Oh, I thought that after years of competition, mobile phone manufacturers were almost done.

Unexpectedly, in order to compete for the increasingly tight red ocean market, the competition between manufacturers is intensifying.

Regardless of the two chip manufacturers scrambling to release flagship chips, just looking at the past October, nearly ten models equipped with Dimensity 9400/Snapdragon 8 Ultimate have been released. These flagship products have comparable performance and distinct features, which can be described as a fierce competition.

(Image source: Xiaomi)

This is not the end. Manufacturers such as Realme, Redmi, Nubia Red Magic, and ASUS ROG are gearing up to make a big splash in November. Some focus on true full-screen displays, while others focus on RGB gaming. Whether you prioritize extreme cost-effectiveness, texture, or balance, there is always a product that suits you.

But speaking of which, have you noticed one thing?

The new products released during this period are basically flagship phones priced above 3000 yuan.

Although these flagship phones have powerful configurations and performance, their prices are not very friendly to students.

Compared to the second-tier flagship with comprehensively improved performance and texture, contemporary college students who are neither interested in photography nor material may be more eager to know when those cost-effective killers held by manufacturers will be released, and when those mid-range wonders will usher in iterations and updates.

Don't worry, MediaTek has made new moves.

(Image source: Weibo)

According to the blogger Digital Chat Station, MediaTek will launch the Dimensity 8400 mobile platform this month. The chip adopts TSMC's 4nm process technology and features the first Cortex-A725 all-big-core architecture. Currently, some manufacturers are actively testing it, and related products will be officially released this month.

Wow, MediaTek is also playing the seamless connection game?

Dimensity 8400 will adopt flagship architecture.

After reading through all the reports about the Dimensity 8400, I found that this chip seems to have something special.

Let's start with the most basic product architecture.

It is well-known that there is always a generation gap between the product architectures of the Dimensity 8000 series and the Dimensity 9000 series. The previously released Dimensity 8300 could utilize a 1*A715 super-large core + 3*A715 large cores + 4*A520 small cores architecture, which is already a leap forward in the mid-range product line.

And this year's iterative Dimensity 8400 is expected to directly adopt an all-big-core architecture, just like the Dimensity 9400.

(Image source: Weibo)

Of course, as a second-tier flagship/mid-range mobile platform, it is still unrealistic to directly use Cortex-X925/Cortex-X4 super-large cores.

Instead, it adopts the unprecedented A725 all-big-core architecture, consisting of 1*3.35GHz A725 core + 3*3.20GHz A725 cores + 4*2.4GHz A725 cores, completely abandoning the energy-inefficient A5xx series small cores, resulting in a significant performance boost.

In terms of GPU, the Dimensity 8400 mobile platform is expected to use the new Immortalis-G925, which is the same GPU IP as the Dimensity 9400, but the number of cores may be reduced to 6-8, and the operating frequency will be increased to a certain extent to improve gaming performance.

(Image source: ARM)

Wow, these specifications can almost be described as a "youth edition" of the Dimensity 9400.

With a flagship-level architecture and relatively reduced core frequencies, the Dimensity 8400 achieves a comprehensive score of about 1.7 million to 1.8 million points on AnTuTu.

For comparison, the commonly advertised benchmark scores of the Snapdragon 8 Gen2/Snapdragon 8s Gen3 are basically at this level.

Considering the progress in process technology and the reduction in extreme performance, it is expected that this mid-range chip will perform even better in terms of energy efficiency.

Compared to the "youth edition" Dimensity 9400, perhaps calling it the "energy-saving edition" Dimensity 9400 is more appropriate.

Which phone will be the first to adopt the Dimensity 8400?

Of course, for everyone, chip news is just for fun. The most important thing is when the product will be released.

Judging from current leaks, the manufacturer with a high probability of winning the first right to launch the Dimensity 8400 this year is still the familiar Redmi.

Especially Redmi, which released the Redmi K70E last year, which was the first to carry the Dimensity 8300-Ultra, known as the most powerful mid-range phone at that time; and the Redmi K70 Ultimate released in the middle of this year was hailed as the "smoothest Xiaomi flagship phone" due to its excellent tuning of the Dimensity 9400+.

(Image source: Redmi)

Redmi's excellent tuning of Dimensity and balanced product quality have made people highly anticipate the release of this year's Redmi K80E/Redmi Turbo 4.

In terms of display, considering the positive feedback on the extremely narrow four-sided straight screen of the Redmi K70E, it is expected that the Redmi K80E/Redmi Turbo 4 will continue to use the BOE 1.5K screen. Although the resolution and refresh rate remain unchanged, parameters such as screen brightness and high-frequency dimming should align with mainstream flagships, and the LTPS refresh method is also more eye-friendly, making it top-notch in its price range.

(Image source: Redmi)

In terms of texture, I guess blindly that Redmi will provide a glass cover this time but maintain the plastic frame design.

Judging from user feedback, the structural rigidity of the Redmi Turbo 3 is indeed insufficient. The glass cover can not only improve the grip but also enhance the texture, reaching a similar level to the Redmi K70E.

To keep up with the significant improvement in battery life of competitors, the battery of the Redmi Turbo 4 is expected to reach 6000mAh, and the charging speed will be increased to 90W fast charging, the same level as the K70E, which is also in line with the average charging level of many flagship phones this year.

As for the camera, which is not a major focus at this price point...

There is a high probability that it will be a combination of a 50MP LYT-600 main camera + 8MP ultra-wide-angle + 2MP macro, with at most some simple algorithmic improvements.

What's wrong? It's not like it can't scan codes, right?

Bengbu's Rivalry, MediaTek's Benefit

In the past three years, MediaTek's presence in the high-end market has become increasingly prominent.

Starting with the Dimensity 9000, MediaTek's flagship chips each year have narrowed the theoretical performance gap with Qualcomm, and even achieved a certain lead with the Dimensity 9300. This time, the Dimensity 9400 was released ahead of Qualcomm's flagship mobile platform, giving off a vibe of wanting to carve out a niche with Samsung and Huawei.

On the contrary, its coverage in the mid-range has been eroded by Qualcomm to some extent.

Yes, MediaTek's performance in the low-end market is still remarkable. It once broke consumers' inherent perceptions with the excellent energy efficiency of the Dimensity 8100/Dimensity 8200, putting considerable pressure on Qualcomm.

However, with the support of high-end architecture and technology, Qualcomm has made continuous progress with the Snapdragon 7+ Gen2/Snapdragon 7+ Gen3 for two consecutive generations. With an AnTuTu benchmark score of nearly 1.7 million, it is not inferior to MediaTek's previous generation of flagship chips, achieving a dimensional reduction attack on MediaTek in the mid-to-high-end market.

The failure of the Dimensity 8300 series sounded the alarm for MediaTek.

This is why we see the launch of the Dimensity 8400. Based on TSMC's 4nm all-big-core design, it not only enhances extreme performance but also reduces power consumption during daily use. The latest GPU, which shares the same origin as the Dimensity 9400, is expected to bring an excellent gaming experience.

The only question now is whether this chip will end up repeating the same mistake and once again face a situation where few manufacturers dare to try it?

I sincerely hope not.

Source: Leitech