MediaTek and Qualcomm reduce GPU cores in flagship chips to cut costs

MediaTek and Qualcomm are subtly scaling down graphics cores in their top-tier mobile processors, enabling cost savings while maintaining CPU and AI performance, a move that could reshape premium smartphone manufacturing strategies.

MediaTek and Qualcomm are quietly trimming graphics cores in some of their premium mobile chips, a move that appears designed to lower costs without changing the CPU or AI blocks that most buyers see as defining a flagship device.

Evidence first surfaced in a Geekbench entry for a Vivo handset believed to be the iQOO Neo 11 Extreme Edition. According to Notebookcheck, the listing shows an Arm Mali-G1-Ultra MC11 GPU with 11 cores, rather than the 12-core Mali-G1-Ultra MC12 used in the standard Dimensity 9500. The test run, on Android 16, produced scores of 3,445 in single-core and 10,517 in multi-core benchmarking, while the CPU layout matched the regular chip.

The same pattern is emerging elsewhere in MediaTek’s range. Notebookcheck reported that the Dimensity 9500s, a renamed Dimensity 9400+, ships with different graphics configurations depending on the phone. The Redmi Turbo 5 Max uses the full Mali Immortalis-G925 MC12, while the Poco X8 Pro Max is said to use the cut-down MC11 version, even though both are described as 9500s models. That suggests MediaTek is binning, or sorting, chips not just between product tiers but also within the same class.

Qualcomm is taking a similar path with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 V Series. Qualcomm’s own product pages describe the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 as its latest top-tier mobile platform, built around a third-generation Oryon CPU and positioned around faster on-device AI and higher efficiency. But the V Series is presented as a selected variant with a reduced Adreno GPU, while the CPU and NPU remain unchanged, letting device makers keep flagship-branded compute and AI performance while easing cost pressure.

That approach matters because it changes where the compromise sits. CPU, neural processing and modem hardware are being left intact, while graphics performance takes the cut. For phone makers, that can preserve marketing claims around speed and AI without the expense of designing an entirely separate chip for lower-priced models. With memory and other component costs still under pressure in 2026, Notebookcheck argues that GPU binning is likely to become routine rather than exceptional. The caution is that benchmark leaks and unofficial teardowns do not always reflect the final retail configuration, so the eventual selling version may still differ.