Samsung may be lining up another flagship tablet powered by MediaTek, and honestly, this could be more interesting than it sounds.
According to an Android Authority APK teardown, Samsung’s AI Core app contains references to MediaTek’s MT6993 chip — the model number linked to the Dimensity 9500. The code does not name a specific device, so don’t take this as a full Galaxy Tab S12 confirmation yet. But based on Samsung’s recent tablet strategy, the clue is pretty loud.
Samsung already used MediaTek silicon for its premium Galaxy Tab S10 and Galaxy Tab S11 families, after years of leaning heavily on Snapdragon for high-end Android tablets. So if a new Samsung product is showing Dimensity 9500 references now, the safest guess is that the Galaxy Tab S12 series could continue that direction.
For Malaysian and SEA users, this matters because Android tablets are no longer just “Netflix machines”. A lot of people are using them for gaming, note-taking, anime streaming, light editing, second-screen work, and even mobile esports practice. If Samsung keeps pushing flagship MediaTek chips in its Tab lineup, we could get more serious competition in the premium Android tablet space.
The teardown also points to several AI-related features tied to the Dimensity 9500. These appear to include AI wallpaper generation, image expansion, and generative photo editing. There is also a “harmonization” reference, which may be related to image harmonization — basically adjusting colour, lighting, and contrast so edited subjects blend more naturally into an image.
That sounds very 2026, bro. Tablet makers are clearly trying to make AI editing feel normal, not just a fancy feature hidden inside a gallery app.
The bigger question for gamers is performance. Android Authority notes that its own testing found the Dimensity 9500 does not fully beat Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in CPU performance. Snapdragon also still has an edge in some niche use cases, especially cutting-edge emulation where Qualcomm support is usually stronger.
But here’s the spicy part: the Dimensity 9500 reportedly delivered stronger gaming performance under sustained load and ran cooler. For SEA users, that second point is not small. Malaysia weather is panas, rooms are not always air-conditioned, and long sessions in games like Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, PUBG Mobile, or Wuthering Waves can expose weak thermals very fast.
A tablet that holds performance longer without getting toasty could be more useful than one that wins a short benchmark and then throttles after 20 minutes. That’s the kind of real-world difference gamers actually feel.
Still, nothing is official yet. Samsung has not announced the Galaxy Tab S12 series, and the app code only confirms that Samsung is preparing something with Dimensity 9500 support. There is also no Malaysian launch timing or RM pricing for now, so don’t start planning your Shopee cart just yet.
If this does turn out to be the next Galaxy Tab flagship, Samsung’s MediaTek bet may be less weird than it once looked. Snapdragon remains king for certain hardcore Android use cases, but for mainstream gaming, AI features, and sustained performance, Dimensity is looking properly competitive.
Source: Android Authority