The Tensor G4 chipset will be only marginally better than its predecessor

The upcoming Google Pixel 9 smartphone lineup will be powered by the new Tensor G4 processor. Today, information about the specifications of this chipset has leaked online. According to the leak, citing «a source inside Google», the Tensor G4 will be the most minor update to the Tensor lineup. The G4 processor will have eight cores: one Cortex-X4, three Cortex-A720, and four Cortex-A520.

The G4 processor will have eight cores.

This is one less core than the Tensor G3, which had one Cortex-X3 core, four Cortex-A715 cores and four Cortex-A510 cores. The new Cortex-X4 will deliver better single-core performance in benchmarks (by about 11%), with only a 3% increase in multithreaded benchmark results over the G3 due to the removal of one core.

This was supposedly done to keep temperature and power consumption under control. Incidentally, the main power consuming part of the G3 was apparently the Exynos 5300 modem. Thankfully, the Tensor G4 will come with the Exynos 5400, which should be 50% more efficient than its predecessor. And on top of that, it supports satellite connectivity. The Tensor G4 will get the same Mali-G715 GPU as the G3, but it will run at a higher frequency – 940 MHz vs. 890 MHz.

The Tensor G4 will also get the same Mali-G715 GPU as the G3, but it will run at a higher frequency – 940 MHz vs. 890 MHz.

Everything else in the G4 will reportedly be identical to the G3, including the special IP blocks that Google is adding for artificial intelligence, camera tasks, video encoding and decoding, and more.

So far, everything else in the G4 will be identical to the G3, including the special IP blocks that Google is adding for artificial intelligence, camera tasks, video encoding and decoding, and so on.

Interestingly, Google is still rumored to be planning to release a device with the Tensor G4, but with an Exynos 5300 modem, and we’re guessing it’ll be the Pixel 9a.

And we’re guessing it’ll be the Pixel 9a.