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MediaTek Dimensity 8300 and 9300 chips now support Gemini Nano
Nano is the phone-friendly version of Google Gemini from the Pixel 8 Pro
As Google continues to expand upon Gemini, its multimodal AI platform and new digital assistant, other companies are catering to its components. For example, Gemini Nano is the mobile iteration of the project, which made its debut at the end of last year on the Pixel 8 Pro. Now, MediaTek is joining the group of businesses that are evolving to support Gemini, starting with some of its chipsets.
MediaTek goes big on its 8 Gen 3-rivalling Dimensity 9300
MediaTek has super-sized the cores of its new flagship chip
Two weeks after Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, it’s chipset rival MediaTek’s turn to respond with the similarly-specced Dimensity 9300. Although this is unlikely to make its way into any of the 2024 flagship phones that reach US shores, it should power some of the biggest and best Chinese Android handsets.
MediaTek’s new Dimensity 7200 Ultra brings its 4nm process to upper-midrange phones
Debuting with the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ this month
MediaTek has been working to carve out its niche in the Android ecosystem, trying its hands at satellite connectivity and finding relative success manufacturing cost-efficient SoCs for budget Android phones and tablets. Recently, the company has been trying to become a bigger name in the premium handheld space, cranking out new entrants into its flagship Dimensity 9000 series multiple times a year. Now, the company is showing its upper-midrange line some love with a new Dimensity 7000-series processor.
MediaTek teams up with Meta for smarter generative AI on your phone
Faster on-device processing with enhanced security
Generative AI is the talk of tech town this year, and every major product and service company is integrating the tech into its offering. Google is already making rapid strides with generative AI integration in Android software, and now, the hardware inside the best Android phones you can buy is changing suitably too. MediaTek has announced plans to use Meta’s Llama 2 to make your smartphones, IOT devices, vehicles, and smart home gadgets faster at AI computation.
Forget Amazon — get a sleek Lenovo Chromebook for nearly half off at Best Buy instead
At under $200, the Lenovo Slim 3 is a budget-friendly option that won’t disappoint
Finding a new, affordable, 14-inch Chromebook for under $200 can be a big ask. Right now, though, Best Buy is offering the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook for $169, already a huge leap down from its retail price of $319.
Your next MediaTek-powered smartphone could have an Nvidia GPU
A nice GPU on your phone? It's more likely than you think
When it comes to GPUs, we don't really have a huge variety of them on the best Android smartphones out there. Despite multiple vendors such as Qualcomm and MediaTek making Arm-based chips for Android phones, only Qualcomm creates custom GPUs. For other non-Snapdragon chips, chances are that they use the default Arm-made Mali GPU designs. That doesn't mean that other vendors aren't looking at alternatives. MediaTek, in particular, might be about to score a huge win for its chips, as it's reportedly working with none other than Nvidia for supercharging its mobile chips with custom GPUs.
MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ is an amped up version of last year's flagship chip
The Plus follow-up to the Dimensity 9200 no one asked for
Qualcomm dominates the high-end chipset market for Android smartphones, with almost all the best Android phones using a Snapdragon SoC. MediaTek, primarily known for its low-end chips, made a foray into the high-end chipset market with the Dimensity 9000 in 2021. The Taiwanese company followed it up with the 64-bit only Dimensity 9200 last year, featuring newer CPU cores, an Arm Immortalis GPU, a more efficient 4nm process node, and more. MediaTek is now squeezing a bit more from the chip with the Dimensity 9200+.
MediaTek's satellite connectivity is set to be much more powerful than the iPhone's
Motorola and CAT are bringing the first few Android phones with NTN connectivity
Not too long ago, satellite phones fell under the category of military gear. The iPhone 14 changed that for good, introducing limited satellite connectivity for the average smartphone. Now, Qualcomm is developing Snapdragon Satellite with Google, and Samsung has announced a new Exynos modem capable of satellite communication. At MWC 2023, MediaTek plans to unveil its satellite connectivity chip alongside three new devices that sport this technology coming from Bullitt, Motorola, and Cat.
Don't count detachable Chromebooks out just yet
A new Mediatek-powered model looks like it's in the works
Google has set up a tall tentpole for ChromeOS and everyone's been invited under the tarp. Much of the attention has been paid to the best of the best Chromebooks meant for professionals and gamers in recent days, but not all new and noteworthy devices require buyers to splash out. We're hearing about some decent possibilities with a new detachable device based off of a new board design.
MediaTek's new Dimensity 8200 chipset is (almost) all about the node jump
Nips and tucks here and there as well
MediaTek is once again out with a new mobile chipset — this one is intended to hit that sweet spot between the mid-range and premium price zones some Wall Street stiffs call "Premium B." The Dimensity 8200 follows in the steps of the Dimensity 9200 launched last month, but its bloodline clearly comes from the Dimensity 8000 and 8100 dual releases from back in March. For lack of a better term, you could call the 8200 a power play.
MediaTek’s new Dimensity 9200 chip is the flagship Snapdragon competitor we’ve been waiting for
There’s still very little chance your next phone will have one, though
Meaningful competition is frustratingly hard to come by in today's mobile landscape. That's a situation that's true across categories, from phones themselves, to the components that go into them — as time goes by, we end up with fewer players in the game, and correspondingly less choice. Qualcomm's the dominant force when it comes to SoCs, and while a few phone makers flirt with silicon of their own, it largely feels like they're doing so just to show that they can. But all along there's also been MediaTek, and while we're used to seeing its chips on lower-end phone hardware, last year's launch of the Dimensity 9000 attempted to put the company on real flagship footing. Now it's following that first big step with a second, more confident one, with the introduction of the new Dimensity 9200.
MediaTek's new Dimensity 1080 chip teases crazy-high-res camera support for even budget phones
You can think of it as a bit of a sidegrade to the Dimensity 920
MediaTek is actively working to get its silicon into more and more phones with its Dimensity chip lineup. But while it has full-fledged flagship chips like the Dimensity 9000, its mid-range and budget SoCs are some of the biggest workhorses around. The Dimensity 920 has been used in phones like the Xiaomi Mi 11i, the Realme 9 Pro Plus, and the Realme Narzo 50 Pro, but that chip was introduced well over a year ago — it's high time for some fresh blood. That's just what we're getting now, as MediaTek finally unveils the new Dimensity 1080.
Asus’s latest gaming phone features a heat-dissipation ‘door’ for better cooling performance
The ROG Phone 6D series uses MediaTek’s flagship Dimensity D9000+ chipset
Asus's ROG Phone lineup is known for its over-the-top specs and for providing an unmatched gaming performance in the Android world. The phones have always used Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon chipset to deliver such a high level of performance. In July this year, the Taiwanese company announced the ROG Phone 6 featuring the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, a staggering 18GB RAM, and a 165Hz AMOLED display. Two months later, Asus is announcing the ROG Phone 6D and ROG Phone 6D Ultimate, its latest gaming phones featuring MediaTek's flagship Dimensity 9000+ chipset.
Asus teases ROG Phone 6D Ultimate with new silicon for September launch
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 has been ditched for the Ultimate version
Earlier this summer, ASUS unveiled the ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 6 Pro, aimed squarely at serious gamers. The phones combine the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC’s processing muscle for demanding tasks, the flamboyant yet chunky design we associate with gamer-y phones, and some heavy duty thermal management. Both the phones are impressive, but ASUS isn’t done quite yet, and this week it's teasing a ROG Phone 6D Ultimate, powered by MediaTek’s top-of-the-line Dimensity 9000+ chip.
MediaTek squeezes a tiny bit more out of the Dimensity 9000 with new 'plus' version
Every chip deserves a 'plus' follow-up, though it would be nice to have it in a phone you can actually buy
Not to be left out of the plus-based fun its competitor is having, MediaTek has also just revealed its own new Dimensity chip with a similar upgrade scheme. The Dimensity 9000+ is the same chipset we got excited for (but can't actually buy in a smartphone in the US), plus a handful of small performance boosts.
MediaTek wants in on more American phones with its first chipset supporting millimeter wave 5G
Ambitions lie in wait with the Dimensity 1050
The global chip shortage brought upheaval to the mobile sector and continues to rage on and allow MediaTek to claim a golden opportunity. IDC reported the company's systems-on-chips present in an "over 50%" share of the Android market last year while the manufacturer itself says that's a repeat performance from 2020. With rumors that Samsung might turn to outside help for a prominent smartphone release, the middle of 2022 is proving to be an exciting time for the Taiwanese firm. And, just announced, we've got a bunch of new silicon spanning the mid-range and they include the comapny's first crack at millimeter wave 5G.
Samsung could be prepping a phone powered by the Dimensity 9000 chip
Are we looking at a future high-end Galaxy A device?
MediaTek's full-force entry into the flagship chip market late last year gave us the Dimensity 9000. It has already popped up in the wild, notably with Oppo's Find X5 Pro, which launched boasting both a Snapdragon and a Dimensity flavor. If current rumors making the rounds are anything to go by, the chipset might soon be integrated into one of the biggest Android OEMs around — Samsung.
MediaTek's newest Dimensity chips take aim at Qualcomm's older models
The Dimensity 8000 and 8100 claim to offer Snapdragon 888-level performance
MediaTek has just announced two new Dimensity chipsets with a curious target. Joining the company's flagship push with the Dimensity 9000, MediaTek is showing off the new 8100 and 8000 chips, meant to go head-to-head with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 and 870. Those might be last year's parts, but with the rise of gaming phones and sub-flagships that use older chipsets, it could be a smart move.
MediaTek steps up the fight against Qualcomm with a new premium Chromebook chip
Meet the Kompanio 1380, coming in the Acer Chromebook Spin 513
MediaTek recently started upping its silicon game. While the company has been known for its midrange, affordable chips for the past few years, 2022 was the year it decided to dive head into the flagship game with the MediaTek Dimensity 9000. And, judging by leaked benchmarks, that could be competitive against the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Exynos 2200. But MediaTek is not stopping there. The company is also preparing a new chip for "premium Chromebooks" called the Kompanio 1380, coming with promises of high performance and low power consumption.
The next OnePlus Nord phone could feature insanely fast 80W charging
Zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye
OnePlus is primarily known for its premium phones in the US, but its mid-range Nord phones are also very popular in Europe and Asia. The original Nord was a decent mid-ranger for its price that was followed by the capable Nord 2 in 2021. For this year, OnePlus is working on its sequel, the Nord 2T, which is expected to make its debut soon, and a new leak has detailed its complete specifications.