{
  "id": 8215081,
  "title": "Processors Make Up Nearly Half of Flagship Phones’ Cost Now",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/processors-make-up-nearly-half-of-flagship-phones-cost-now",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-18T08:37:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ProPakistani",
    "slug": "propakistani",
    "url": "https://propakistani.pk/2026/09/18/processors-make-up-nearly-half-of-flagship-phones-cost-now/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "MediaTek's Dimensity 9600 Pro, a cutting-edge flagship mobile processor, has reportedly become substantially more expensive than its predecessor, reflecting the escalating costs associated with next-generation 2nm smartphone chips. According to a report by Taiwanese outlet TaiSounds, the Dimensity 9600 Pro could cost up to $220 per chip, making it MediaTek's priciest flagship SoC until now. This price is higher than the previous generation Dimensity 9500, which reportedly cost between $180 and $200 per chip.\n\nQualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, Qualcomm's counterpart to MediaTek's Dimensity 9600 Pro, is reportedly priced at around $300 per chip, while Apple's A20 Pro is said to cost close to $280. Consequently, the higher cost of the Dimensity 9600 Pro chips narrows the usual revenue gap between MediaTek and Qualcomm in the premium smartphone market.\n\nThe higher costs can be attributed to MediaTek's utilization of TSMC's advanced 2nm manufacturing process, which requires more resources and results in the production of chips with over 33 billion transistors. MediaTek's Vice President and General Manager of the Wireless Communications Business Unit, Hsu Ching-Chuan, also mentioned that MediaTek is collaborating with partners to reduce the physical size of memory chips and develop related technologies to control overall system costs.\n\nThe Dimensity 9600 Pro is set for premium smartphones, with the first devices utilizing this chipset expected to arrive in the coming weeks. This price increase could potentially exert additional pressure on the final retail prices of devices incorporating this platform. On the other hand, the higher cost reflects a broader industry trend where moving to 2nm processors is driving up the price of flagship chips across the industry. The Dimensity 9600 Pro is a part of this broader trend, reflecting the industry's shift towards advanced manufacturing and on-device AI capabilities.",
  "summary": "MediaTek’s new Dimensity 9600 Pro is reportedly significantly more expensive than its predecessor, reflecting the rising cost of next-generation 2nm … Read More The post Processors Make Up Nearly Half of Flagship Phones’ Cost Now appeared first on ProPakistani .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}