MediaTek has launched its Dimensity 8450, igniting the premium mid-range smartphone segment with some serious competition. Built on an all-big core design, the chip delivers a noticeable leap in raw CPU power and pairs it with a flagship-grade GPU. OPPO has already confirmed the Reno 14 Pro will debut with the new processor in India, with more brands likely to follow soon.

But this isn’t just another routine upgrade. The Dimensity 8450 brings flagship-class performance to far more affordable devices, making it a natural choice for the next wave of flagship killers. With this launch, MediaTek isn’t just catching up; it’s aiming to reshape the mid-premium landscape altogether.

The biggest highlight of the Dimensity 8450 is its all-big core design featuring eight Cortex-A725 cores, each supporting a peak clock speed of up to 3.25GHz. This configuration is normally found only on top-end flagship chips, and the mid-range segment is known to use a combination of four big cores and four efficiency cores.

The all-big core design helps the Dimensity 8450 to achieve higher peak performance. When the chip is idle, the cores run a lower clock speed, but when you run demanding tasks, all eight cores can ramp up to their complete potential, instead of just four. This makes the new MediaTek deliver a flagship-level stability during high-performance activities.

The GPU also gets a huge upgrade as the Dimensity 8450 comes with the Mali-G720 MC7 graphics unit. This is a flagship-grade GPU featuring seven cores and is over 25% faster than its predecessor. It also introduces support for MediaTek Frame Rate Converter, which uses advanced algorithms to boost the frame rate in gaming. The chip can not only deliver a stable 120fps gaming experience, but also maintain this high frame rate even in extended gaming sessions using this technology.

The Dimensity 8450 features the MediaTek NPU 880, which can locally run leading large language models on a smartphone. Considering the rapid developments in the AI landscape and smartphones adapting to it faster than ever, the upgraded NPU makes the new chip ready for generative AI applications. MediaTek has also integrated the Dimensity Agentic AI Engine, which can be used by software developers to utilise the full potential of the NPU, just like a hand guide.

The upgrades don’t just stop here. The Dimensity 8450 brings the new Imagiq 1080 ISP. This new image signal processor brings support for 4K 60fps HDR video recording, something which was limited to just flagship processors until now. This unlocks several new doors to professional-grade videography on smartphones, at an affordable price. However, the implementation will depend on the smartphone OEM, but the infrastructure has been set by MediaTek.

The chip cuts no corners in connectivity as it supports 5G speeds of up to 5.17 Gbps. It also supports WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4, enabling seamless wireless connections with high-bandwidth routers and top-end wireless headsets. However, it would have been better if MediaTek had brought Bluetooth 6.0, but it looks like we will have to wait for it.

OPPO Reno 14 Pro To Feature Dimensity 8450

OPPO has confirmed that it will soon launch the Reno 14 Pro in India with the new Dimensity 8450 chip. The company has already started teasing the device on its social media handles. The Reno Series is known for its powerful cameras paired with pure raw performance capabilities. The Dimensity 8450 is the perfect fit for the new Reno device with all the upgrades that the chip brings with it.