Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 vs Dimensity 9600 Pro: Early Geekbench Scores Reveal a Performance Gap
Qualcomm and MediaTek are preparing to introduce their next-generation flagship mobile chipsets this month, and early benchmark results are already giving smartphone fans a first look at what to expect. The upcoming chips are expected to arrive as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and the Dimensity 9600 Pro, both designed to power premium Android phones in the next wave of high-performance devices.
Ahead of their official launch, both processors have appeared in Geekbench 7 listings. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 was tested on what appears to be a Qualcomm reference device, while the Dimensity 9600 Pro showed up inside an Oppo handset believed to be the Find X10 Pro Max.
Based on these early results, Qualcomm appears to have the stronger showing. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 recorded a single-core score of 3,582 and a multi-core score of 12,247. MediaTek’s Dimensity 9600 Pro trailed behind with a single-core score of 3,242 and a multi-core score of 11,132.
These numbers suggest that Qualcomm’s upcoming flagship chip may offer a noticeable CPU performance advantage, especially in tasks that rely heavily on single-core speed. That could translate into faster app launches, smoother system responsiveness, improved gaming performance, and stronger results in demanding workloads.
However, it is important to keep the results in context. Both chipsets were tested using Geekbench 7, meaning these scores should not be directly compared with Geekbench 6 results. Benchmark versions can use different testing methods, so comparing scores across versions may lead to inaccurate conclusions.
Still, the early performance jump looks promising. For reference, a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 device such as the Xiaomi 17 Ultra reportedly reached 2,898 in single-core and 9,451 in multi-core testing on Geekbench 7. Compared with those figures, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 appears to deliver roughly a 25% CPU performance uplift over its predecessor.
The Dimensity 9600 Pro is also expected to bring a major generational improvement. Earlier benchmark appearances have suggested that MediaTek’s new flagship chip could deliver a performance gain closer to 30% compared with its previous generation. Even though it currently falls short of Qualcomm’s early results, it still looks like a powerful upgrade for future premium Android smartphones.
As always, synthetic benchmarks only tell part of the story. Real-world performance will depend on factors such as thermal management, power efficiency, software optimization, memory configuration, and the final retail hardware used by smartphone brands. A reference device or pre-release phone may not fully reflect how these chipsets will perform in commercial models.
With both Qualcomm and MediaTek set to reveal their new flagship platforms soon, the competition in the high-end Android chipset market is heating up quickly. If these early Geekbench 7 scores are accurate, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 could take the early lead in raw CPU performance, while the Dimensity 9600 Pro may still offer a strong alternative for brands looking to deliver powerful flagship phones.
