Ahead of the Google launch event scheduled for August 13, the upcoming Pixel 9 series has been the subject of a number of leaks and rumors. While the majority of leaked specifications indicate that the company is working on improving and beefing up its smartphones, the latest leak has something else in mind.
According to the latest rumor, the Google Pixel 9 series is expected to feature a Tensor G4 chipset. If the rumor that the Pixel 9 will have a Tensor G4 chip is true, it is undoubtedly an upgrade over its predecessors. The Google Pixel 8 series has a Tensor G3 chip and the Google Pixel 7 has a Tensor G2 chip. The Tensor G3 processor introduces an improved 9-core CPU cluster with advanced ARM cores that delivers a significant boost in performance and efficiency, surpassing the capabilities of the previous Tensor G2 chip.
According to a report published by Android Authority, Cortex-X4 will be the big core, with 3x Cortex-A920 'mid' cores and 4x Cortex-A520 cores. It's a mid-core smaller compared to the Tensor G3. Initial Geekbench results suggest that the upcoming Tensor G4 processor will bring a significant 11 percent improvement in single-core speed, while multicore performance will see a relatively smaller 3 percent increase, suggesting a concentrated effort to improve individual core efficiency .
However, this is not enough to compete with the other players. While the chipset could be a disappointing factor in the upcoming Google Pixel 9 series, Google has decided to change the core type. This will make the overall design run cooler.
The latest cores provide an increase in speed and efficiency, and omitting one core will lead to a significant reduction in power consumption with negligible effects on performance, according to the report. However, it's important to note that the modem, not the CPU, has historically been the primary power-hungry component in Google Tensor SoCs.
To improve performance, it has been reported that Google is working on pairing the Tensor G4 chipset with the new Exynos Modem 5400. The new modem brings satellite connectivity support and efficiency improvements. The report claims that it has "up to 50 percent" better power consumption than the Exynos Modem 5300 used in the Pixel 8. But this may not be the case with every device in the Google Pixel 9 series.