OnePlus's flagship, the OnePlus 10R (and its Chinese equivalent, the OnePlus Ace), is powered by the Dimensity 8100-MAX, a custom variant of MediaTek's Dimensity 8100 processor that was announced in March 2022. So, what gives this chip an edge over the standard version? In 2021, MediaTek announced the Dimensity 5G Open Resource Architecture, allowing phone manufacturers to customize certain aspects of its Dimensity 5G chipsets.

The customizable features include camera processing engines, multimedia (display processors and audio hardware), hybrid multiprocessing (CPU, GPU, visual processors), artificial intelligence processing, and connectivity (Bluetooth features and profiles). The Dimensity 1200 was the first chipset to support the open resource architecture. It spurned a handful of variants such as the Dimensity 1200 AI inside the OnePlus Nord 2, the Dimensity 1200 MAX used in the Oppo Reno 7 Pro 5G, the Dimensity 1200 Vivo in the Vivo X70 Pro 5G and the Dimensity 1200 Ultra that's found inside the Xiaomi IIT 5G.

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MediaTek's Dimensity 8100 processor is one of two chipsets in its Dimensity 8000 series, the other being the Dimensity 8000. Positioned as less-powerful versions of the Dimensity 9000 processor, their Qualcomm equivalents are the Snapdragon 888 Plus and Snapdragon 888. According to a OnePlus forum post, the CPU clocks peed and GPU of the Dimensity 8100-MAX are unchanged from that of the standard version. This means it still has four Cortex-A78 cores clocked at 2.85GHz and four Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2GHz. There is also an Arm Mali-G610 MC6 GPU. However, OnePlus says its collaboration with MediaTek on the custom chip brings three benefits.

Better AI, Better Gaming, Better Night Videos

The Dimensity 8100-MAX powers the OnePlus 10R

Just as it did with the Dimensity 1200 AI, the Dimensity 8100-MAX gets an AI performance boost. While not being specific compared to the Dimensity 8100, OnePlus says the MediaTek APU 580 inside the chip will result in better AI performance on the OnePlus 10R. Gamers will also experience a more stable gaming performance with higher frame rates. This will work in tandem with its HyperBoost Gaming Engine announced in Feb. 2022. Furthermore is an improvement in Nightscape video, OnePlus's name for night-time or low-light video recording.  This is not available right out of the box, but OnePlus says an OTA update will roll out shortly after the launch of the OnePlus 10R that allows owners to record better Nightscape videos with less noise.

These modifications OnePlus has made to the chipset sound good on paper, but real-world usage and a comparison with a phone(s) powered by the regular version of the chip will determine if it is indeed better. The OnePlus 10R is the first OnePlus flagship to be powered by a MediaTek processor. It arrives nearly a year after the OnePlus Nord 2, the first OnePlus phone with a MediaTek SoC. Chips from the Taiwanese semiconductor company have improved significantly in recent years and are not only worthy challengers to Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors but even more powerful in some cases. This performance improvement has made them a top choice among many vendors not only for budget models but also flagships.

NEXT: OnePlus 10R Vs. OnePlus 10 Pro: How The Two OnePlus Phones Compare

Source: OnePlus