One of the long-anticipated flagship chipsets this year is finally here. As promised, MediaTek has dropped its new Dimensity 9400 chipset. Built on TSMC's sleek 3nm process, this bad boy is designed to crank up efficiency and performance while putting a spotlight on generative AI capabilities.
The Dimensity 9400 boasts 40% better power efficiency compared to the 9300
This new chipset showcases a significant advancement over its predecessor, the Dimensity 9300, with upgrades in CPU performance, AI capabilities, and gaming features.
For starters, the Dimensity 9400 features MediaTek's second-generation All Big Core design. Last year, MediaTek moved to this "all big core" architecture, ditching the smaller companion cores. Instead of the usual setup, the Dimensity 9300 had four "ultra-large" cores paired with four big cores, leaving out the smaller ones typically found in SoCs. This approach worked well in the previous chipset, and now MediaTek is sticking with it.
The Dimensity 9400 packs a robust Arm Cortex-X925 core that clocks in at over 3.62GHz, alongside three Cortex-X4 cores and four Cortex-A720 cores. MediaTek claims this setup delivers 35% faster single-core performance and 28% faster multi-core performance compared to the Dimensity 9300. Thanks to TSMC's second-generation 3nm process, the Dimensity 9400 is also up to 40% more power-efficient, which means it can significantly boost battery life.
Dimensity 9400 is also ready for tri-fold phones. | Image credit – MediaTek
The chipset also features an Immortalis-G925 GPU and MediaTek's 8th-generation NPU. MediaTek states that the GPU delivers 41% faster peak performance and 40% faster ray tracing performance. This could lead to slightly higher frames per second in some games, but real-world testing will provide a better understanding of its performance.
There are high expectations for the 8th-gen NPU and its capacity to tackle advancing AI processing. MediaTek claims the Dimensity 9400 is the first mobile chipset to support on-device LoRA training. LoRA, or Low Rank Adaptation, is an innovative technique for fine-tuning deep learning models by minimizing the number of trainable parameters, allowing for more efficient task switching.
The MediaTek Dimensity 9400 will continue furthering our mission to be the enablers of AI, supporting powerful applications that anticipate users' needs and adapt to their preferences, while also fueling generative AI technology with on-device LoRA training and video generation.
– Joe Chen, President at MediaTek, October 2024
The chipset also enables high-quality on-device video generation. Additionally, MediaTek's new Dimensity Agentic AI Engine (DAE) upgrades traditional AI applications to more advanced agentic AI applications, promising up to 80% faster large language model (LLM) prompt performance and up to 35% greater power efficiency. I think it'll be interesting to see how smartphone manufacturers leverage this technology and whether it makes a noticeable difference for users.
For video and photography, the Dimensity 9400 features the MediaTek Imagiq 1090, which allows for HDR video recording across the entire zoom range. Its Smooth Zoom technology makes it easier to capture moving subjects while cutting power consumption by up to 14% during 4K60 video recording. The chipset supports a maximum camera sensor of 320 MP and can handle 8K60 video capture.
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Finally, the chipset features an upgraded 5G modem that offers performance of up to 7 GB/s. It also comes with a new 4nm Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo chip, which boasts lower power consumption than the previous generation.
All in all, I think the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 ticks all the right boxes – at least on paper. The true test will be how it performs in real-world scenarios. Still, the mix of efficient, powerful cores and an upgraded NPU that builds on the last generation sets a promising stage.
Tsveta, a passionate technology enthusiast and accomplished playwright, combines her love for mobile technologies and writing to explore and reveal the transformative power of tech. From being an early follower of PhoneArena to relying exclusively on her smartphone for photography, she embraces the immense capabilities of compact devices in our daily lives. With a Journalism degree and an explorative spirit, Tsveta not only provides expert insights into the world of gadgets and smartphones but also shares a unique perspective shaped by her diverse interests in travel, culture, and visual storytelling.
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