Massive Tensor G3 leak tells us what to expect from the Google Pixel 8 this fall
The Google Pixel 7 series introduced the Tensor G2 chipset based on a 5nm node. This SoC is also on board the recently launched Pixel 7a, as well as the upcoming Pixel Fold. We've come across bits and pieces of information regarding the next-gen Google-branded SoC — the Tensor G3, codenamed zuma. Prominent leaker Kamila Wojciechowska has now unearthed practically everything we need to know about the chipset expected to power the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro later this year.
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Writing for Android Authority, Wojciechowska says the information was obtained from a source inside Google. The new chip will supposedly offer nine CPU cores (4+4+1), bringing together four Cortex-A510 cores and four Cortex-A715, followed by a solitary high-performance Cortex-X3 core clocked at 3.0 GHz. While the addition of the second-gen Armv9 processor will no doubt bolster the Tensor G3's performance, it could still lag behind the Armv9.2 version announced not too long ago.
Another major change with the Tensor G3 is 64-bit only apps out of the box, whereas the Tensor G2 phones like the Pixel 7 kept 32-bit libraries on board. This has been a long-awaited change on Android and one that a lot of developers are looking forward to.
The Tensor G3 will reportedly utilize the Arm Mali-G715 (Immortalis) GPU, a decent upgrade from the seven-core Mali-G710 graphics unit. Although Wojciechowska's source could not confirm the number of cores available on this new GPU, she speculates it could be set up in a 10-core configuration, unlocking ray-tracing capabilities, a feature that's already available on flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
One of the more eye-catching features of the Tensor G3 will be the AV1 encoder, making the Pixel 8 among the first to provide it out of the box. This is courtesy of the latest "BigWave" block, an upgraded version of the “BigOcean” hardware video decoder block from previous Tensor chips.
While BigWave will continue to offer AV1 video decoding at up to 4K60, it will now be able to offer AV1 encoding at up to 4K30. As Wojciechowska rightly points out, 4K30 isn’t ideal for video recording, so it’s unclear what kind of changes Google will make to counter this. The Tensor G3's Multi-Function Codec (MFC) block will support 8K 30 fps video decoding and encoding (H.264 and HEVC codecs). However, there's no evidence to suggest that the Pixel 8's camera will offer 8K video recording by default, not yet anyway.
An all-new TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) is also onboard the Tensor G3, known internally as "Rio." It supposedly has a clock speed of 1.1 GHz, though not much else is known about it. But we expect some key improvements here, including in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and AI/ML-related tasks.
Expectedly, Google's new mobile chip will support the UFS 4.0 storage standard thanks to the new iteration of the Samsung-made UFS controller. This will introduce significant improvements to data read/write speeds and is already available on some of the top flagships you can get today, such as the OnePlus 11 and Samsung's Galaxy S23+ and Ultra models.
The latest flavor of the Google Tensor chip will further bundle a new digital signal processor (DSP), also referred to as GXP. Per Wojciechowska, the Tensor G3's new GXP ("callisto") will succeed the 1st generation four-core "amalthea" GXP used on the Tensor G2, supposedly bringing a "modest" frequency upgrade. The GXP is designed to take some load off the GPU by handling image processing and other related activities.
Despite all these new upgrades, Google may stick with the same Exynos Modem 5300 from the Tensor G2, albeit in a slightly modified avatar. Leaks so far have told us that the Tensor G3 would be based on the yet-to-be-announced Samsung Exynos 2300 mobile chipset, leveraging the South Korean manufacturer's 3nm node. Wojciechowska claimed back in September that the efficiency of this new chip should be comparable to TSMC's 3nm process.
We're still a few months away from the Pixel 8's arrival, with all eyes firmly set on the Pixel Fold's arrival on June 27. The foldable is up on pre-order alongside the Pixel Tablet, which arrives a week earlier.
Source: Android Police
