How Chipset Stalwarts Are Shaping the World of Mobility with Progressive Innovation and Use Cases

MediaTek and Qualcomm unveiled their latest tranche of chipsets, MediaTek Dimensity 9200 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, during their respective events that took place in November 2022. With Google announcing its own semi-custom chipset and Samsung bringing AMD Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to its in-house Systems-on-Chip (SOCs), it was time for MediaTek and Qualcomm to carry forward their legacy from last year with updates to previous flagship mobility platforms. The events undoubtedly saw lots of improvements compared to their predecessor chipsets, while also focusing more on Wi-Fi 7 support, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and gaming. Both Dimensity and Snapdragon will try to grab a larger market share within the chipset vendor category in the coming year, with Qualcomm already having several smartphone brands under its name, including Samsung, while MediaTek also has clients including vivo, Xiaomi, and OPPO. All this points to 2023 being an exciting year for both manufacturers with promises of better-than-ever performance from their latest chipsets and the drive toward advanced use cases with the help of AI, ray tracing, etc.

Despite being rival manufacturers, the Dimensity 9200 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 have more than a few similarities. Both flagship processors are built on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) 4 Nanometer (nm) platform, have an octa core Central Processing Unit (CPU), and are both 64-bit chipsets. Conversely, there are many differences in the chipsets. In terms of GPU, the Dimensity 9200 features Arm's Immortalis-G715, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has a new Adreno 740 GPU, which it claims delivers 25% improved performance and 45% better power efficiency than the previous generation. In addition, both GPUs support ray tracing, Vulkan 1.3, and AOMedia Video 1 (AV1). The two processors also support Universal Flash Storage 4.0 (UFS 4.0), Bluetooth 5.3, and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio, and are packed with a 5G modem with support for both Millimeter Wave (mmWave) and sub-6 Gigahertz (GHz) networks, along with a Wi-Fi chip that brings the new Wi-Fi 7 standard. Furthermore, there is a new Image Signal Processor (ISP) present, too, the Imagiq 890 for Dimensity 9200 and Spectra Cognitive ISP for Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. However, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 can only support a single camera up to 200 Megapixels (MP), while MediaTek's chipset maxes out at 320 MP because Qualcomm uses an 18-bit triple ISP architecture. MediaTek’s chip, on the other hand, can handle a whopping 320 MP for a single shot, and can take 108 MP photos with no shutter lag, thanks to the Imagiq 890 ISP.

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Gen 2 chipset is being called a “new marvel” in the field of AI, engineered with groundbreaking AI integrated across the system for smarter photo capture, gaming, security, and several other features. At its event, Qualcomm also announced the Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1 platform for Augmented Reality (AR) glasses and Bluetooth audio platforms—the Qualcomm S5 and S3 Gen 3 deliver next-level sound experiences followed by a new next-generation CPU name, the Qualcomm Oryon. On the other hand, MediaTek, with its Dimensity 9200 chipset, highlighted points such as having the sharpest and brightest cameras, immersive multi-media, fast all-day gaming with a 3.1 GHz CPU, and innovations in ray tracking technology.

MediaTek and Qualcomm have been providing chipsets and technology to lay the foundation for the majority of smartphones over the past years. The duo continues to revolutionize and encourage the device industry with their new technological advancements year after year. Both manufacturers are expected to power many brands over the next few quarters with better performance and features, using their latest chipset offerings. Qualcomm has already confirmed that Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered devices will be launched from companies that include REDMAGIC, Honor, ZTE, Xiaomi, Meizu, vivo, Sony, Redmi, OPPO, Nubia, Motorola, OnePlus, Sharp, ASUS, and iQOO. The first smartphone brand to make use of the 4 nm flagship chipset from MediaTek is vivo, which launched its X90 series in China on November 22, 2022, while iQOO unveiled its 11 series of smartphones on December 8, 2022, using the latest Snapdragon Gen 2 chips. The year 2023 is going to be critical for both manufacturers, and their latest innovations will define the market in the years to come as the chipset industry is slowly turning into a battleground where smartphone brands like Samsung, Apple, and Google come with their own in-house chipsets, while others are planning to turn to customized in-house chipsets, e.g., OPPO.

Another noticeable point of differentiation that will impact the mobile phone industry is the introduction of ray tracing. Ray tracing promises to improve supported games with better lighting, shadows, and reflections. This will push developers to focus on and use the technology to make more realistic games for smartphones, enabling them to build an ecosystem that can take gaming to new heights in the years to come. Having ray tracing support in a smartphone will also open the doors to fancy new graphical effects for mobile phones, helping brands bring ray tracing to market under new use cases. Both the Dimensity 9200 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 can provide an enhanced user experience to consumers with groundbreaking experiences and unparalleled connectivity, revolutionizing flagship smartphone experiences.

These latest flagship chipset announcements create a more intense rivalry, with the focus on bringing more clients onboard for premium and flagships models. Both MediaTek and Qualcomm are also providing key advantages to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) with the latest developments in Wi-Fi, 5G connectivity, AI, etc. OEMs can use these platforms to showcase the most up-to-date technologies and use that as both a selling point and a point of differentiation in their new devices. ABI Research expects the global 5G smartphones market to cross 800 million in 2023, bringing opportunities for the ecosystem and chipset players to both the manufactures to work on providing chipsets and custom-based solutions and the OEMs to gain market share and reach higher Average Selling Prices (ASPs) in the industry.

Both MediaTek and Qualcomm have long led the smartphone chipset industry, catering to many OEMs. Their forte has also continued into the 5G era, with both manufacturers continuously producing chipsets not only just for the high end, but also driving down to mid-range phones. MediaTek also announced the Dimensity 8200 at its event, which offers flagship-level experiences for connectivity, gaming, multimedia, displays, and imaging at a more accessible price point.

The fast-changing technology in the smartphone industry will have high demand and traction in the years to come. The new use cases of mobile gaming, AI, and the metaverse are reaching the masses, pushing manufacturers to build chipsets for price-sensitive consumers and markets around the world. This will help the ecosystem of software/hardware and integrated systems grow, generating new revenue fields and opportunities in the future.

MediaTek and Qualcomm have a strong legacy of manufacturing best-in-class chipsets and should thrive with the addition of their latest offerings, while touching on other fields of innovation, such as wearables, the metaverse, the Internet of Things (IoT) etc. Indeed, Qualcomm has already moved into the metaverse space and is providing chips that power Meta Platforms. It also launched a US$100 million Snapdragon fund and sponsors research in Extended Reality (XR) technologies, a move that can make the footprints of Qualcomm stronger in other verticals. MediaTek, on the other hand, is also pushing hard to be at the forefront of creating platforms for intelligent wearables, connected facilities, smart home, and office appliances, allowing it to expand and strengthen its position in other verticals.