There was a time when the performance gap betweenaffordable mid-range Android smartphonesand high-end flagships was massive – but with modern chipsets, that space is slowly narrowing down. That said, chip-makers continue to push boundaries, and here at Computex 2025, MediaTek has confirmed it’s working on advanced 2nm chipsets.
During the company’s recent keynote, MediaTek CEO and Vice Chairperson Rick Tsai announced that the company will tape out its first 2nm chipsets in September 2025. This not only positions MediaTek as the first to reach the 2nm milestone, but could also place it ahead of Apple and Qualcomm, who are expected to continue using 3nm node architecture throughout this year.
Current flagship processors, such as the Snapdragon 8 Elite (found in phones like theOnePlus 13andGalaxy S25) and Apple’s A17 Pro (in the iPhone 16 Pro), are all based on TSMC’s 3nm process.
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MediaTek might beat everyone to the punch with its 2nm chip
The 2nm race is on
According to MediaTek, its upcoming 2nm chips will offer 15% improved performance and 25% less power consumption compared to current 3nm chips. These improvements could be a major leap forward for Android devices, especially as brands look to push hardware limits by adding more and moreon-device AI featuresto their phones.
It’s worth noting that the company has used the phrase “tape out,” which refers to the finalization of a chip’s design and specifications before it moves into production. MediaTek is expected to continue its manufacturing partnership with TSMC, which has alreadyconfirmedthat its N2 2nm process will enter mass production in 2026. This aligns right with MediaTek’s timeline, although it still doesn’t guarantee the chip maker will launch 2nm chips before everyone else.
We don’t yet know the name or specifics of MediaTek’s upcoming chipset, but the company seems well-positioned to challenge both Apple and Qualcomm at the flagship level. MediaTek chips have already become increasingly competitive with Qualcomm’s offerings, and releasing 2nm chipsets could be a big step forward for the brand in the flagship processor space.
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