MediaTek looks for more U.S. success with Dimensity 8000

By Andy Boxall February 28, 2022

MediaTek is now the number one supplier of mobile processors for Android smartphones in the U.S., according to research from IDC, and it has announced a pair of new chips, plus news about its mmWave 5G modem, which it hopes will help continue to drive its great momentum. The Dimensity 8000 and Dimensity 8100 processors are a step down from the Dimensity 9000 platform, but are still expected to compete with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 in terms of power thanks to a more modern modem and greater efficiency.

The MediaTek Dimensity 8000 chip.

The Dimensity 8000 will find a home in premium 5G Android smartphones, and has been built using a 5nm process, unlike the high-specification 4nm Dimensity 9000. The octa-core Dimensity 8000 chip uses four Arm Cortex A78 cores at 2.75GHz, along with four Arm Cortex A55 cores, while the slightly faster Dimensity 8100 uses the same Cortex A78 cores at speeds up to 2.85Ghz. The two are otherwise identical.

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On the connectivity side, the modem supports the latest Release 16 standards for 5G for superior Sub-6 performance, plus Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. The Dimensity 8000 series chips support cameras up to 200 megapixels and video recording at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, and have earned HDR10+ certification. It includes MediaTek’s fifth-generation A.I. Processing Unit (APU) designed for great performance by the camera and for gaming.

MediaTek has added the Dimensity 8000 series to its Dimensity Open Resource Architecture (DORA) initiative, meaning device makers can customize aspects of the processor to better meet the demands of their new devices. OnePlus became one of the first to take up the initiative, and used a DORA-modified version of the Dimensity 1200 processor for the OnePlus Nord 2 5G smartphone.

Launching soon

The Dimensity 8000 series chips are waiting in the wings, and MediaTek expects phones with the chips inside to arrive in the next few weeks. And unlike the currently China-centric Dimensity 9000, it sees them being used globally. Smartphones with the 8000-series chips may cost between $400 and $700. But this isn’t the only reason it’s expecting further success in the U.S. and around the world.

MediaTek has mostly focused on Sub-6 5G modems for its processors so far, and we’ve been waiting for its mmWave modem for a while. The company says it has now had its mmWave modem certified with Verizon, and that other carriers around the world are close to doing the same. We should look out for the first phone with a MediaTek mmWave modem being announced in mid-2022, with a release during the second half of the year.

Now boasting 51% market share in Android smartphones in the U.S., MediaTek’s chips are found in phones like the Samsung Galaxy A12, the Motorola G Pure, and various carrier-branded phones like the Boost Celero 5G. Globally, MediaTek has a 39% market share.

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