Robert Triggs / Android Authority
TL;DR Google has started rolling out a new GPU driver for the Pixel 10 series with Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1.
The update aligns with Imagination’s August driver release and brings Android 16 and Vulkan 1.4 support.
While real-world performance gains remain unconfirmed, the update should reach stable builds in a future Pixel Drop.
Google is rolling out a long-awaited GPU driver update for the Pixel 10 series, following a promise made back in October. With the release of Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1, the Pixel 10’s Imagination PowerVR GPU is now running a newer driver, and on paper, it’s a meaningful step forward.
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The update bumps the GPU driver from version 1.602.400 to 1.634.2906, and more importantly, the system’s driverInfo now reports version 25.1. That lines up exactly with the driver Imagination Technologies announced back in August, which introduced Android 16 compatibility, Vulkan 1.4 support, and other under-the-hood improvements.
The update was spotted by Discord user A_Button117, who shared screenshots from the Hardware CapsViewer for Vulkan app with us. For context, this is a diagnostic tool commonly used by developers and power users to check a device’s graphics capabilities, including GPU driver versions and supported Vulkan features. The screenshots confirm that the Pixel 10 Pro XL is now running the newer driver, with the conformanceVersion listed as 1.4.1.0, indicating support for Vulkan 1.4. Theoretically, this means demanding games and graphics-heavy apps should now run more smoothly on the Pixel 10 series after the update.
The Pixel 10 originally launched with an older PowerVR driver at a time when support for Imagination GPUs was already under pressure. Game developers, such as those behind Genshin Impact, dropped support for PowerVR hardware earlier this year, with Pixel 10 users reporting inconsistent performance and GPU-related issues. However, Google previously clarified to Android Authority that Genshin Impact has not removed support for the Pixel 10 GPU. We’ve also noticed steady performance improvements on our Pixel 10 Pro XL, leading up to the latest stable QPR2 update.
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