Google's Pixel 5 is starting to get a little long in the tooth, as it has just been replaced with two proper flagships, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. Not everyone is unequivocally in love with the new series, though, especially since Google no longer offers small phones — the Pixel 6 is just so much bigger than the Pixel 5. As spotted by renowned XDA Forums member Freak07 (via the Google News Telegram channel), Google initially tested Tensor, its first self-developed SoC, in a Pixel 5, making me dream about the things that could have been.

Freak07 dug through the Pixel 6 source code, uncovering interesting tidbits, such as Face Unlock possibly coming to the Pixel 6 series soon. He also found out that Google apparently had a different variant of the Tensor chip in the works. While the Pixel 6's Tensor version is codenamed gs101-b0, this unpublished other variant is called gs101-a0, with slightly varying clock speeds. The documentation further mentions that this processor was supposed to be used in a device called "whitefin," which is an interesting mix of the "redfin" codename for the Pixel 5 and the "whitechapel" name that exists for the Tensor chip. This connection was previously spotted by Mishaal Rahman, who initially uncovered the "whitefin" nomenclature.

With all this in mind, it's certainly a possibility that Tensor may have not been ready for the Pixel 5, forcing Google to opt for the Snapdragon 765G instead. The timeline is a little unclear, though, so we don't know if Google initially explored launching the Pixel 5 with a Tensor SoC or if the company just wanted to test the new chip on an existing hardware frame, without focusing on developing its new Pixel 6 series just yet.

The thought of a Tensor-equipped phone in the form factor of a Pixel 5 is still very appealing, whatever happened to it during development. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are massive, and even the Pixel 5a is bigger than the Pixel 5. A third, smaller phone is noticeably absent from Google's current flagship lineup, if we set aside the aging (and out-of-stock) Pixel 4a. A phone like this could have been a neat direct competitor to the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro, which are smaller than both the Pixel 6 series and the iPhone 13 Pro Max (which are about the same unwieldy size).

A small Pixel 6 would have had enough merit on its own, even without looking at the competition. There have been many complaints about the new Pixels' massive bodies and Google's switch to a lineup divided by capabilities and features rather than size.

Maybe this Pixel 6 Mini will be a reality next year in the form of a Pixel 7 Mini. In the meantime, let's keep dreaming about a Pixel 5 running on Tensor silicon.