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Next year's Google Tensor chip is all but confirmed to be made by Samsung again
TSMC-produced Tensor chips would have to wait until at least 2025
More tech giants are looking to develop components for the devices they manufacture, and Google is no exception. The Tensor system on a chip (SoC) marked the company’s entry into custom chip development, powering the Pixel 6 product line and continuing to this day in the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. However, it has relied on Samsung to do some of its heavy lifting, and new rumors suggest that this isn’t going to change anytime soon.
Google might not go full-custom with its Tensor chips until 2025
Google's transition from semi-custom Samsung to fully-custom TSMC for its Tensor chip pushed to 2025
Google's ambitious journey into the world of custom chip design, initiated with the Tensor G1 SoC in the Pixel 6 series, appears to be approaching a significant turning point. Although Google has depended heavily on Samsung for chip design and production since the introduction of the Tensor, this reliance is set to shift as the tech giant is planning to debut a fully customized Tensor chip by 2025 and has selected Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) as the new production partner.
Google Pixel 6a vs. Pixel 5a: Which phone is the better value?
Google's mid-range smartphones keep getting better
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro may be Google's latest powerful new flagships, but you don't need to splurge on the latest and greatest to get the best mobile experience. Even with the recent release of the Pixel 7a, last year's Pixel 6a is still a surprisingly strong contender that remains at the top of our list of the best budget smartphones, thanks to the incredible value it offers for its lower price tag.
It's been two years since Google introduced the Pixel 6, bringing Tensor to the world and offering a smartphone that was truly Google through and through. Despite their age, the Google Pixel 6 and even Pixel 5 are both excellent phones and were even considered some of the best Android phones by many when they were released. But which one is better? Does the slightly older Pixel 5 stand taller with its Qualcomm processor, or was Google's first-generation Tensor chip everything that Google made out to be? Let's compare.
Google Pixel 8 leak tells us codenames, new Tensor chip, and more RAM
“Husky” and “Shiba” could be the next underdogs of the smartphone world
We still haven’t gotten over how good the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are — two of our favorite Android phones of the year. But we’ve already started hearing rumors about their follow-ups due toward the end of next year. If this new report about the alleged Pixel 8 and 8 Pro is anything to go by, Google is doubling down on the performance for its next flagship lineup, offering a better processor and more RAM to go with it.
The Pixel 7's Tensor G2 has a lot of surprises for a boring upgrade
We may have some reliable intel in, of all things, a benchmark run
Google doesn't like to make a big show of it, but it's an open secret that it's been working with Samsung to produce its custom Tensor SoC for its Pixel 6 lineup of phones. This year, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are expected to sport a Tensor G2 — there's already been plenty said about what to expect with that chip, but it looks like some new intel is going to lock things in for us. But that's not all we're learning about here.
Google's second-gen chips look just as tasty as the first
Salty and lemony? Now there's a delicious combo
We're just a few short weeks away from the Pixel 7 launch event, but Google's not wasting any time teasing its newest devices. While its next-gen phones aren't anything surprising — the company announced both at I/O in May — they're shaping up to be intriguing improvements to the groundwork laid by the Pixel 6 last year, and that starts with the new Tensor G2 chipset. To celebrate this upcoming launch, Google Japan has returned with one of its best promotions from last year.
Google finally gives the Pixel 7's next-gen Tensor chipset a proper name
Likely setting its naming structure in stone for future generations
Google just announced its October Pixel event, where it'll finally launch its next smartphone series and a first-gen smartwatch. Of course, neither of these come as much of a surprise — the company revealed both back at I/O in May. In that spirit, Google isn't waiting for next month to deliver further information about its new devices, as it's finally revealing what its Tensor successor will be called.
Google may use its first-generation Tensor chip in the Pixel tablet
Is that too much processing power for a smart home hub?
Since the initial tease at Google I/O earlier this year, the excitement surrounding the Pixel Tablet and the Pixel 7 series has been mounting steadily. We know little about the former besides the chances of a stylus and rumors of support for just 64-bit apps. One developer sniffed through Google’s AOSP code and found additional information suggesting the tablet could rely on a first-generation Tensor SoC. This could be disheartening or exciting, depending on what you were hoping for, but nothing is certain until we hear it from Google itself.
Samsung is already testing the third-generation Tensor chip, set to debut on the Pixel 8
We're still waiting to try out the second-gen Tensor chip
Last year, Google's Pixel 6 series brought many firsts to the Pixel lineup. Perhaps the most important of them was the inclusion of the Google Tensor chip. While it was designed in-house by Google, the company notably enlisted the help of Samsung for actually putting it together. It looks like this collaboration will keep going for the foreseeable future, as Samsung is reported to be already hard at work testing a next-generation Google Tensor chip — one that could be interesting if you're planning to put off your Pixel purchase until 2023.
According to a story on Korean news site Digital Daily, Samsung is again tipped to supply Google's in-house chip efforts and will reportedly make the updated Cloudripper GS201 Tensor chipset expected to land with the Pixel 7 series of phones.
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Is the Google Tensor SoC to blame for the Pixel 6’s software issues and update delays?
Signs point to yes
Google’s Pixel 6 is a triumph, delivering the company’s first in-house chipset. But it’s also falling behind, with multiple updates skipped or delayed, one pulled, and betas for Android 12L missing entirely. It’s not just a matter of bugs — though we’ve been keeping track. Digging through drivers and details, speaking to developers, there’s no smoking gun. But all signs point to the Pixel 6’s biggest strength also being its biggest issue: Tensor.
The Pixel 5 could have been good if Google's Tensor chip plans had worked out
The Snapdragon 765G was a last-minute stop-gap solution
Rumors long suggested that Google worked on a Pixel 5 packing its in-house Tensor chip at some point in the past, but we were never sure about the specifics. It was unclear if the company ever intended to launch the phone with Tensor of if it was just testing the new chip in an existing hardware frame ahead of working on the Pixel 6. Marques Brownlee's latest video detailing the history of Google phones shines more light into this topic (via Android Authority).
Google Pixel 6a tipped to keep one big-ticket Pixel 6 feature and lose another
Which would you rather keep: the camera or the chip?
With the Pixel 6 out and about, speculation turns to the next new thing that isn't out yet. For many, that means the Pixel 6a. Already we have established that it will likely look like its older sibling, but how good will it be and how much will it cost Google (and the all-important consumer)? Today, more light is shining on a couple of important spec lines.
Last summer word started to spread about a secret Pixel Superfans group where members had early access to information and could interact directly with the Pixel product team. That winter, some of those lucky first members received a set of Pixel art prints as thanks for their support. This year Google's at it again, and if you aren’t already a member, you just missed out on a sweet pair of socks.
I wish Google's Pixel 5 Tensor experiments had led to a Pixel 6 Mini
Glimpses of what could have been, size-wise
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.
Tensor is Google's most important launch of 2021, not the Pixel 6
This chip represents Google's plan for the future
The Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are indisputably landmark phones that we’ll be talking about for years to come. They bear a bold and immediately recognizable style, and are setting a new bar with their combination of cameras and post-processing capabilities. While these qualities are great for attracting customers, Google likely sees its first custom-designed Tensor chip to be the most important part of this launch. Not only does it factor into ambitious features like live translation and ambient computing, but this chip also signals a strategic shift for Google as a hardware manufacturer, and perhaps hints at greater plans for the future.
Google Pixel 6's Live Translate helps you cross language barriers, even offline
Huge improvement on interpretive dance
Google is always promoting its machine-powered live translation capabilities at every opportunity. It just hasn't pulled them under a single banner until now with the company calling out several new tricks you can do with Live Translate (not to be conflated with Live Transcribe).
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Google posted a teaser of the Pixel 6 a couple of weeks ago after it dropped the fifth and possibly final Android 12 beta. In the 30-second video, Google gives a quick but clear look at the Pixel 6's design and the various colors it will be available in. It also highlights the new Material You theme coming in Android 12 and the revamped new widgets.
Google's got a lot riding on the Pixel 6's Tensor chip, and now we're starting to learn what it can really do
Is it a powerhouse or powerless?
Since Google's unexpected Pixel 6 announcement last month, we've spent all of our free time speculating on its new Tensor SoC. Most flagship Android phones rely on Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors these days, so for a major player in the field to suddenly switch to an in-house chipset — it's a big deal. A new leak provides our first concrete evidence of what to expect from the Pixel 6, and what's powering Tensor might surprise you.