For instance, the Dimensity 9300+ was launched as a slight improvement over the Dimensity 9300.
What to Expect from MediaTek Dimensity 9400+?
The upcoming Dimensity 9400+ is expected to feature faster CPU and GPU clock speeds, aiming to close the performance gap with other leading processors. Leaks suggest a peak clock speed of 3.7 GHz, approximately 2% faster than the Dimensity 9400’s 3.63 GHz.
While the current top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite still boasts a higher clock speed at 4.32 GHz, the 9400+ shows potential as a strong competitor. Interestingly, despite the Snapdragon’s clock speed advantage over the previous Dimensity 9400, benchmark results revealed surprisingly comparable performance. In AnTuTu benchmark, both the Dimensity 9400 and Snapdragon 8 Elite scored around 2.7 million points, with the 8 Elite slightly ahead. This suggests that the 9400+ could potentially close the gap even further with its increased clock speed.
Like last year’s flagship Dimensity 9300 and the recently unveiled Dimensity 8400, the Dimensity 9400+ will feature an “all big core” cluster. And while most other processors use the traditional big.LITTLE architecture, this processor won’t include efficiency cores; instead, it will rely entirely on performance cores.
This “all big core” design could lead to significant performance gains in demanding tasks, but it also raises questions about its impact on battery life compared to traditional architectures with efficiency cores.
This makes us wonder whether it can outperform the Snapdragon this time around. Ultimately, with its increased clock speed and unique architecture, the Dimensity 9400+ could deliver a noticeable boost in gaming performance, enabling smoother gameplay and faster loading times.
It Will Likely Debut with Oppo Find X8S
According to Digital Chat Station, the Dimensity 9400+ is expected to power Oppo’s Find X8S series, debuting in the first half of 2025, possibly around March. Following its launch, the chipset is likely to appear in smartphones from other Chinese brands such as Vivo and Xiaomi.
The Dimensity 9400 experienced some heating issues after its release, particularly during prolonged gaming sessions, which sometimes led to performance throttling. We observed this firsthand on our Vivo X200 Mini. With the 9400+, MediaTek has the opportunity to address these problems and deliver improved performance. It will be interesting to see if they have successfully resolved the heating concerns and enhanced the overall user experience with the Plus version.
Overall, the Dimensity 9400+ seems to be a promising upgrade that could strengthen MediaTek’s position in the flagship processor market. With higher clock speeds and improvements in performance and thermal management, it will be interesting to see if the processor can live up to its potential and compete neck on neck with its counterparts.
