Outside of Samsung, it’s not typically that two comparable flagship telephones launch with fully completely different silicon inside, however with the Find X9 Pro and X9 Ultra, we’ve got a uncommon alternative for an fascinating benchmark comparability. With the Ultra powered by Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and the opposite by MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500, that is about as shut as we get to a like-for-like chipset showdown.
Because each gadgets share comparable specs, cooling approaches, and software program optimizations, this comparability strips away most of the traditional variables and places the highlight squarely on the silicon. That provides us a uncommon likelihood to see how Qualcomm and MediaTek’s top-tier 2026 processors actually stack up when every thing else is held (principally) equal.
Two telephones, identical model, completely different chips; a singular benchmarking alternative.
It’s price noting that the Pro has a display decision of 1,272×2,772, in comparison with 1,440×3,168 for the Ultra. However, 3DMark’s graphics assessments we’ll be utilizing render at a set decision (usually 2560×1440) and easily scale to suit, so the completely different shows received’t have an effect on performance. I even have the 16GB RAM within the X9 Pro, however simply 12GB within the Ultra. Again, the benchmarks we’re operating aren’t going to return near maxing this out, so it received’t affect the outcomes right here.
The most essential issue right here is that we’ve got two telephones that ought to use very comparable, if not an identical, performance and battery optimizations, but they run two completely different chips. So let’s dive in to see what our traditional benchmarks need to say.
Snapdragon vs Dimensit:y 2026 version
Starting with CPU assessments through Geekbench 6, we are able to see that Qualcomm’s customized Oryon CPU cores proceed to guide the Arm C1-Ultra and C1-Pro. This provides the Find X9 Ultra a 13.5% single-core achieve over its older sibling, a marginal win for uncommon conditions that require just a little further grunt, comparable to sport emulation. Multi-core is comparable, with a 13.1% win for the Snapdragon, which could translate into nearly tangible features when the cellphone is working onerous on a number of or multi-threaded duties.
This profit interprets over to PC Mark’s Work 3.0 duties, which take a look at performance throughout simulated video enhancing, doc compression, and different widespread duties. Once once more, the Snapdragon comes out 14.8% forward right here, additionally proving that extra RAM doesn’t translate into extra performance in these work-related benchmarks.
The outcomes are considerably turned on their head after we transfer to graphics. Arm’s G1-Ultra GPU has made stable features this 12 months and really now outperforms Qualcomm’s Adreno 840 within the single-run 3DMark assessments I ran. MediaTek’s chip scores a 5.9% win within the demanding Wild Life Extreme take a look at and palms in a extra substantial 13.3% win within the ray-tracing-based Solar Bay take a look at. That latter outcome factors to an honest lead for Arm, although ray tracing stays a distinct segment in cellular video games. In most Android video games, performance is more likely to be very, very shut between these two chips.
Unfortunately, the Find X9 Pro doesn’t maintain this performance lead for very lengthy. It solely takes a few runs/minutes for the Ultra to take the lead, and it holds an affordable benefit for about half of the stress assessments. In the second half, each telephones are throttling fairly onerous, with outcomes leaping up and down as performance is reduce to permit them to chill off. The behavour is fairly comparable on each fashions, although the Ultra just a little extra erratic.
You will notice, nevertheless, that the Find X9 Pro runs considerably cooler, holding its temperatures beneath 40°C (104°F), whereas the Ultra virtually hits 49°C (120°F) earlier than throttling actually hits onerous. This leads to a a lot hotter handset with the Ultra. Given that the 2 find yourself with very comparable performance ranges by the tip of the stress assessments, I’d argue the MediaTek chip is doing a greater job on steadiness, and will surely be extra snug to carry throughout these lengthy gaming periods.
If you’re questioning, the OPPO Find X9 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 implementation sits proper in the course of the pack amongst different 2026 flagships that use the identical chip.
While it’s just a few share factors behind the overclocked Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy within the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, it marginally outperforms the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and the OnePlus 15. Based on these outcomes, MediaTek’s flagship chip is nearer to Qualcomm’s higher-clocked mannequin in graphics and even beats it in ray tracing performance. That’s undoubtedly excellent news for avid gamers on the lookout for extra selection in {hardware}.
Is Snapdragon nonetheless the quickest chip? It’s sophisticated
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Ultimately, this head-to-head highlights simply how aggressive the flagship chipset house has turn into in 2026. Qualcomm nonetheless holds a measurable edge in CPU performance, however MediaTek has closed the gap considerably whereas pushing forward in areas like GPU effectivity and thermals.
For most customers, these variations shall be onerous to note in day-to-day use, and that’s maybe the largest takeaway: each chips ship extra performance than trendy smartphones realistically want. Instead of a transparent winner, what we’re seeing is a shift towards parity — and that’s nice information for customers. Whether you go for the Snapdragon-powered Ultra or the Dimensity-equipped Pro, you’re getting a top-tier expertise with only a few compromises both manner.
Arm’s G1-Ultra GPU has closed the gap on Adreno after which some.
Still, on the performance extremes, Qualcomm’s customized Oryon CPU cores proceed to carry a bonus over Arm’s newest in-house cores. This stays a differentiator in bridging the gap between cellular and laptop computer performance. However, with only a few CPU-bound smartphone duties, it’s not fully clear how giant this lead is, particularly as AI duties are more and more offloaded to NPU, GPU, and even AI-accelerator elements like Arm’s SME2 within the Dimensity 9500.
Personally, I feel the graphics entrance is a extra fascinating battleground in in the present day’s market. Not as a result of cellular video games demand larger body charges; each chipsets are overkill for the most well-liked Android titles, even with 120fps and graphics cranked up. But somewhat, it’s about delivering excessive body charges and graphical constancy with affordable energy consumption and comfy temperatures for handheld use. While these two chips appear fairly evenly matched in performance, MediaTek’s use of the Arm G1 Ultra seems to present it a bonus in ray tracing and total temperatures.
While the outcomes are too near name for an outright winner based mostly on these benchmarks, I’ll say that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is just not the one premium possibility on the town. You’re definitely not lacking out on a lot for those who picked the Find X9 Pro over the Ultra, no less than not within the chipset division.