Chip manufacturers have processed significantly over the past few years by launching smartphone processors with a 5nm fabrication. The current set of flagship smartphones in India and around the world feature a 5nm Snapdragon 888 SoC developed by Qualcomm. MediaTek, which is among the most popular chip makers, is lagging behind with its 6nm Dimensity 1200 SoC. Although powerful and efficient, it falls behind its Qualcomm counterpart. Reports suggest that the 5nm MediaTek SoC could launch in 2022. It is not stopping there. According to another report, the Taiwan-based chip manufacturer is already working with TSMC to develop the world’s first 4nm SoC.
According to a GizChina report, TSMC is planning to start the test production of 4nm processors in the third quarter of 2021. The new 4nm chip will offer increased performance while providing improved power efficiency. The report states that MediaTek is among the first set of companies to co-develop a 4nm processor with TSMC. The Taiwan-based company wants to develop a 4nm flagship processor that will power premium smartphones upon launch. As per the current timeline reported, the 4nm processor could be commercial-ready by the first half of next year. A number of manufacturers, such as Xiaomi, Samsung, Oppo and Vivo, have apparently already placed orders with MediaTek.
The new 4nm chip runs the ARM v9 architecture. It will have Cortex-X2 and Cortex-A510 cores. It is being speculated that the GPU paired with the SoC will be a Mali-G710. This could be a big boost for MediaTek to compete against Qualcomm and Apple, which currently offer a 5nm chip.
MediaTek’s flagship chip, the Dimensity 1200, is based on a 6nm fabrication. The company also offers multiple 5G chipsets for mid-range and upper mid-range smartphones. These include the Dimensity 900, Dimensity 700 SoC, etc. Budget smartphones like the POCO M3 Pro 5G, Realme 8 5G, and Realme Narzo 30 5G come features with a Dimensity 700 SoC in India. On the other hand, the Realme X7 Max is the only smartphone in India to feature a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC.
