Mobile technology is constantly evolving, with every new chipset raising the bar for what’s possible. Among the most exciting advancements, the MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Ultra emerges as a game-changer. Released at the end of 2024, this chipset is a testament to MediaTek’s dedication to crafting powerful and efficient solutions for modern devices.
Designed to meet the needs of gamers, creators, and everyday users alike, the Dimensity 8400 Ultra offers a blend of speed, efficiency, and versatility. Its design prioritizes smooth and responsive performance, ensuring it can handle even the most demanding tasks without breaking a sweat. Whether it’s delivering stunning visuals, optimizing your favorite apps, or maintaining lightning-fast connections, this chipset promises an elevated experience.
But the real story goes beyond just numbers and specs. It’s about a seamless integration of technology that enhances everyday interactions. From breathtaking gaming visuals to capturing moments in extraordinary detail, the Dimensity 8400 Ultra is designed to make life more vibrant and connected.
In this article, we’ll explore what makes this chipset stand out, diving into its performance, graphics, display, camera, connectivity, and benchmarks. Let’s uncover how it’s redefining the future of mobile technology.
Dimensity 8400 Ultra vs Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs 7+ Gen 3 Comparison
Here are the detailed specs of all three chipsets:
Dimensity 8400 Ultra | Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 | Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 | |
---|---|---|---|
Model Number | NA | SM8635 | SM7675 |
Launched | December 29, 2024 | March 18, 2024 | March 21, 2024 |
CPU | 1x Cortex-A725 @3.25GHz 3x Cortex-A725 @3.0GHz 4 x Cortex-A725 @2.1GHz | 1x Cortex-X4 @3.0GHz 4x Cortex-A720 @2.8GHz 3x Cortex-A520 @2.0GHz | 1x Cortex-X4 @2.8GHz 3x Cortex-A720 @2.6GHz 4x Cortex-A520 @1.9GHz |
GPU | Mali-G720 MP7 HyperEngine 5.0 | Adreno 735 @1100MHz | Adreno 732 @950MHz |
Process | TSMC 4nm | TSMC 4nm | TSMC 4nm |
Display | WQHD+ @144Hz HDR10+ | 4K UHD @30Hz QHD+ @144 Hz HDR10+, 10-bit | 4K UHD @30Hz QHD+ @144 Hz HDR10+, 10-bit |
Camera | Triple ISP Single 200MP Triple 32MP each | Triple ISP Single 200MP Dual 64+36 MP Triple 36MP each | Single 200MP Dual 64+36 MP Triple 36MP each |
ISP | MediaTek Imagiq 1080 | Qualcomm Spectra Cognitive | Qualcomm Spectra Cognitive |
Video Output | 4K @60 fps | 4K @60 fps SloMo 1080p @240 fps | 4K @60 fps SloMo 1080p @240 fps |
RAM | LPDDR5X 8533Mbps | LPDDR5x @4200MHz | LPDDR5X @4200MHz |
Modem | Download: 5.1 Gbps Upload: 2.5 Gbps | Snapdragon X70 Download: 6.5 Gbps Upload: 3.5 Gbps | Snapdragon X63 Download: 5.0 Gbps Upload: 3.5 Gbps |
Antutu | 16,61,321 | 15,21,540 | 14,41,675 |
Geekbench | Single-Core: 1652 Multi-Core: 6477 | Single-Core: 2,069 Multi-Core: 5,491 | Single-Core: 1,157 Multi-Core: 3,261 |
AI | MediaTek NPU 880 | Hexagon | Hexagon |
Connectivty | Bluetooth 5.4 WiFi 6E Dual Mode 5G (SA, NSA) | Bluetooth 5.4 WiFi 7 Dual Mode 5G (SA, NSA) | Bluetooth 5.3 WiFi 6 Dual Mode 5G (SA, NSA) |
Storage | UFS 4 + MCQ | UFS 4.0 | UFS 4.0 |
CPU & GPU Performance
The Dimensity 8400 Ultra uses a configuration with an innovative combination of Cortex-A725 cores. It has a performance core running at 3.25GHz, three Cortex-A725 cores running at 3.0GHz, and four more efficient cores running at 2.1GHz. This architecture aims to provide both raw power and efficiency, which is ideal for demanding tasks like gaming and heavy multitasking.
In comparison, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 adopts a more traditional approach with a Cortex-X4 performance core clocked at 3.0GHz, complemented by four Cortex-A720 cores and three Cortex-A520 efficiency cores. The focus on a faster performance core is evident here, as Qualcomm tends to favor single-core performance, making this chip excellent for tasks requiring high single-threaded performance like gaming or intensive applications.
The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 follows a similar strategy with a Cortex-X4 performance core, but it is clocked slightly lower at 2.8GHz, paired with Cortex-A720 and Cortex-A520 cores at a lower clock speed compared to the 8s Gen 3. This results in slightly lower performance but offers an efficient balance for midrange devices.
When it comes to GPU capabilities, the Dimensity 8400 Ultra packs a Mali-G720 MP7 GPU, which is designed for high-end gaming and media tasks. It provides a balance between power efficiency and graphical performance. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 features the Adreno 735 GPU, clocked at 1100MHz, offering top-tier gaming performance.
The Adreno series is known for its excellent optimization, delivering seamless gameplay and vibrant visuals, making it the go-to choice for flagship devices. Lastly, the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 utilizes the Adreno 732 GPU, clocked at 950MHz, providing solid graphics performance but falling short compared to the 8s Gen 3.
Overall, Dimenisty 8400 Ultra takes the lead in the performance department with a marginal lead in both CPU and GPU departments followed by Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3.
Memory and Storage
Memory and storage are essential factors in determining a device’s performance, responsiveness, and multitasking capabilities. Starting with the Dimensity 8400 Ultra, This chipset supports LPDDR5X RAM, running at an impressive 8533Mbps. LPDDR5X offers enhanced power efficiency and faster data transfer speeds, providing a noticeable improvement in app load times, multitasking, and gaming performance.
Similar to the Dimensity 8400 Ultra, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 also supports LPDDR5X RAM, but at a slightly lower bandwidth of 4200MHz. While this is still faster than LPDDR5, it’s more aligned with typical high-end smartphones, balancing performance and power efficiency effectively for daily use and demanding applications.
The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 also uses LPDDR5X RAM, running at 4200MHz. While slightly less capable than the 8s Gen 3’s configuration, it still delivers strong performance for most multitasking and gaming needs, making it ideal for upper-midrange devices.
All Three Chipsets support UFS 4.0, offering substantial improvements over previous versions in terms of read and write speeds. UFS 4.0 can reach speeds of up to 23.2GB/s in data transfer, which allows for faster app launches, file transfers, and enhanced overall system performance. This makes all three chipsets very capable when it comes to handling demanding applications and games.
Apart from that, the Dimensity 8400 Ultra offers UFS 4.0 with MCQ (Multi-Channel Queue), which further enhances performance in storage-intensive tasks like sequential reads and writes, providing faster access to data in applications that require high throughput, such as video editing and gaming.
In terms of memory, the Dimensity 8400 Ultra takes the lead with higher RAM speeds, while both Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 offer solid performance suitable for most users. As for storage, all three chipsets are equipped with UFS 4.0, ensuring fast data access and smooth performance, though the Dimensity 8400 Ultra has an edge with its MCQ feature for even faster data throughput.
Antutu-Geenbench Benchmark Scores
The benchmark scores offer a standardized way to assess the performance of mobile chipsets across various tasks. Let’s compare the Dimensity 8400 Ultra, Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, and Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 in terms of their Antutu and Geekbench results to understand their raw computational power.
Antutu Scores
The Dimensity 8400 Ultra leads the pack having 16,61,321 points with the highest Antutu score among these chipsets, reflecting its excellent all-around performance. It excels in multi-core processing, graphics, and memory bandwidth, making it a standout option for flagship smartphones demanding high performance in gaming, multitasking, and media consumption.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 achieves 15,21,540 points, a slightly lower score than the Dimensity 8400 Ultra. However, it is still an exceptional chipset, excelling in single-core tasks like gaming and web browsing. Its balance of high single-core and multi-core performance positions it well for premium devices.
Lastly, the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 scores 14,41,675 points, a respectable Antutu score but falls behind the other two chipsets. As a midrange option, its performance is more than adequate for everyday tasks, gaming, and multitasking but is not as strong in raw power as the flagship-level chipsets.
Geekbench Scores
The Dimensity 8400 Ultra performs well in both single-core and multi-core tests, showing a solid balance between responsiveness and multi-threaded performance. Its multi-core score stands out, which is beneficial for demanding applications and multitasking. It scores 1652 points in Single-Core and 6477 points in Multi-Core results.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 excels in single-core performance, which is ideal for tasks that rely on high-frequency processing, such as gaming and application launches. However, its multi-core performance is slightly behind that of the Dimensity 8400 Ultra, reflecting its focus on single-core optimization. overall, the chipset scores 2069 points in single-core and 5491 points in multi-core results.
Lastly, The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 has the lowest Geekbench scores among the three, as expected for a midrange chipset. While it performs adequately for most everyday tasks, its single-core and multi-core performance is noticeably weaker than the flagship models, limiting its capabilities in high-performance applications and heavy multitasking. It grabs 1157 points in single-core and 3257 points in multi-core.
Camera and display
The camera and display features are crucial for a high-quality smartphone experience, especially for users focused on photography and multimedia consumption.
The Dimensity 8400 Ultra features MediaTek’s Imagiq 1080 ISP, which supports triple ISP technology, enabling advanced photography features. This chipset supports a 200MP primary camera and triple 32MP sensors, offering detailed, high-resolution images. Its video capabilities are equally impressive, with support for 4K recording at 60fps and slow-motion at 1080p 240fps, making it ideal for high-quality video content creation.
Likewise, The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, equipped with Qualcomm’s Spectra Cognitive ISP, also supports triple ISP with configurations like a 200MP primary sensor and dual 64+36 MP cameras. This chipset enhances the photography experience with AI-driven features for improved low-light performance, dynamic range, and faster autofocus.
Its video capabilities are on par with the Dimensity 8400 Ultra, offering 4K video at 60fps and 1080p slow-motion at 240fps. The AI-powered optimizations further enhance video stabilization and processing, which is particularly beneficial for content creators.
The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3, which also uses Qualcomm’s Spectra Cognitive ISP, supports 200MP and dual 64+36 MP camera setups, providing similar camera configurations to the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. However, it lacks some of the high-end optimizations and advanced AI processing seen in the flagship model. It still offers 4K video at 60fps and slow-motion at 1080p 240fps, but the overall camera performance is slightly less refined compared to the 8s Gen 3.
When it comes to camera performance, both the Dimensity 8400 Ultra and Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 excel with advanced ISP technologies and high-resolution camera support. The Dimensity 8400 Ultra is particularly strong with its triple ISP, while the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 benefits from enhanced AI optimizations. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 offers solid camera performance but lacks some of the high-end features found in the flagship models.
In terms of display, the Dimensity 8400 Ultra supports a WQHD+ resolution at a 144Hz refresh rate, which is particularly suitable for high-end gaming and provides smooth visual transitions. It also supports HDR10+, which ensures vibrant colors and better contrast, making it an excellent choice for multimedia experiences.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is capable of 4K UHD at 30Hz and QHD+ at 144Hz, providing exceptional visual quality and fluidity. With HDR10+ support and 10-bit color depth, this chipset delivers superior color accuracy and dynamic range, making it ideal for media consumption and professional design tasks.
The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 supports 4K UHD at 30Hz and QHD+ at 144Hz, offering a solid display experience, though it lags slightly behind the other two chipsets in terms of support for ultra-high refresh rates. However, it still supports HDR10+ and 10-bit color depth, ensuring vibrant and accurate colors suitable for mid-range devices.
In terms of display support, the Dimensity 8400 Ultra stands out with its WQHD+ at 144Hz support, which is ideal for premium devices. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 offers excellent QHD+ at 144Hz and 4K UHD capabilities, making it perfect for high-end devices. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 offers good performance for mid-range smartphones but trails slightly behind in display features when compared to the more premium options.
Connectivity
Connectivity is an essential feature for modern smartphones, determining the speed and reliability of data transfer, as well as the overall network experience. Let’s compare how the Dimensity 8400 Ultra, Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, and Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 perform in terms of connectivity features, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 5G support, and modem capabilities.
The Dimensity 8400 Ultra is equipped with Bluetooth 5.4 and supports Wi-Fi 6E. Bluetooth 5.4 offers faster speeds, improved range, and the ability to connect more devices simultaneously. Wi-Fi 6E, the latest version of Wi-Fi, operates in the 6GHz band, providing faster speeds, lower latency, and better performance in crowded environments, making it perfect for high-bandwidth applications like streaming and gaming.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 supports Bluetooth 5.4 as well, offering similar improvements in connection stability and speed. It is also equipped with Wi-Fi 7, the next-generation Wi-Fi standard, which promises ultra-fast speeds, higher efficiency, and more stable connections in dense environments. Wi-Fi 7 can support data rates up to 46 Gbps, providing a significant performance boost over Wi-Fi 6E.
The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 uses Bluetooth 5.3, offering similar advantages in terms of range and speed but lacking some of the newer features of Bluetooth 5.4. It is also equipped with Wi-Fi 6, which, while not as advanced as Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7, still provides fast and stable internet connections, ideal for most everyday tasks.
All three chipsets offer Dual Mode 5G (SA, NSA) support, ensuring compatibility with both standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) 5G networks. This allows for faster data speeds, lower latency, and better overall network performance.
The Dimensity 8400 Ultra features a modem with 5.1 Gbps download and 2.5 Gbps upload speeds, while the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is powered by the Snapdragon X70 modem, which supports 6.5 Gbps download and 3.5 Gbps upload speeds, offering a significant improvement in 5G data speeds. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 uses the Snapdragon X63 modem, supporting 5.0 Gbps download and 3.5 Gbps upload speeds, providing solid 5G performance but not quite as fast as the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3.
In terms of connectivity, the Dimensity 8400 Ultra and Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 are closely matched in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi performance, with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 gaining an edge with Wi-Fi 7 support. The Dimensity 8400 Ultra is a solid contender with Wi-Fi 6E, but the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 delivers faster 5G speeds with its X70 modem. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 provides good connectivity with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, making it a reliable option for midrange devices but without the same high-speed connectivity options available in the higher-end chipsets.
Conclusion
n this comparison of the Dimensity 8400 Ultra, Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, and Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3, each chipset offers distinct advantages, catering to different market segments.
The Dimensity 8400 Ultra excels in multi-core performance and camera features, with impressive support for WQHD+ displays at 144Hz, 200MP cameras, and advanced ISP capabilities. It also offers strong 5G and Wi-Fi 6E support, making it ideal for flagship devices that prioritize power, multimedia, and connectivity.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is a close competitor, particularly in single-core performance and AI-driven photography features. It leads in 5G download speeds and introduces Wi-Fi 7, offering future-proof connectivity. This chipset is better suited for high-end smartphones focused on gaming, AI, and camera optimization.
The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 offers great value for upper-midrange devices, providing solid camera and display performance, with 5G and Wi-Fi 6 support. While it lags behind the other two in raw power and advanced features, it remains a reliable option for users seeking balanced performance at a more affordable price.
Ultimately, the choice depends on the user’s needs: the Dimensity 8400 Ultra and Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 for flagship devices, and the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 for mid-range, budget-conscious options.