MediaTek recently announced two more 5G chips for smartphones. The new Dimensity 7400 and 6400 promise competent performance for affordable smartphones, without compromising battery life. And as you would expect from any technology announcement these days, the chips come with the relevant processing resources required for artificial intelligence. However, specifications of the 7400X model hint at the possibility of affordable smartphones with foldable displays.
Just when we thought the wave of announcements of chips ready for the “artificial intelligence revolution” had passed, MediaTek has arrived with a duo (or trio, if we consider a variation of one of the models) of mobile chips that promises 15% more processing for AI tasks with the NPU 6.0 (neural processing unit).
In addition to the new NPU, the Dimensity 7400 chip features a configuration with eight CPU cores (four for performance and four for efficiency) with up to 2.6 GHz for processing purposes. MediaTek also threw in an ARM Mali-G615 graphics accelerator (GPU) with two cores. While the CPU and GPU configuration doesn’t set pulses racing, the use of the 4 nm manufacturing process from Taiwan’s TSMC promises low-power consumption.
In terms of connectivity, the new Dimensity 7400 is equipped with a 5G modem capable of aggregating up to 3 parallel connections, as well as being compatible with the three transmission frequencies according to the Wi-Fi 6E standard (2.4, 5, and 6 GHz).
Perhaps the most interesting feature is the fact that the Dimensity 7400X model is compatible with dual-screen displays. In theory, the chip can equip flip-style smartphones without weighing down your pocket. Unfortunately, MediaTek has not announced any models that will use the new processor.
| MediaTek Dimensity 7400 | MediaTek Dimensity 7300 | MediaTek Dimensity 6400 | MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance CPU | 4x Cortex-A78 @ 2.6 GHz | 4x Cortex-A78 @ 2.5 GHz | 2× Cortex-A76 @ 2.5 GHz | 2× Cortex-A76 @ 2.2 GHz |
| Efficiency CPU | 4x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz | 4x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz | 6× Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz | 6× Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz |
| GPU | 2x ARM Mali-G615 | 2x ARM Mali-G615 | 2x ARM Mali-G57 | 2x ARM Mali-G57 |
| RAM | LPDDR5-6400 2x 16-bit @ 3200 MHz (25.6 GB/s) | LPDDR5-6400 2x 16-bit @ 3200 MHz (25.6 GB/s) | LPDDR4x-4266 2x 16-bit @ 2133 MHz (17.1 GB/s) | LPDDR4x-4266 2x 16-bit @ 2133 MHz (17.1 GB/s) |
| 5G modem | MediaTek (3.27 Gbps) | MediaTek (3.27 Gbps) | MediaTek (3.27 Gbps) | MediaTek (3.27 Gbps) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.4 | Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.4 | Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth 5.2 | Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Process node | TSMC N4 | TSMC N4 | TSMC N6 | TSMC N6 |
5G Becomes even Cheaper with Dimensity 6400
For those in the market for even more affordable devices, MediaTek also announced the Dimensity 6400 chip. With older CPU cores, the chip reaches up to 2.5 GHz for the performance cores, and also has a dual-core GPU, albeit from a previous generation.
MediaTek advertised a 19% lower power consumption than the competition, without naming names, thanks to the use of TSMC’s 6nm manufacturing process. In terms of download speeds, the updated modem is capable of aggregating up to two parallel connections to both receive and send data at 5G speeds.
While smartphones equipped with the Dimensity 7400 and 7400X chips are expected to be announced at MWC 2025, which kicks off next week, the Dimensity 6400 chip is already available to interested smartphone manufacturers.
A more skeptical look at the specifications shows that the new chips are actually minor variations of existing models, with a slight increase in processing speeds.
MediaTek M90 Modem for Speeds of up to 12 Gbps
For those looking for faster wireless speeds, MediaTek also announced its new 5G M90 modem. While the CPUs above achieve up to 3.3 Gbps for receiving data, the new component achieves up to 12 Gbps and is compatible with both sub-6 GHz networks and the mmWave standard (low range but high performance).
The new modem is compatible with the R18 version of the 5G standard (3GPP-release 18), and allows you to add up to 10 mmWave connections (6 for sub-6GHz frequencies), as well as working both in dual SIM mode with both lines being simultaneously active for data.
In a sign of what we can expect at MWC 2025, the M90 modem is compatible with satellite communication (NTN), for both low-power IoT applications and data services that are beginning to emerge in the United States and Europe.
