MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Ultra Chipset Review — Specifications and Benchmarks

The "Dimensity 8500 Ultra" is one of several releases of the same base Dimensity 8500 platform (announced on 15 January 2026). MediaTek issued multiple names for the same underlying design depending on the manufacturing partner: the standard "Dimensity 8500" (in the Honor Power 2), "Ultra" (in the global Poco X8 Pro) and "Extreme" in other models.

The differences between these releases are very small, limited to slight variations in benchmark results (most likely down to chip binning rather than an architectural change), while the core layout and GPU are practically identical across all of them.

That marketing distinction deserves spelling out, so no reader assumes "Ultra" is fundamentally stronger than the base version.

Performance: a bold all-big-core design

The chip continues the "All Big Core" philosophy MediaTek began with the Dimensity 8400: eight architecturally identical Cortex-A725 cores at staggered clocks — one prime core at 3.4 GHz, three performance cores at 3.2 GHz and four more at 2.2 GHz, with no traditional efficiency cores (Cortex-A5xx) at all.

That represents roughly a 7% improvement over the previous generation (Dimensity 8400), according to MediaTek.

Actual results: about 2,136,906 points in AnTuTu (the Ultra specifically, in the Poco X8 Pro), roughly 1,708–1,725 in single-core Geekbench and between 6,297 and 6,860 in multi-core depending on the device, storage and memory.

Those numbers put the chip in direct, serious competition with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, especially in multi-core — although Qualcomm's rival leads it by about 13% in CPU and 23% in graphics per independent tests.

GPU: real progress, still behind the direct rival

The chip uses a Mali-G720 MC8 (an upgrade over the MC7 in the Dimensity 8400), clocked at up to 1300–1500 MHz depending on the source, with hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

MediaTek claims 25% higher peak performance and 20% lower power draw than the previous generation.

Direct comparisons with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, however, showed Qualcomm's rival clearly ahead in stability across long sessions and frame-rate consistency under sustained load.

AI: a clear focus on generative intelligence

The chip carries the advanced NPU 880, with mixed-precision INT4 quantisation and on-device generative AI capabilities including live translation and image generation, plus compatibility with MediaTek's Dimensity AI Development Kit and the major global language models.

Memory and storage: strong specifications for the price

The chip supports LPDDR5X memory at up to 9600 Mbps (up to 12% more bandwidth than the previous generation) with UFS 4.1 storage, as seen in the actual Poco X8 Pro specifications — very strong for the upper mid-range price tier, approaching flagship level.

Connectivity: the one noticeable weakness

The chip supports 5G-Advanced with theoretical download speeds up to 5.17 Gbps, triple carrier aggregation and dual-standby dual 5G SIM. On short-range wireless, though, it tops out at Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4, while its direct rival the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 offers newer standards (Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0) — worth weighing for anyone after longer future-proofing.

Camera: a strong, clearly specified image processor

The chip relies on the Imagiq 1080 image processor with AI Zero Shutter Lag, 4K HDR video support and semantic segmentation for automatic image-quality improvement.

Verdict

The Dimensity 8500 Ultra is a strong continuation of MediaTek's all-big-core philosophy, with excellent multi-threaded CPU performance and top-tier memory/storage for its price class.

But it is not a complete rival to the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 in graphics performance and stability, nor in the newest wireless standards.

It remains an excellent choice for strong processing performance and fast storage at a reasonable price — but the heaviest gamers, and anyone wanting longer connectivity future-proofing, may prefer the Qualcomm alternative.