The differences between Qualcomm and MediaTek in 2026 are getting smaller. This is very good news for Android phones.

A while ago, buying a mobile phone with a MediaTek processor was synonymous with settling. If you wanted raw power, fast updates and good efficiencyyou had to look for the Qualcomm Snapdragon seal on the mobile box. But it is true that this is something that has completely changed in 2026. Today, the gap between the two processor firms is narrower. And, although purists continue to debate figures in the benchmarksthe reality is that the great similarity (today) between these chips is the best news that could have happened to the Android ecosystem in the last decade. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5g 6.9″ 256gb Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Mediocre low-end mobile phones are dead The main victory in 2026 is not only in mobile phones of 1,200 euros, but in those of 300 euros or less. MediaTekwith its series Dimensionshas achieved something that seemed impossible: offering good power, 5G connectivity ultra-low latency and 3-nanometer manufacturing processes in devices that do not require a large investment or financing of the purchase. Qualcomm, for its part, has had to react. It is no longer enough to master the high range; Pressure from MediaTek has forced those from San Diego to vitaminize your series 6 and 7making a current mid-range mobile perform like a flagship from just two years ago. Of course, it is true that both brands of processors have been putting in the work. pressure from China with Xiaomi or Huawei pushing their own processors. So, despite being competition between them, they are not two firms oblivious to everything that is happening in the sector at the moment. The new battlefield is Artificial Intelligence If there is one thing that defines the processors of 2026, it is their ability to process generative AI locally. Both brands have NPUs dedicated for several generations. MediaTek integrates its own APU (AI Processing Unit) with capabilities comparable to Qualcomm’s Hexagon. On a day-to-day basis, the difference for the user is practically negligible. Whether it’s editing in 8K video or asking your assistant to summarize a document, both manufacturers offer a fluidity that has eliminated the famous Android jerks of yesteryear. How does this rapprochement between MediaTek and Qualcomm benefit us as consumers? When there is no clear dominator, the winner is the consumer. This technical parity (due to the clear technical rapprochement between MediaTek and Qualcomm) has caused three immediate effects on the market: Price war: To compete with Qualcomm’s raw performance, MediaTek offers its chips at more aggressive prices, allowing manufacturers like Xiaomi, Realme or Samsung itself to adjust their margins. Best updates: MediaTek driver support has improved dramatically, forcing Qualcomm to not sleep and promise increasingly longer Android update periods. Accelerated innovation: Today, competition for energy efficiency is fierce. In 2026, we have more powerful mobile phones than ever; However, they will stretch the battery beyond the intensive day thanks to this rivalry. The end of prejudices In 2026, choosing a smartphone based solely on the brand of the processor is a mistake. We have reached a technological maturity point where MediaTek is no longer the cheap alternative, but a first-class option and Qualcomm has had to get off the pedestal to fight in the field of quality-price. This is an ideal scenario. It no longer matters what engine (that is, processor) your Android has under the hood; What matters is that, for the first time, both types of chips they run at the same speed. Some mobile phones with these processors that may interest you High range Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra (Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5): is a benchmark in raw power and image processing. Qualcomm maintains a slight advantage here in professional video processing and advanced 5G connectivity. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5g 6.9″ 256gb Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Oppo Find X9 Pro (MediaTek Dimensity 9500): a great rival for the Samsung model that has a MediaTek chip is Oppo. On a day-to-day basis, the difference is almost non-existent between both models, although Oppo is achieving higher thermal efficiency rates. OPPO Find X9 Pro 5G 16+512GB The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Mid range Nothing Phone (3) (Snapdragon 8s Gen 4): Qualcomm has had to lower the power of its high ranges to this chip so as not to lose the throne of the premium mid-range, offering an electric and fluid experience in this Nothing Phone (3). Nothing Phone (3) – 12GB + 256GB The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Poco X8 Pro (MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Ultra): It is one of the kings in value for money. MediaTek allows this Xiaomi Poco X8 Pro perform like a top-of-the-range phone from just a year ago, but maintaining a moderate price. XIAOMI POCO X8 Pro – 8+256GB Smartphone The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Javier Lacort (Xataka), Iván Linares (Xataka), Álex Alcolea (Xataka) and Xataka Móvil In Xataka | The best mobile phones, we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Best wireless headphones. Which one to buy and 21 models from 15 euros to 470 euros

equal or better than those of Apple, Qualcomm and MediaTek

Yesterday was a day of those who are marked in history. Xiaomi presented his own chip And, although it is not the first time that the Chinese company enters the world of semiconductors, the Xring 01 It is a blow to a table where the entire industry is sitting. This is a very special chip. It works in a very different way from that of its Rivals of Qualcomm and Mediatek, in addition to having some much more advanced technologies. Understanding how Xring works is important, since this processor can mark a before and after in the own way in which the current leaders design their processors. The good, the ugly and the bad. To understand how the Xiaomi Xring works, it is necessary to understand how its rivals work in A high -end chip. And you just need to understand three keys to know what is happening at all times by the mobile chip. For more than ten years the chips have a Big.little architecture. The name perfectly explains what happens: there are “large” nuclei, “medium” nuclei, and “small” nuclei. Simplifying a lot, the nuclei are processing units within the chip that allow you to execute different tasks. The big ones are the most powerful and in, beginning, (this point is key) should only be activated for high demand tasks, such as high -resolution, export and video editing games or video, etc. The little ones are oriented to day -to -day basis, they are less powerful, but they consume less energy. When Little is not so little. MediaTak and Qualcomm have a problem. They have been engaged in a career for offering the most powerful chipand although the efficiency of its chips is enviable, it still has a lot of improvement margin. In the case of Qualcomm, in its 8 elite There are not even efficiency nuclei. Two very large nuclei (prime) Six large nuclei (performance). There are two prime nuclei at 4.32 GHz (a barbaric frequency), and six yield cores at 3.53 GHz, another tremendous figure. According to Qualcomm, this processor is more efficient than its predecessors. In our experience, having tried dozens of telephones with this processor, we can assure you that it is a chip prone to heating and quite swallow. Mediatek, with his Dimensity 9400It has a very different, similar architecture. A very large nucleus (Cortex-X925 at 3.63 GHz) Three large nuclei (Cortex-X4 to 3.3 GHz) Four medium nuclei (Cortex-A720 to 2.4 GHz) There is no need to learn any name but keep the concept that, in the two high -end Android processors, there are really no low consumption nuclei. Everything is more or less large nuclei that, yes, distribute the workload according to the task, but remain great. Apple’s case is different. His Apple A18 Pro It only has six nuclei (instead of eight) and there are more for efficiency than to performance. Two “large” nuclei (A18 P-Core at 4 GHz). Four “small” nuclei (A18 e-core at 2.2 GHz). How Xiaomi has resolved. You already know that on Android We are going crazy with the large and powerful nucleiand that Apple is at its pace with large nuclei but focusing on the little ones. How has the Xiaomi ballot resolved? Looking for the maximum balance and with a unique architecture of ten nuclei. Two “large” nuclei (x925 to 3.9 GHz) Four “medium” high frequency nuclei (A725 to 3.4 GHz) Four “medium” cores at low frequency (A725 to 1.9 GHz) Four “small” nuclei (A520 to 1.8 GHz). Xiaomi’s idea is completely different from that of its competence and, at least at a technical level, a genius. If you want power, you have two more than capable nuclei, the same X925 of Dimensity 9400 with even more clock frequency. For the rest of the powerful but not so demanding tasks, A725 to 3.4 GHz nuclei are used. What Mediatek understands as low -consumption nuclei Xiaomi understands it as nuclei capable of executing virtually any task (even games). And, for low consumption tasks, A520 A520 nuclei are combined (really small nuclei, which have renounced Qualcomm and Mediatek) at a very low frequency. What they have achieved. Chinese chip analysts, such as Geekerwan, have already been able Try Xring 01and their conclusions are clear. In addition to having managed to package the set on an area of ​​only 109mm2 (smaller than that of its direct rivals), Xiaomi has achieved what could be expected from the design of its chip: They are leaders in energy efficiency in low and medium load tasks. This is especially relevant to the foot user. The high -end chips are designed to execute demanding tasks, but a mobile is a mobile, and the main load of tasks can be resolved by a group of low consumption nuclei, something that its direct competition (except Apple) seemed to have forgotten. Stay with three data: the FPS that reaches in games such as ‘Genshin Impact’, the watts it consumes and the temperature it reaches. Regarding performance, it varies quite a lot for task. In games that are currently Benchmark, such as ‘Genshin Impact’, manages to maintain the same stability as their direct rivals with a similar consumption and a temperature contained. In other games, Apple is still the king in energy efficiency. In short, when it works to the maximum it is at the level of the best, and when it works at half gas it consumes less energy. A Win-Win of manual. This does not translate into an absolute victory over its rivals, since the performance is not measured in absolute terms and depends completely on the specific task to be executed. What is clear is that, being the first chip that Xiaomi takes seriously, being at the level of Apple, Qualcomm and Mediatek is a key milestone. Not everything is CPU. So far we have focused on the CPU because the structure of this processor is unique and is a milestone in energy efficiency. But Xiaomi has also worked at the GPU, the part … Read more

We have been thinking for years that no one can cough Qualcomm and Mediatek. Xiaomi’s response: hold me the cubata

Guard on May 22, because we will be facing one of the most important events in the history of Xiaomi. In addition to presenting the Yu7its new electric SUV, the company will launch the Xiaomi 15s Prothe company’s first phone with a processor … of Xiaomi. Yes, neither Qualcomm nor MediaTk, Xiaomi already has its processor ready and, according to the information we have, it will be a blow to the table. A cry in the air that feels the bases on a path that they have been wanting to travel for some time: one similar to Huawei. Xringo1. It is not the easiest name to pronounce, but this is what the new Xiaomi processor will be called. This is the most important movement of the company in recent years, starting with an Xiaomi 15S Pro that will be a step below with respect to the Xiaomi 15 pro. Everything necessary. That is far Poquipotent chip C1 arises From 2017, or that is shown by the Bonchmarks. The new Xiaomi processor will have a some somewhat lower than a Snapdragon 8 Eliteand will be manufactured in the process of three TSMC nanometers. 2 nuclei high performance working 3.9Ghz 4 nuclei balanced working a 3.4Ghz 2 nuclei efficiency working 1.89GHz 2 nuclei of extra efficiency working at 1.8Ghz Its structure: ten nuclei (one never seen so far in phones), with at least two high performance and a maximum frequency of 3.9 GHz. According to the information available, the GPU will sign it Imagination Technologies (company after the Powervr GPU historically integrated into the Mediatek processors), with a maximum frequency of 1.3 GHz. Not just for mobile. Without giving too many details, Xiaomi herself has confirmed that this processor It will not be included only in mobile phones. The development of a chip is very expensive, and the company will integrate it into more devices in its ecosystem. More and more huawei, with an advantage. Xiaomi has a huge advantage over Huawei: it is not in the American Entity List. This allows you to access American technology, and this deal with TSMC puts the Xiaomi chip ahead of all Huawei’s proposals to date. Despite SMIC advancesChina is not having easy to advance in its lithographic processeswhile TSMC is leading this race. Nothing prevents Xiaomi from achieving processors as powerful and efficient as the best of Qualcomm and Mediatek if they share lithographic technology. A lesson. If Xiaomi embroider it with his processor, he will be giving a lesson to giants like Samsung. The South Korean company, the main world reference in Android telephone sales, has been facing problems with its exynos division for years. One that It has been losing money for a long timeand with which they fail to be competitive in specifications. In fact, for a while at this part the best mobiles of Samsung have ended up betting on Qualcomm. With the exception of Samsung and Huawei, no other manufacturer has dared in this incursion of the processor of his own. Xiaomi has a golden opportunity with its Xringo1. Image | Xataka In Xataka | The best Xiaomi mobile price: purchase and comparative guide

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