MediaTek's latest chip could be good news for fans of flip-style foldables

MediaTek recently announced the launch of its latest chipsets, the Dimensity 7300 and 7300X. These new processors are built on a 4nm process, designed for high performance and energy efficiency. However, what truly caught our attention was MediaTek announcing that “…the Dimensity 7300X is designed with flip-style foldable devices in mind, providing support for dual displays.”

This could have significant implications for the smartphone market, as it hints at the possibility of more affordable flip-style foldable phones becoming available in the near future. While MediaTek hasn’t disclosed which specific phones will be powered by these new chips or provided a timeline for their launch, current rumors point towards the upcoming Motorola Moto Razr (2024) featuring the Dimensity 7300X.

The Moto Razr (2023), with its $699 price tag (often discounted to $499), is already one of the more affordable foldable phones out there. With the 7300X’s potential to further reduce costs, the possibility of foldable phones priced around $500 seems increasingly plausible.

How good are the Dimensity 7300 chips?

In recent iterations, MediaTek’s Dimensity 7000 series chipsets have gradually shifted from mid-range to the lower end of the spectrum, employing older CPU cores and operating at lower frequencies. The Dimensity 7300 and 7300X are no exception, both incorporating ARM’s Cortex-A78 cores (from 2020). Complementing these are the Cortex-A55 efficiency cores and Mali-G615 GPUs, promising a balance of power and energy efficiency.

Despite their position in the lower to mid-tier range, MediaTek claims that the Dimensity 7300 and 7300X can deliver 20% faster frame rates and 20% better energy efficiency compared to their competitors.

The 7300X’s dual-display support, however, remains its most defining feature. We anticipate this means the chipset can intelligently adapt to whichever screen is active, possibly adjusting power consumption or clock speeds to optimize performance and battery life.

This could prove essential for flip-style foldables, which are often limited by tight internal space constraints. Additionally, the improved energy efficiency could significantly enhance the battery life of flip-style foldable devices, addressing a key concern that could impact widespread adoption.

The Dimensity 7300 and 7300X also come packed with other noteworthy features, including a dual-SIM 5G modem, tri-band Wi-Fi 6E support, and MediaTek’s 5G UltraSave 3.0+ technology for further power optimization. They both also feature the Imagiq 950 image processing core, capable of handling 200-megapixel cameras.

The 2024 Moto Razr launch is expected to be announced anytime now, so hopefully, we won’t have to wait too long to see the Dimensity 7300X in action.