MediaTek Dimensity 8350: A Closer Look at Its Features

MediaTek has recently announced the Dimensity 8350 SoC, a new chipset set to power the upcoming Oppo Reno 13, Reno 13 Pro, and Oppo Pad 3. While the Dimensity 8350 brings some promising improvements over its predecessor, the Dimensity 8300, it doesn’t appear to be a revolutionary leap in terms of overall architecture. Let’s take a closer look at what’s new, what’s stayed the same, and whether it’s worth the upgrade.

Design and Performance: Similar to the Dimensity 8300

The Dimensity 8350 is built on a 4nm manufacturing process, just like the Dimensity 8300, offering excellent power efficiency and performance. It’s equipped with an octa-core CPU, featuring four Cortex-A715 cores clocked at 3.35GHz for high-performance tasks, paired with four Cortex-A510 cores for efficiency. This combination aims to provide a balanced experience for both heavy-duty tasks, such as gaming, and everyday operations, like browsing and multitasking.

Despite having nearly identical CPU cores as the Dimensity 8300, the Dimensity 8350 includes a few enhancements that may offer some minor improvements in performance, particularly in gaming and energy efficiency.

Gaming Focus: The New StarSpeed Engine

One of the most notable changes in the Dimensity 8350 is the introduction of the StarSpeed Engine, a new gaming technology designed to offer improved gaming experiences. MediaTek claims that the StarSpeed Engine brings several improvements over the previous HyperEngine found in the Dimensity 8300, including:

• 10% reduction in power consumption: This is especially noticeable during extended gaming sessions, where the chip consumes less power, leading to longer battery life.

• 24% increase in scene transition speed: This means faster in-game transitions, making for a smoother overall gaming experience.

• Low jitter: This helps reduce stuttering or lag, ensuring a more stable gaming experience.

However, MediaTek doesn’t clarify whether these improvements are relative to the Dimensity 8300 or another reference chipset, leaving some ambiguity around the exact nature of the performance gains. While the StarSpeed Engine does promise notable benefits, its impact may be more incremental than revolutionary.

Graphics and Display Capabilities

The Dimensity 8350 comes with the Mali-G615 MC6 GPU, a mid-to-high-end graphics processor capable of delivering smooth and high-quality graphics rendering. This GPU is well-suited for handling demanding games and applications, offering a stable frame rate and detailed visuals.

In terms of display capabilities, the Dimensity 8350 supports FullHD+ displays at up to 180Hz and WQHD+ displays at up to 120Hz. These high refresh rates make it an attractive option for smartphones and tablets with fluid, smooth display experiences, ideal for gaming, streaming, and content creation.

Memory, Storage, and AI Enhancements

The Dimensity 8350 supports Quad-channel LPDDR5X RAM with speeds of up to 8533Mbps, ensuring that the chipset can handle demanding tasks without slowing down. This is paired with support for UFS 4.0 storage, enabling fast read and write speeds for smoother app launches, faster game loading times, and more responsive overall performance.

On the AI front, the Dimensity 8350 integrates the MediaTek NPU 780, a multi-core Neural Processing Unit designed to accelerate AI tasks such as camera optimizations, voice assistants, and other machine learning-based functions. This makes the Dimensity 8350 an ideal choice for devices that rely heavily on AI for photography and other smart features.

Imaging: Advanced Photography and Video Recording

For imaging, the Dimensity 8350 supports an impressive 320MP camera sensor for single-lens configurations, or triple 32MP cameras in multi-camera setups. These capabilities provide excellent options for smartphones and tablets, enabling detailed, high-resolution photos and versatile camera configurations.

The chipset can also record 4K video at 60fps, allowing for smooth and high-quality video capture. Whether you’re filming in bright light or low-light conditions, the Dimensity 8350 is built to support advanced imaging features, including AI-driven photography improvements.

Connectivity: Modern Standards for Speed and Reliability

As for connectivity, the Dimensity 8350 offers Bluetooth 5.4, 5G support, and Wi-Fi 6E. These technologies ensure fast, stable wireless connectivity, whether you’re streaming content, browsing the web, or playing online games. The inclusion of Wi-Fi 6E also means that the chipset is future-proofed to take advantage of the latest Wi-Fi technology, which provides faster speeds and reduced latency.

Oppo’s Exclusive Partnership

As of now, the Oppo Reno 13, Reno 13 Pro, and Oppo Pad 3 are the first confirmed devices to feature the Dimensity 8350 chipset. Oppo has secured the initial launch of this chip, making their devices the first to benefit from the enhanced performance and gaming features the Dimensity 8350 brings.

Should You Upgrade?

The Dimensity 8350 isn’t a massive upgrade over the Dimensity 8300, but it does offer some notable enhancements, particularly in the realm of gaming and power efficiency. The introduction of the StarSpeed Engine is a key improvement, promising better performance during gaming sessions with lower power consumption and faster scene transitions. For those who primarily use their device for gaming or other graphics-intensive applications, the Dimensity 8350 offers a solid upgrade.

However, for users coming from the Dimensity 8300, the improvements may not feel groundbreaking. If you’re already satisfied with the performance of your current device, the Dimensity 8350 may not offer a compelling enough reason to upgrade, unless you’re particularly interested in the new gaming features or the improved power efficiency.

Final Thoughts

The MediaTek Dimensity 8350 is a solid and capable chipset, providing good performance improvements over its predecessor in areas like gaming, power efficiency, and AI. While it’s not a massive leap forward, the StarSpeed Engine does offer notable benefits for gamers, and the chipset’s modern connectivity features ensure it’s future-proof for years to come. With Oppo’s new devices adopting the Dimensity 8350 as their primary chipset, it’s clear that MediaTek is positioning this SoC as a strong contender in the mid-range and premium smartphone and tablet market.

If you’re in the market for a device powered by this chipset, the Oppo Reno 13 and Oppo Pad 3 are among the first to feature it, making them some of the most exciting devices to look out for in the coming months.

FAQs

1. What is the difference between the Dimensity 8350 and its predecessor, the Dimensity 8300?

The Dimensity 8350 offers several enhancements, particularly in gaming performance and power efficiency. It introduces the new StarSpeed Engine, which promises a 10% reduction in power consumption and 24% faster scene transitions compared to the previous HyperEngine in the Dimensity 8300. However, the core architecture, including the 4nm process and the Cortex-A715 cores, remains largely the same as the 8300.

2. What gaming improvements does the Dimensity 8350 offer?

The StarSpeed Engine in the Dimensity 8350 is designed to optimize gaming performance. It helps reduce power consumption by up to 10%, especially in high-frame-rate gaming scenarios, while improving scene transition speed by 24% and reducing jitter for a smoother, more stable gaming experience.

3. What kind of camera support does the Dimensity 8350 offer?

The Dimensity 8350 supports up to a 320MP camera for single-lens configurations or triple 32MP camera setups. It also supports 4K video recording at 60fps, making it an excellent choice for smartphones and tablets with high-end photography and video capabilities.

4. Does the Dimensity 8350 support 5G?

Yes, the Dimensity 8350 supports 5G connectivity, ensuring faster download speeds, lower latency, and improved overall network performance. It also supports Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 6E, ensuring modern and reliable wireless connections.

5. Which devices will feature the MediaTek Dimensity 8350?

The Oppo Reno 13, Reno 13 Pro, and Oppo Pad 3 are the first confirmed devices to feature the Dimensity 8350. These devices will take advantage of the chip’s enhanced gaming performance, AI capabilities, and connectivity features.