In line with the rumors, MediaTek has today taken the wraps off its newest 5G chipset and it’s the Dimensity 820 5G. The company already has the Dimensity 800 chipset in its portfolio but it’s now moving ahead with an upgrade. It now offers more power and attempts to make 5G more accessible to the masses. Dimensity 820 still sits below the flagship Dimensity 1000 chipset but is set to take on the Snapdragon 765G in the mid-range space.
MediaTek Dimensity 820: What’s New
Dimensity 820 is still based on TSMC’s 7nm FinFET process. The core architecture is also the same as Dimensity 800 but you can now see that the new chipset has a higher frequency. It includes four high-performance Cortex-A76 cores clocked at up to 2.6GHz as compared to 2.0GHz on the Dimensity 800. The four efficiency Cortex-A55 cores continue to be clocked at 2.0GHz.
Another noticeable change, at least on paper, is the 5-core ARM Mali-G57 GPU as compared to the 4-core GPU aboard the Dimensity 800. MediaTek hasn’t shared the clock speed for the GPU but it does support HyperEngine 2.0 for enhanced gaming performance.
The Dimensity 820 brings another essential upgrade in 2020. It now supports up to Full-HD+ 120Hz display panels in comparison to 90Hz panels on its predecessor. MediaTek further adds that phone makers can offer HDR10 support, convert content from SD to HD, and more using its MiraVision display technology.
Smartphones backed by this chipset can include up to 80MP cameras – minor upgrade over 64MP and quad-camera systems on the rear. The new MediaTek Imagiq 5.0 ISP also enables multi-frame 4K HDR video recording, action camera-grade EIS, video bokeh mode, and other camera features. There’s an upgraded AI processing unit, MediaTek APU 3.0, in tow as well.
This chipset comes with an integrated 5G modem, like its predecessor, and supports both standard and non-standard sub-6GHz 5G networks. Dimensity 820 supports 5G Carrier Aggregation, 5G dual SIM-dual standby (DSDS), 5G UltraSave technologies for enhanced battery life.
As for when we should expect to see a Dimensity 820-powered phone to make its way to the market, our best guess would be the second half of 2020. Redmi is rumored to be working on a new mid-range smartphone with this 5G chipset in tow. So, let’s wait and watch whether this upcoming device arrives in India or not.
