Tensor is Google’s custom processors for its Pixel phone and tablet lineup. The original Tensor chipset made its debut on the Pixel 6 series in 2021. The company followed up a year later with the much-improvedTensor G2that still powers big chunks of the company’s lineup, including theGoogle Pixel Foldand Pixel Tablet.
With the launch of theGoogle Pixel 8 series, the company made another big step in creating the perfect mobile SoC: the Tensor G3. The new mobile processor is the culmination of Google’s efforts in the chip space, and even if we may have an even more custom chip ahead of us in future generations, the Tensor G3 represents the best of what Google could come up with for the new phones. Here’s everything you need to know.
Google Tensor 3: A quick overview
Google is relatively new to the custom chip market, having entered it in 2021 with theGoogle Tensor system on a chip(SoC) powering the Pixel 6 series. In contrast toApple’s iPhone and Mac chips, Google’s SoCs are decidedly less custom. Google mainly relies on Samsung to manufacture its chips and to provide it with the modem. This is a point of criticism, with many people experiencing heating Pixel phones with poor connectivity more often than not, something that Samsung Exynos chips are also prone to. This might change in the future, with rumors saying that Google will switch to a more custom design in 2025,according to The Information.
The Tensor chips power all recent Google phones, like the Tensor G2 in the Pixel 7 Pro or the Tensor G3 in the Pixel 8 Pro.
Despite some of the problems people experience with the Tensor chip, Google’s new products have extra features and cores that are missing from other phones. Google builds itsTensor chips with machine learning(ML) algorithms in mind, allowing Pixel phones to be more efficient at local tasks like camera post-processing,live audio transcriptions, background music recognition, and some photo editing tools. Google is shy about how it achieves this and whether its custom designs are necessary. After all, the company routinely brings initially Pixel-exclusive features to other devices.
Google Tensor G3 specifications
Even after the Google Pixel 8 launch, the company hasn’t shared much about the Tensor G3’s internal workings. Instead, Google focuses on what the Tensor G3 chip can achievein its blog post introducing the chipset. Our analysis following the reviews told us a lot about the inner workings of the chip. Before then, we heard some almost correct information on the inner workings of the processor fromprolific leaker Kamila Wojciechowska, who managed to dig up tons of accurate Pixel and Google leaks before. She correctly identified the Tensor G3’s cores but didn’t identify the correct clock speed.
The Tensor G3 features nine CPU cores arranged in an unconventional setup. There are four little Cortex-A510s, four Cortex-A715, and a big Cortex-X3, the two beefier ones with higher frequencies than the Tensor G2. This is essentially a 1+4+4 architecture, which is even stranger than Google’s previous 2+2+4 setup on the Tensor G2 and the first-generation Tensor. Most competitors go for a 1+3+4 layout.
What’s interesting about the switch to the ARMv9 core is that the new Pixel 8 will only be able to run 64-bit code. This means that a few older and no longer maintained apps that are based on 32-bit code no longer work on the phone. It’s one of the first, if not the first, Android phone capable of running 64-bit only. The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro before it also only offer 64-bit support, but their hardware is technically still capable of running 32-bit apps.
On the graphics front, Google is switching to the Mail-G715. It’s a considerable upgrade compared to the G710 GPU in the Tensor G2 before it and should offer better performance for games and other intense actions on your phone.
We’re not in for a huge upgrade in the connectivity department, but connectivity improved with the Tensor G2 compared to its predecessor. Google is sticking with a slightly modified version of the Exynos Modem 5300, now in a G5300i variant.
The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are the first phones to offerAV1 encoding. The new video codec is royalty-free and a technologically advanced solution, making it a prime candidate to become the predominant format in the future. The camera app only records in H264 and HEVC, though. This might change in the future.
Other tidbits include fast storage with UFS 3.1 (but not upgraded to 4.0, as rumors indicated), improvements in the image processing pipeline, and a better TPU for better machine learning and AI applications.
The new cores make the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro better than their predecessors, though we’re still experiencing the dreaded heating issues to some extent in our reviews. While only a long-term test over multiple months and in different seasons can give us the full picture, it feels like the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro run cooler than the Pixel 7 and other Tensor G2-equipped devices, but they still don’t compare Snapdragon mobile platforms.
Google Tensor G3 current and future hardware
The Tensor G3 powers the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, which we referenced earlier in this article. The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro were launched in October 2023 and will be the company’s flagship phones for the next year.
Since Google has extended its hardware portfolio this year, the Tensor G3 will likely come to more devices in the Pixel lineup. It could release a Google Pixel 8a with the Tensor G3 chip, withthe phone showing up in initial leaks. Depending on when Google releases follow-up models to thePixel Tabletand thePixel Fold, these devices could also get the Tensor G3.
The Pixel Fold 2 and Pixel Tablet 2, if they exist and if they come in 2024, may be powered by the Tensor G3.
For years, there have been rumors of a higher-end Ultra version of the Pixel. If this pans out for 2024, we presume Google will add the Tensor G3 to that phone.
The Google Tensor G3 is here
With the Tensor G3 readily available in the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro first, we’re looking forward to the chip coming to more Google devices. The chip seems improved compared to its predecessors, and if Google fixed the heating issues, only a few issues remain with the chipset.
