Samsung picks MediaTek again: Galaxy Tab S12 tipped to run Dimensity 9500
Samsung is skipping Qualcomm again for its next flagship tablet. A teardown of the Samsung AI Core app by Android Authority uncovered a reference to the chip model MT6993—the internal designation for MediaTek's Dimensity 9500—suggesting the Galaxy Tab S12 will continue Samsung's MediaTek streak rather than return to Snapdragon. For anyone shopping premium Android tablets in 2026, this is the chip story to watch.
Not a one-off
The Tab S10 and Tab S11 both shipped with flagship Dimensity processors, so the Tab S12 following suit is less a surprise and more a confirmation of strategy. Samsung has been quietly moving away from Qualcomm in its tablet lineup, and the reasoning is straightforward: Qualcomm raises Snapdragon prices every cycle, while MediaTek has closed the performance gap enough to make the switch commercially sensible.
The Dimensity 9500 is built on TSMC's 3nm process and trades slightly lower CPU peak performance for better sustained gaming performance and lower temperatures under load—advantages that matter on a large-screen device people actually use for extended sessions.
The AI angle
The AI Core teardown also surfaced a list of on-device AI features tied to the Dimensity 9500. Running AI locally—rather than sending data to the cloud—means faster responses and fewer privacy concerns. The features spotted in the code include:
- Wallpaper generation from text prompts - Image expansion (sometimes called in-painting), which fills in the edges of a cropped photo - Generative object editing directly on the device - Image Harmonization, which adjusts color and lighting when compositing scenes
None of these are confirmed as shipping features, but their presence in Samsung's own app code is a reliable signal.
What to expect
The Tab S12 is rumored to arrive in September 2026 with a 12.4-inch AMOLED display running at 120Hz. Pricing and regional availability haven't been announced, and Samsung hasn't confirmed any specs officially. A smaller base model doesn't appear to be in the cards this year.
The broader takeaway: MediaTek is no longer a budget-tier compromise. On gaming benchmarks, the Dimensity 9500 trades blows with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5—and in some sustained-load tests, it pulls ahead on thermals. Samsung unifying its tablet lineup around a single chipmaker also means less software fragmentation and, in theory, faster updates across all markets simultaneously.
