Dimensity 9500 vs. Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 Are Early Tests Wrong
The first scores for the new Dimensity 9500 from MediaTek are out, and they seem to show some bad news. In a head-to-head test on Geekbench 6, this chip looks way slower than its big rival, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2. But, these first scores can be tricky and may not show true final power.
Looking at the Leaked Scores
The test, done on the Vivo X300, gave the Dimensity 9500 a single-core score of 2,352 and a multi-core score of 7,129. A similar test on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2, in a Galaxy S26 Edge, shows much higher scores 3,393 and 11,515. That makes the Snapdragon look 61% faster in multi-core speed.
- MediaTek Dimensity 9500: 2,352 (Single-Core) | 7,129 (Multi-Core)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2: 3,393 (Single-Core) | 11,515 (Multi-Core)
Why These Early Scores Can Mislead
Though the scores are clear, they miss some key points. Both chips in these tests were not running at their top speeds. This is common for early sample tests.
The Dimensity 9500 had a lower speed than its final aim, with a main core set to go up to 4.20GHz. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 tested at 4.00GHz, much lower than its 4.74GHz top speed. This means both chips were not at their best. Early tests like these check mostly for system safety and basic run, not top function.
It's like two runners slowly doing a first practice lap. Their times won't show how fast they can really race; they’re just starting out. The chip makers and phone companies are still working on better software and power setups before the real launch.
What This Means for the MediaTek vs. Qualcomm Fight
Even not at full speed, Qualcomm’s custom cores seem to have a design edge, a good point to note. Still, saying which chip wins from just this one test is not right. Final shop-ready power will hinge on things like how well the phone cools, software tweaks, and how it handles other jobs like graphics and AI.
The Dimensity 9500 might be better at keeping strong power over time or using less power, which this short Geekbench run did not look at. As the launch gets closer for both MediaTek and Qualcomm, more true-to-life scores will come out. For now, this leak is just a peek into what's happening, not a hard fact.
