Google is gearing up for the next round of its Tensor chips, with some leaks pointing to big changes but also performance on the Tensor G3 that won’t really make the Pixel 8 series outperform other Android phones. But really, does she need to?
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Tensor G3 should be better, not a powerhouse
Google’s upcoming Tensor G3 will debut in the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, and as the third generation of the company’s flagship smartphone chip, there are expectations to bring some improvements.
A leak last weekend offered an in-depth look at what the Tensor G3 will accomplish on a technical level. New, state-of-the-art cores can be tuned to achieve better efficiency and boost performance on Tensor G2. There are also further improvements to AI, video coding, and more. Really, things are shaping up pretty well.
But in the days that followed, Leaked standards He had some question whether the new chip would actually be useful. When compared, the so-called Tensor G3 – keep in mind that benchmarks are easily rigged – falls far short of Qualcomm’s current Snapdragon 8 Gen 2delivering a performance that was on the same playing field as last year Snapdragon 8+ Gen1.
Is that bad? For spec heads, probably. But for the average user, not really! Tensor has never been about performance and has always been a little behind other leading Android chips. However, the overall performance was never affected. Recent Pixel phones do pretty well for the most part.
And Google has really made that clear. Going back in 2021 with the original Tensor chip, Google clearly said that raw performance wasn’t its primary goal with these chips — the company is “completely relaxed” and doesn’t win in benchmarks.
For me, Tensor G3 does not need to focus on performance. With other boosts like UFS 4.0 storage and a new GPU, the difference will likely seem insignificant anyway. The real focus, again, only needs efficiency. I was tired of the erratic battery life, overheating, and other quirks Tensor was known for. The new cores and really unassuming design suggest that Google is trying to improve, and with the other improvements on Samsung’s end, I truly I hope this will be the year we make meaningful leaps and bounds.
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