Google unveiled the Tensor SoC in 2021, which powered its flagship Pixel 6 series smartphones. The company collaborated with Samsung’s semiconductor division to engineer and customize the chip, which is based on Exynos technology. While Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon chips tend to outperform the Tensor SoC in benchmark scores, it remains powerful enough for everyday tasks and gaming. The upcoming third-generation Google Tensor G3 chip is expected to bring significant improvements in terms of performance and efficiency.
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It will feature nine CPU cores, including four Cortex-A510s, four Cortex-A715s, and a single Cortex-X3. Frequencies will be slightly raised from the previous generation, resulting in faster speeds and potential gaming enhancements. The chip’s performance is projected to be on par with 2022 flagship SoCs, and efforts are being made to ensure efficient cooling to prevent throttling during heavy usage.
While the Tensor G3 chip may not incorporate the latest ARMv9.2 cores, it is rumoured to support new security technologies. Reports suggest that the Pixel 8 series will introduce ARM’s Memory Tagging Extensions (MTE) for protection against memory-based attacks, which is not yet enabled at the OS level in Android. Additionally, the Google Tensor G3 will remove 32-bit support, a step already taken with the Pixel 7 series. The GPU will be the Mali-G715, equipped with 10 cores running at 890MHz, supporting hardware-accelerated ray tracing for enhanced visuals and improved gaming performance. The chip will also offer Samsung MFC encoding and decoding capabilities for 8K 30fps videos in h.264 and HEVC formats.
Beyond CPU, GPU, and encoding advancements, the Tensor G3 chip will support UFS 4.0 storage, a significant upgrade over UFS 3.1. This transition will result in up to 50% faster speeds. By adopting UFS 4.0, Google’s Pixel 8 series is expected to catch up to the highest-end premium flagships, aligning with devices like the Galaxy S23 Ultra that already support this storage standard. The incorporation of these advanced features demonstrates Google’s commitment to delivering an enhanced user experience with its upcoming Pixel smartphones.
