The MediaTek Dimensity 8400 is a mobile processor featuring eight ARM Cortex-A725 CPU cores, ARM Mali-G720 MC7 graphics, and a MediaTek NPU 880 for on-device AI features.

Like the Dimensity 9400 processor that launched earlier this year, the new chip is said to bring big boosts in performance and efficiency. But while the Dimensity 9400 is aimed at flagship-class smartphones and tablets, the Dimensity 8400 is designed for "premium" or slightly sub-flagship devices.

Both of the new chips forego the big.LITTLE designs that have been popular with ARM-based chip makers over the last decade. Instead of using a mix of high-performance "big" processor cores and energy-efficient "little" cores, the new chips go all-in on big CPU cores.

But while the Dimensity 9400 features one ARM Cortex-X925 core, three Cortex-X4 cores, and four Cortex-A720 cores, the Dimensity 8400 has 8 Cortex-A725 cores in three clusters:

  • 1 x Cortex-A725 w/ 1MB L2 cache and support for frequencies up to 3.25 GHz
  • 3 x Cortex-A725 cores w/512MB L2 cache
  • 4 x Cortex_A725 cores w/256MB L2 cache

    • The chip also features 6MB of L3 cache and MediaTek says it offers up to a 41 percent boost in multi-core performance over the previous-gen Dimensity 8000 series processor.

    The GPU, meanwhile, is said to deliver over a 24 percent boost in peak performance, while the NPU is said to be around 20 percent faster.

    Other features include support for LPDDR5x-8533 memory, UFS 4 storage, and wireless capabilities that include support for WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and 5G. The processor also has a MediaTek Imagiq 1080 image signal processor and support for up to a single 320MP camera or 3 32MP cameras recording at 30 frames per second, 4K video recording and playback, and sup[port for displays with resolutions up to WQHD+ and refresh rates up to 144 Hz.

    While big.LITTLE architecture was designed to let chip makers balance performance and efficiency, one of the reasons we're seeing so many companies go all-in on "big" CPU cores these days is that the latest high-performance CPU cores are also pretty efficient, and it turns out that if they're running at lower speeds, you can get battery life that's just as good, if not better, than you'd see from a device with a big.LITTLE chip.

    MediaTek isn't the only company foregoing "little" cores. The latest flagship processors from Qualcomm are also "big" only.

    The first devices with the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 processor are expected to hit the streets early next year.

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