MediaTek will be entering the 2nm era with the Dimensity 9600 series chips later this year. These will take on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6. Rumors claim the Dimensity 9600 will come in three different models, catering to different price points and tiers of phones. While that could be a good thing, today’s leak isn’t about the performance. A seller has listed the engineering samples of what could be the MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro for a mere $30.
Alleged Dimensity 9600 Pro engineering samples hit the Chinese black market
Jefull has listed MediaTek chips marked MT6993Z and MT6995Z on the Chinese black market. While the former corresponds to the Dimensity 9500, the latter could be a new flagship chip, possibly the Dimensity 9600 Pro. The chips reportedly cost 200 yuan (~$30). However, the listing has since been taken down.
Interestingly, he is the same Xianyu seller who previously obtained engineering samples of Qualcomm’s next Snapdragon chipset, SM8975, tentatively named Snapdragon 8 Gen 6. The MediaTek listing shows several loose BGA chips in a sealed bag labeled with the two part numbers. There are also close-up photos of individual chips.
Like the earlier SM8975 listing, the seller says the units are unencrypted engineering samples in good condition. He’s allegedly marketing them for motherboard repairs and upgrades. Judging by the chip package, the Dimensity 9600 Pro appears to be the same size as the Dimensity 9500. This signals the upcoming chip may have a die size similar to the previous-gen chip: around 140 mm2.
The same size as the Dimensity 9500
Meanwhile, Qualcomm’s next flagship die is rumored to measure 134mm2. The size gap between the two chips could be closing compared to the previous generation. Either way, MediaTek’s larger die possibly means higher BOM costs, and the company may still be accepting lower margins by pricing its chip below its Snapdragon rival. However, the difference may be smaller this time as the price gap narrows.Â
The package also appears to use the same traditional FCPoP design as the previous generation. We’ll have to see how the MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro handles thermal performance compared with its rival, which could use a more thermally efficient package. The chip’s silkscreen markings don’t reveal any useful information, suggesting that it may have moved away from its usual silkscreen encoding this time.
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