What you need to know
- MediaTek launches its latest chipset the Dimensity 1050, built on a 6nm process.
- The Dimensity 1050 is the company's first SoC to support mmWave 5G.
- MediaTek has also launched the Dimensity 930 and Helio G99.
- Smartphones powered by the Dimensity 1050 will launch in Q3 2022.
MediaTek is on the rise, and its latest launch could help propel it against the behemoth that is Qualcomm. The company announced the new Dimensity 1050 chipset, which it says will arrive in smartphones as soon as Q3 of this year.
The MediaTek Dimensity 1050 is the first of the company's SoCs to support mmWave 5G. This should enable faster data connections for budget Android phones, which appear to be the target for the new chip.
"Through dual connectivity using mmWave and sub-6GHz, the Dimensity 1050 will deliver the speeds and capacity required to provide smartphone users with an incredible experience, even in some of the most densely populated areas," the chipmaker says in a press release on Monday.
MediaTek did not specify the modem used in the SoC, but the company launched its first 5G modem with mmWave, the M80, in early 2021.
In addition to 5G capabilities, the company also touts improvements to Wi-Fi speeds with tri-band support for 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz connections and Wi-Fi 6E. The chip's HyperEngine 5.0 promises improved gaming, along with support for the 144Hz Full HD+. The chip should also provide a boost to camera performance with improved AI and dual HDR capture.
The Dimensity 1050 is built on a 6nm process with an octa-core CPU. It features two high-end Arm Cortex-A78 cores clocked at 2.5GHz. MediaTek says it will launch on smartphones in the third quarter of this year.
In addition to the Dimensity 1050, MediaTek has also announced the lower-end Dimensity 930 with support for sub-6 5G connections and 120Hz Full HD+ displays. Lastly, the company has announced a new Helio G99 chipset with 4G LTE connectivity and better efficiency than its predecessor. These chips will be available in Q3 and Q2 of this year, respectively.
With these new launches, MediaTek further positions itself as a worthy alternative to Qualcomm. It'll be interesting to see how the company advances its position in the U.S. market going forward.
