MediaTek to launch upgraded mid-tier 5G smartphone chipsets in H1 2021

It's been less than a week since MediaTek introduced its top-tier 5G smartphone chipsets, but the Taiwanese company isn't done yet for this first half of the year. Rumor has it that two other 5G chipsets will be announced in H1 2021, but they will be less powerful than the Dimensity 1200 and 1100 chipsets that were revealed last week.

Digitimes reports citing industry sources that upgraded versions of MediaTek's Dimensity 800 and 700 5G chipsets will be announced in Q2 2021. The first one, the upgraded version of the Dimensity 700 SoC is expected to be introduced in early Q2 2021, while the upgraded Dimensity 800 is most likely set for reveal at MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2021.

For those who don't know, MWC 2021 is no longer scheduled to take place in the first quarter of the year. Instead, organizers decided to tentatively move it to the end of June (June 28-July 1), although these are just temporary dates for the moment.

According to the reports, the upcoming Dimensity chipsets are designed for high-end to mid-range 5G smartphones, so one tier lower than the newly announced Dimensity 1200 and 1100. One other piece of information we already know about the upcoming SoCs is that they will continue to support sub-6GHz 5G, enhanced multimedia capabilities, and improved gaming performance.

Sub-6GHz 5G, while faster than 4G, it's not as fast as mmWave. However, because it can penetrate objects and has a longer range, it makes it more appealing for carriers, as it's much easier to implement than mmWave.