{"slug": "arms-new-cpu-cores-and-gpus-for-android-chips-promise-desktop-class-games-more", "title": "Arm’s new CPU cores and GPUs for Android chips promise ‘desktop-class’ games, more AI power", "summary": "Arm announced its new C2-Ultra and C2-Pro CPU cores and Mali G2-Ultra NX GPU for Android chips, claiming up to 15% higher single-thread performance, 12% faster app launches, and up to 1.7x performance improvement across AI models. The Mali G2-Ultra NX integrates neural acceleration into the graphics pipeline for 'desktop-class' gaming, with Xiaomi's 18 Fold and its XRing O3 chip set to be the first to use the new hardware.", "body_md": "Arm has announced its new C2 CPUs for future Android chips as well as upgrades to its Mali GPUs that will take everything up a notch.\n\nArm CPU designs are the backbone of many Android smartphone chips, including the likes of MediaTek flagships and Google’s Tensor as well. This week, Arm has announced [its C2-Ultra and C2-Pro CPU cores](https://www.arm.com/products/silicon-ip-cpu/c2-cpu-cluster), delivering a 15% boost to single-thread performance and 12% faster app launches, as well as local AI that’s built into the CPU itself instead of offloading to a dedicated NPU or TPU.\n\nArm [claims](https://newsroom.arm.com/blog/arm-css-for-mobile-2-and-c2-cpu-cluster):\n\n- Up to 1.7x performance improvement across the latest AI models\n- Up to 15 percent higher single-thread performance\n- 15 percent faster web browsing\n- 12 percent faster application launch\n- 12 percent higher multi-thread performance at the cluster level, supporting parallel activity across retrieval, model preparation and application execution\n\nBut the more exciting announcement here is the GPU, with Arm’s new [Mali G2-Ultra NX](https://newsroom.arm.com/blog/arm-mali-g2-ultra-nx-ai-native-mobile-graphics) claiming to deliver “desktop-class” performance with the help of “AI-native graphics.” Arm says that this new GPU “integrates neural acceleration directly into the graphics pipeline, helping developers deliver richer, more responsive visual experiences within the mobile power envelope and bring neural graphics into production faster.”\n\nThe new GPU as a whole sees a 14% boost in performance, but also integrates Unreal Engine 5 “MegaLights” while also being able to generate intermediate frames for smooth gameplay or upscale low-res games.\n\nThis could all show up in other form factors eventually, but it’s starting out in phones. Specifically, [Xiaomi’s 18 Fold](https://9to5google.com/2026/09/08/xiaomi-18-fold-specs-price-galaxy-z-fold-8-comparison/) and its XRing O3 chip will be the first to integrate this new hardware, though games that take full advantage of it could be a ways out. \n\n**Follow Ben:** [Twitter/X](https://twitter.com/NexusBen), [Threads](https://www.threads.net/@nexusben), [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/nexusben.com), and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/nexusben)\n\n*FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.* [More.](https://9to5mac.com/about/#affiliate)\n\n[our homepage](http://9to5google.com/)for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Google on\n\n[exclusive stories](https://9to5google.com/feature/exclusive/),\n\n[reviews](https://9to5google.com/guides/reviews/),\n\n[how-tos](https://9to5google.com/guides/how-to/), and\n\n[subscribe to our YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/9to5google)", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/arms-new-cpu-cores-and-gpus-for-android-chips-promise-desktop-class-games-more", "canonical_source": "https://9to5google.com/2026/09/08/arms-new-cpu-cores-and-gpus-for-android-chips-promise-desktop-class-games-more-ai-power/", "published_at": "2026-09-08 17:35:00+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-08 18:21:05.150703+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-chips", "ai-infrastructure"], "entities": ["Arm", "C2-Ultra", "C2-Pro", "Mali G2-Ultra NX", "Xiaomi", "XRing O3", "MediaTek", "Google Tensor"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/arms-new-cpu-cores-and-gpus-for-android-chips-promise-desktop-class-games-more", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/arms-new-cpu-cores-and-gpus-for-android-chips-promise-desktop-class-games-more.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/arms-new-cpu-cores-and-gpus-for-android-chips-promise-desktop-class-games-more.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/arms-new-cpu-cores-and-gpus-for-android-chips-promise-desktop-class-games-more.jsonld"}}