Until today, the entire Dimensity series was fabbed on a 7nm process, but that just changed – the Dimensity 1200 and 1100 are MediaTek’s first 6nm chipsets. And they are the first to use the Cortex-A78 core. The two are based on the same raw hardware, but target slightly different bins.
The Dimensity 1200 is the premium offering. Its CPU has a 1+3+4 configuration with a A78 core is running at 3.0GHz, plus three more A78 cores at 2.6GHz and the usual quartet of power-efficient A55 cores running at 2.0GHz.
For comparison, the Dimensity 1000+ used an older A77 core that topped out at 2.6GHz. These numbers line up just right with ARM’s official estimates – a 3.0GHz A78 is 20% faster than a 2.6GHz A77. That’s for single-threaded performance, of course, as only one core in each chipset reaches those frequencies. Multi-core performance will get a small boost as well.
MediaTek unveils its first 6 nm chipsets, the Dimensity 1200 and 1100
As for the Dimensity 1100, it doesn’t have a prime core as such – all four of its Cortex-A78 cores run at 2.6 GHz. However, even without higher clock speeds, the 1100 has an architectural advantage so it should have an edge over the Dimensity 1000+ in both single and multi-core performance. And then there’s the ancillary hardware.
Both chipsets use the same GPU. In fact, they are reusing the 1000-series GPU, the Mali-G77 with 9 cores for both chips. On the plus side, AV1 video now has hardware acceleration.
The Dimensity 1200 can treat the eye to 168 Hz displays and its 5-core ISP can handle camera sensors up to 200 MP. Plus, with the upgraded AI hardware, Night Shot processing is 20% faster. The 1100 chip is no slouch either, with support for 144 Hz displays and camera sensors up to 108 MP.
| Dimensity 1200 | Dimensity 1100 | Dimensity 1000+ | Exynos 1080 | |
| Process | TSMC 6 nm | TSMC 6 nm | TSMC 7 nm | Samsung 5 nm |
| Prime core | 1x Cortex-A78 @ 3.0 GHz | – | – | 1x Cortex-A78 @ 2.8 GHz |
| Big cores | 3x Cortex-A78 @ 2.6 GHz | 4x Cortex-A78 @ 2.6 GHz | 4x Cortex-A77 @ 2.6 GHz | 3x Cortex-A78 @ 2.6 GHz |
| Small cores | 4x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz | 4x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz | 4x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz | 4x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz |
| GPU | Mali-G77 MC9 | Mali-G77 MC9 | Mali-G77 MC9 | Mali-G78 MP10 |
| NPU | ? | ? | 4.5 TOPS | 5.7 TOPS |
| 5G (downlink) | ? | ? | 4.7 Gbps (sub-6) | 3.67 Gbps (mmWave), 5.1 Gbps (sub-6) |
| Display | 168 Hz | 144 Hz | 144 Hz | 144 Hz |
Several companies are champing at the bit to use MediaTek’s new Dimensity 1200 and 1100 chips – including Realme, Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo. They will release new phones around the end of March, beginning of April.
Developing…
Haslinda has worked with some of the largest telcos in North America and Asia. She loves tech and doesn’t like iPhone
