MediaTek’s new Dimensity 9500 just scored an early win. Vivo’s freshly launched X300 series is the first to ship with the flagship chip, and fresh AnTuTu benchmarks suggest it can outmuscle Qualcomm’s latest in at least one real-world comparison.
In side-by-side testing under seemingly identical conditions, the Vivo X300 Pro posted a total AnTuTu score of 3,956,885, edging out the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5-powered Xiaomi 17 Pro Max at 3,731,077. Notably, that Xiaomi figure is higher than what the phone currently shows on AnTuTu’s public chart, underscoring that both devices are performing near the top of today’s Android field.
Digging into the sub-scores, the X300 Pro led in CPU, GPU, and Memory, though the margins were modest rather than runaway. Power and thermals told a more nuanced story: both phones dropped about 5% battery during the test, despite the Vivo carrying a significantly smaller cell. The Xiaomi, however, ran cooler, hinting at different performance tuning and thermal targets between the two devices.
What does this mean for shoppers and performance enthusiasts? First, the Dimensity 9500 looks firmly competitive at the ultra-premium tier, countering early lab results that suggested a clear Qualcomm lead. Second, implementation matters. The Xiaomi 17 lineup may be opting for conservative tuning or software that has room to mature. More Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 flagships from brands like OnePlus and Honor are slated to arrive this month, and early showings on devices like the MagicPad3 Pro indicate the chipset still has plenty of headroom in the right hardware and software environment.
Bottom line: 2025’s Android flagship race is shaping up to be closer than expected. Short, synthetic benchmarks are only one piece of the puzzle; sustained performance, heat management, battery efficiency, gaming stability, camera processing, and AI features will ultimately decide the real-world champion. If you’re weighing an upgrade, keep an eye on broader cross-device testing and subsequent software updates that can shift these early results.
