Pixels is known for its excellent software and great cameras worldwide. Since the Pixel 6 series, Google began developing their in-house SOCs. Their processors are called Tensor, and they’ve released three chipsets. The first one was a rebranded Exynos chip, which had a lot of complaints about poor thermals and very substandard performance.
The Tensor G2 was a minor boost in performance. However, the SoC was still said to be relatively poor. The Tensor G3, on the other hand, was an excellent chipset for efficiency. Cooled by thick layers of Copper, the Tensor G3 is the best work that Google has put out so far.
However, this uses Samsung’s 4nm fabrication and continues to perform poorly. It is way behind even the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in CPU and GPU performance. This makes it one of the worst available options for gaming. When someone spends such large amounts on a flagship phone, they expect it to perform on par with the rest.
The root of all these issues is Samsung’s relatively poor fabrication process. On the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series, it did make sense. The Pixel 6 was 599$, and the Pixel 6 Pro was 899$. The prices were the same for the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Using a cheaper chipset from Samsung’s fabrication does help keep costs low.
However, it doesn’t make sense for the Pixel 8 series to get a massive price bump while still using inferior chipsets to the competition. The Pixel 8 is a 699$ phone, and the Pixel 8 Pro is a 999$ phone. They’re priced similarly to the competition now, using Qualcomm’s latest flagship SoCs.
Fortunately, Google plans to revamp its CPU architecture with the upcoming Pixel 9 series. They’re planning a collaboration with TSMC for a better 3nm fabrication process. There’s no denying that Samsung’s latest GAA fabrication is getting much attention now. The 3nm GAA fabrication is probably one of their most efficient ones yet. Many investors are observing it closely.
TSMC’s 3nm chipsets do not have much yield advantage with 3nm. If Samsung is successful with its project, it might match or overtake TSMC. However, TSMC’s node is the tried and tested one. We have the iPhone 15 Pro Max with excellent battery life, thanks to the 3nm TSMC chipset.
As per a leak from Revegnus1 on X, Google will produce its AP with TSMC. They’ve also expanded their R&D facility in Taiwan, and they’re hiring local semiconductor engineers to improve the process. Co-operation with TSMC for the Google Tensor G5 is now increasingly likely. Note that the Pixel 9 series will still have the 4nm Samsung fabrication.
Google still has its proprietary technology for AI features, image processing, video processing, and more. We’re unsure whether it’s the 3nm N3E fabrication from TSMC or an older N3B fabrication. Apple uses N3B for the iPhone 15 Pro. However, the latest M4 chip uses N3E, and we have yet to see its detailed performance testing. The upcoming Dimensity 9400 and 8 Gen 4 will run on N3E, too, so we’ll have to wait till 2025 before seeing a competitive Tensor chipset.
