168Hz, ray tracing, 200MP support

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MediaTek launched its first flagship chip in several years when the Dimensity 1000 series was introduced in late 2019. The chip and its Dimensity 1000 Plus variant didn’t quite challenge the Snapdragon 865 in terms of performance, but still brought a lot of performance and features to the table.

Now the Taiwanese chip manufacturer is back with two new processors in the flagship dimension Dimensity 1200 and the slightly less powerful Dimensity 1100 and they have some functions in common. Both offer 6 nm designs and octa-core processors with four Cortex-A78 CPUs and four Cortex-A55 CPUs. The processors also share an integrated 5G modem with sub-6 GHz support (no mmWave yet) and 5G + 5G dual SIM functions.

Oddly enough, MediaTek’s two chips also share the same Mali-G77 MP9 GPU that was previously used in last year’s Dimensity 1000 series. This is not a big problem for the slightly lower tier Dimensity 1100, but rather disappointing for the top-end Dimensity 1200. This means you’re not getting a proper graphics upgrade for phones powered by last year’s flagship silicon, which was thought to have low GPU performance versus the Snapdragon 865 series. In fact, it looks like even the mid-range Exynos 1080 processor could have the edge over MediaTek’s latest SoC.

The company’s new SoCs also offer Bluetooth 5.2 support, Wi-Fi 6, HDR10 + video playback, 4K / 60fps recording, AV1 video decoding and various AI camera functions. These features include AI Panorama Night Shot, AI Multi-Person Bokeh, AI Noise Reduction, and AI SDR-to-HDR capabilities. However, if you take a closer look, it’s clear that the Dimensity 1200 is the high-tech chipset here.

Dimension 1200

MediaTek has opted for a three-tier CPU arrangement with the Dimensity 1200, which includes a Cortex-A78 CPU with 3 GHz, three Cortex-A78 CPUs with 2.6 GHz and four Cortex-A55 CPUs with 2 GHz. This is a pretty interesting layout as both Samsung and Qualcomm use the hideous Cortex-X1 CPU core as the top-end core in their flagship processors.

The Taiwanese company is probably not part of Arm’s CXC program, from which the Cortex-X1 emerged in collaboration with selected partners. Still, MediaTek suggested that sustainable performance and energy efficiency play a role in choosing Cortex-A78 CPUs.

When switching to graphical functions, we are quite surprised that the chip manufacturer has announced support for ray tracing on both chipsets. This is a graphic technique used to create more realistic lighting and reflections. In particular, MediaTek notes that the ray tracing solution works in games and AR apps.

MediaTek shared the media in response to a Android Authority Question that this was “a software add-on for the platform that supports some ray tracing functionality.” So at the level of the desktop ray tracing function, we don’t expect anything remotely. The company did not announce any ray-traced application partners at the time of writing, but the company’s press release includes Tencent Games as part of a list of “industry collaborators and supporters.”

	MediaTek Dimensity 1200	MediaTek Dimensity 1100	MediaTek Dimensity 1000 Plus
Central processor	1x Cortex-A78 at 3 GHz 3x Cortex-A78 at 2.6 GHz 4x Cortex-A55 at 2 GHz	4x Cortex-A78 at 2.6 GHz 4x Cortex-A55 at 2 GHz	4x Cortex-A77 at 2.6 GHz 4x Cortex-A55 at 2 GHz
GPU	Arm Mali-G77 MP9	Arm Mali-G77 MP9	Arm Mali-G77 MP9
display	168 Hz with FHD + 90 Hz with QHD +	144 Hz with FHD + 90 Hz with QHD +	144 Hz with FHD + 90 Hz with QHD +
Machine learning	APU 3.0 six cores	APU 3.0 six cores	APU 3.0 six cores
modem	Helio M70 5G Sub-6Ghz	Helio M70 5G Sub-6Ghz	Helio M70 5G Sub-6Ghz
camera	200MP single 32MP + 16MP dual 4K / 60fps recording	108MP single 32MP + 16MP dual 4K / 60fps recording	80MP single 32MP + 16MP dual 4K / 60fps recording
process	6nm	6nm	7nm

MediaTek also touts the highest refresh rate we’ve seen in a mobile SoC, as it offers 168 Hz support. Are we actually going to see a 168 Hz phone? Well, that’s a question for another day, but it’s worth noting that the Vivo Iqoo Z1 used a Dimensity 1000 Plus chipset and had a 144Hz screen.

When it comes to machine learning capabilities, the company continues to stick with its six-core APU, known as APU 3.0. However, the technology has been updated to reduce latency and improve efficiency. At the same time, a performance increase of 10% compared to the silicon of the previous year was achieved.

After all, the Dimensity 1200 looks like a very powerful camera platform, with a five-core “HDR ISP” that supports up to 200 MP cameras (or 32 MP + 16 MP dual), as well as a “staggered” 4K HDR recording for a better dynamic range.

Dimension 1100

The second chip announced today is definitely a step down from the Dimensity 1200 as it offers four Cortex-A78 CPUs at 2.6 GHz and four Cortex-A55 CPUs at 2 GHz. However, this should still lead to an increase in performance and efficiency compared to the Dimensity 1000 series, while the switch to a 6 nm design should bring further efficiency gains.

The Dimensity 1100 has a lot in common with last year’s flagship silicon. We see, of course, the same Mali-G77 MP9 GPU, support for 144 Hz refresh rates (or QHD + at 90 Hz) and a hexa-core APU for machine learning. Therefore, it should offer a pretty well-rounded experience for mid-range devices.

The new processor outperforms the old processor by supporting 108MP cameras compared to the Dimensity 1000 series with 80MP.

Otherwise, we expect the Dimensity 1100 to rival the Exynos 1080 and Qualcomm’s newest upper-midrange processors.

When is it to be expected?

According to MediaTek, the first devices with the Dimensity 1200 and Dimensity 1100 processors will be shipped at the end of the first or beginning of the second quarter of 2021. It’s worth noting that the Dimensity 1000 series didn’t leave China until the second half of 2020, but hopefully phones with the new chips will hit the world market much earlier.

The chip maker added that OEMs like Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo and Realme have expressed their support for the new processors. Xiaomi’s brand Redmi and Realme later Approved that they will offer the Dimensity 1200 in upcoming phones.

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