Google Tensor

In a recent video discussing the history of Google’s phones – well worth a watch! – YouTuber MKBHD shared a tidbit about the development of the Google Pixel 5. However, we’re skeptical of the claim that Google switched the Pixel 5 from a Tensor chip to a Snapdragon one “at the last second.”

Following the launch of the Pixel 6 series, many have begun looking to Google’s next mid-range phone, the presumed “Pixel 6a.” We’ve uncovered the first specs for the Pixel 6a, including its Google Tensor chip and how the cameras will be a downgrade from the Pixel 6.

Google Tensor is the company’s first chip for smartphone, and in real-life use on the Pixel 6, it puts out an impressive show, even against flagship chips from Qualcomm. However, there are still plenty of details about Google Tensor that the company didn’t really get into, but a new deep dive shows the Exynos roots of the product, gives better numbers on how the chip compares to others, and more…

New evidence suggests that the Pixel 7 will, unsurprisingly, feature a second-generation Google Tensor chip.

In addition to the camera today, Google is detailing the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro’s security features that are based in software and Tensor hardware.

With the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro officially launching tomorrow, Google today detailed some additional places where its custom Tensor SoC is being used to improve and power the camera.

Tensor is the first mobile chip Google has ever designed for its Pixel smartphones, and as we explained in our review earlier this week, the performance feels indistinguishable from the best Snapdragon flagships. However, it also puts up an impressive comparison with Apple’s chips in the iPhone 13 Pro Max, with a Pixel 6 speed test being a very close call.

In teasing the Pixel 6 at the start of August, Google very much framed the preview around its first custom-built System on a Chip (SoC). At the Pixel Fall Event today, Google fully detailed Tensor and called it the “biggest mobile hardware innovation in the history of the company.”

Google announced in August that its next smartphone, the Pixel 6, would switch to an in-house chip design called Tensor, ending a lineup that was powered exclusively by Qualcomm chips. Now, as the launch approaches, Qualcomm is throwing a bit of shade at Google Tensor on Twitter with arguably the worst meme format in recent memory.

Did you know that Google’s upcoming Pixel Fall Launch event will include more than just smartphone announcements? Yes, we’re going to see some other stuff too!

Google’s upcoming Tensor chipset may end up lagging behind the current top-tier Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 and even Samsung’s own Exynos 2100 chips and that is absolutely fine. The idea that Tensor needs to rival the best in the business is at best a fallacy.

One of the biggest question marks about the Pixel 6 series is how its debut “Google Tensor” chip will perform compared to phones powered by Snapdragon processors. Thanks to newly shared benchmarks, we have a better idea of how the Pixel 6 Pro will perform compared to the Pixel 5 and Galaxy S21.

Leaked tidbits from a real Pixel 6 Pro unit suggest that the included Google Tensor chip may be one of the fastest chips available for Android phones.

Update: Even more precise details have come to light.

Google’s chip ambitions have always been rumored to go beyond the smartphone and eventually be used for Chromebooks. A report last week pegged 2023 as when we’ll see such a computer. There are many open questions about what the resulting Chrome OS device(s) will look like, but Tensor will undoubtedly be Google’s best chance to reboot the Pixelbook and offer a broader lineup.

Google came out of the blue this week to announce its next flagship smartphones — the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. This is months ahead of the expected schedule that pins the launch around October. So, why is Google coming out on all of this so early? There are a lot of ways to look at it, but personally, I think there’s a clear message. Google is confident about the Pixel 6 in a way it hasn’t been before.

Google sharing some details on Tensor, its “first custom-built SoC,” was as important as today’s tease of the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. In an interview, Rick Osterloh was asked about Google Tensor in the context of AR, and the hardware boss shared some rare thoughts on smart glasses.

While Google’s Pixel phones have been famous for their killer cameras, video has always been a sore point for the lineup. Today, Google has confirmed that its new “Tensor” chip will make some big improvements to video on Pixel 6.

Following this morning’s tease, Google today announced that this year’s flagship phones are the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Both phones will be available in the fall and be powered by a brand new chip.

As often happens, the open-source nature of Android has just confirmed something about the next Pixel. Just like we exclusively reported last month, a Googler has strongly hinted that Pixel 6 will be using the custom Whitechapel chipset.