Qualcomm and MediaTek are the only two meaningful players in the smartphone baseband and application processor market. Samsung and Apple both have a strong presence but only support their own devices. Qualcomm and MediaTek are the only viable options for other smartphone OEMs like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo. MediaTek is the market share leader regarding total units shipped, mainly in the mid to low-end devices. On the other hand, Qualcomm has a robust presence in the premium market and leads the market in terms of revenue.

MediaTek has been trying to push into the premium segment for several years, especially with the 5G proliferation and the launch of the Dimensity series last year. The push has only seen limited results so far, with only a handful of devices adopting the premium tier Dimensity 1000 processors in 2021. Earlier this week, the company announced the latest Dimensity 9000 processor, its latest effort to create a flagship SoC with a very long list of features and specifications. It is also the first piece of silicon built on TSMC’s 4nm process node. Anandtech has a comprehensive introduction of the new SoC for anyone interested. Check out the Futurum Research article on why the Dimensity 9000 is not a legitimate premium SoC for those who might be cynical. 

Qualcomm is not sitting still either. On November 30th, Qualcomm is expected to announce its latest Snapdragon SoC called 8Gx Gen 1. Some leaked information is available online, but we would like to wait for the official announcement before making any predictions. But given that Qualcomm announced a 2-year customer commitment for premium devices from all major Chinese smartphone OEMs only two weeks ago, the odds seem to be in Qualcomm’s favor.