Dimensity 9300 To Challenge Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 With New Rumored Configuration That Includes Four Next-Gen Cortex-X4 Cores

A torrent of rumors surrounded the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but its closest competitor, the Dimensity 9300, was left out of the conversation until now. Apparently, MediaTek is prepping a flagship SoC that will tout four high-performance Cortex-X4 cores, which makes for an interesting smartphone chipset, and it may even challenge Qualcomm’s upcoming top-tier SoC for the fastest silicon found in an Android device.

Like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, new rumor claims MediaTek will use TSMC’s N4P process for the Dimensity 9300

In the past, the most powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 variant rumored to be tested featured only two unreleased Cortex-X4 cores. Naturally, our concern at the time was controlling the temperatures of the chipset, but according to Digital Chatter on Weibo, thermals are the latest of MediaTek’s problems, as it is seemingly trying out a version with a whopping four Cortex-X4 cores. In the image below, the tipster talks about a ‘4 + 4’ configuration belonging to the Dimensity 9300, with both cores sporting the name ‘hunter.’

If our readers recall, we provided detailed insight on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s configuration, and the new hunter cores were going to be the Cortex-X4 and possibly Cortex-A720, both of which are CPU designs yet to be publicly announced by ARM. As for the efficient Cortex-A5XX cores, these are recognized by the name ‘hayes,’ not ‘hunter,’ so according to what Digital Chatter has posted on Weibo, this version of the Dimensity 9300 will not have any efficiency cores.

Apparently, one version of the MediaTek Dimensity 9300 will is being tested with four high-performance Cortex-X4 cores

This approach can become a possibility, especially given that the SoC will be mass produced on TSMC’s improved N4P node, which is the company’s enhanced 4nm process. However, the lack of efficiency cores in this ‘4 + 4’ configuration has us concerned about the temperatures. In a controlled environment, MediaTek might be able to pull this off, but even with TSMC’s N4P process, when the Dimensity 9300 is taxed while running in smartphones and used outdoors in varying climates and humidity levels, the results will differ significantly.

In the end, the Cortex-X4 cores that should have been the Dimensity 9300’s strength may end up being the limiting factor here due to uncontrollable temperatures and while MediaTek’s flagship SoC can certainly trump the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 on paper, real-world results matter considerably. We may hear about another version being tested, at least one that features fewer Cortex-X4 cores, as that would make for a more realistic CPU configuration. While we admire MediaTek’s ambitions, no smartphone chipset, no matter how efficient it is, can alter the laws of physics.