MediaTek unveils the Dimensity 1200 and 1100
Until today, the entire Dimensity series was fabbed on a 7nm process, but that just changed – the Dimensity 1200 and 1100 are MediaTek’s first 6nm chipsets. And they are the first to use the Cortex-A78 core. The two are based on the same raw hardware, but target slightly different bins.
The Dimensity 1200 is the premium offering. Its CPU has a 1+3+4 configuration with a A78 core is running at 3.0GHz, plus three more A78 cores at 2.6GHz and the usual quartet of power-efficient A55 cores running at 2.0GHz.
For comparison, the Dimensity 1000+ used an older A77 core that topped out at 2.6GHz. These numbers line up just right with ARM"s official estimates - a 3.0GHz A78 is 20% faster than a 2.6GHz A77. That"s for single-threaded performance, of course, as only one core in each chipset reaches those frequencies. Overall CPU performance is up by 22% and power efficiency is up 25% compared to previous generations.
MediaTek unveils its first 6 nm chipsets, the Dimensity 1200 and 1100
As for the Dimensity 1100, it doesn’t have a prime core as such - all four of its Cortex-A78 cores run at 2.6GHz. However, even without higher clock speeds, the 1100 has an architectural advantage so it should have an edge over the Dimensity 1000+ in both single and multi-core performance. And then there’s the ancillary hardware.
Both chipsets use the same GPU. In fact, they are reusing the 1000-series GPU, the Mali-G77 with 9 cores for both chips. On the plus side, AV1 video now has hardware acceleration.
The Dimensity 1200 can treat the eye to 168 Hz displays and its 5-core ISP can handle camera sensors up to 200 MP. Also, with staggered HDR support for 4K videos (three exposures are merged into a single frame), the dynamic range is increased by 40%.
The 1100 chip is no slouch either, with support for 144 Hz displays and camera sensors up to 108 MP. Both phones are 20% faster in processing Night Shot and have a dedicated Night Mode for panoramas.
| Dimensity 1200 | Dimensity 1100 | Dimensity 1000+ | Exynos 1080 | |
| Process | TSMC 6 nm | TSMC 6 nm | TSMC 7 nm | Samsung 5 nm |
| Prime core | 1x Cortex-A78 @ 3.0 GHz | - | - | 1x Cortex-A78 @ 2.8 GHz |
| Big cores | 3x Cortex-A78 @ 2.6 GHz | 4x Cortex-A78 @ 2.6 GHz | 4x Cortex-A77 @ 2.6 GHz | 3x Cortex-A78 @ 2.6 GHz |
| Small cores | 4x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz | 4x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz | 4x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz | 4x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz |
| GPU | Mali-G77 MC9 | Mali-G77 MC9 | Mali-G77 MC9 | Mali-G78 MP10 |
| NPU | ? | ? | 4.5 TOPS | 5.7 TOPS |
| 5G (downlink) | 4.7 Gbps | 4.7 Gbps | 4.7 Gbps (sub-6) | 3.67 Gbps (mmWave), 5.1 Gbps (sub-6) |
| Display | 168 Hz @ 1080p | 144 Hz @ 1080p | 144 Hz @ 1080p | 144 Hz @ 1080p, 60 Hz @ 4K |
Several companies are champing at the bit to use MediaTek"s new Dimensity 1200 and 1100 chips - including Realme, Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo. They will release new phones around the end of March, beginning of April.
