GoKawiilJoe Maring / Android Authority
The latest Tensor G6 leak is good and bad news for the Pixel 11, adding more weight to what we already expected from Google’s next-gen chip destined for this year’s Pixel 11 series.
On the one hand, it looks like Pixel 11 customers are set to benefit from a significant leap in CPU performance. The chip is expected to feature a single Arm C1-Ultra core at 4.11GHz, alongside four C1-Pro cores at 3.38GHz and two C1-Pro cores at 2.65GHz. Google is completely skipping the Arm Cortex X925 era, jumping straight to the same CPU cohort as the powerhouse MediaTek Dimensity 9500.
This represents a potentially significant boost from the Tensor G5 and its Arm Cortex-X4, A725, and A520 setup. Looking at single-core Geekbench 6 results, there’s around a 40% potential uplift between the old and new cores, which would obviously be a significant leap if it holds up. The multi-core gains could be even larger, given the higher overall clock speeds and a move away from very small cores.
The Tensor G6's big CPU core could theoretically be 40% faster than the G5.
However, despite the very modern CPU cores, Google’s cluster remains somewhat conservative compared to the other flagship chips, even those built with the same off-the-shelf Arm cores. MediaTek’s Dimensity uses one C1-Ultra and three C1-Premium cores, which are larger and more powerful than the Pros. Likewise, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon features two large custom Oryon cores and six smaller cores, offering serious heavy-lifting potential. For a brand looking to merge mobile and PC use cases, two or more power-house cores are beneficial — Tensor isn’t in that league yet.
I expect the Pixel 11’s CPU to perform closer to Samsung’s Exynos 2600 inside some new Galaxy S26 models, which use a very similar C1-Ultra and C1-Pro configuration. However, with higher clock speeds, Tensor should push ahead by a modest margin. This puts it in a very solid performance category that will ensure it’s a robust daily performer, if not quite benchmark-topping.
Will gamers see the same benefit?
Unfortunately, graphics will almost certainly remain the Pixel’s Achilles’ heel. The Tensor G6 is reportedly switching to a PowerVR CXTP-48-1536. The Tensor G5 sports a DXT-48-1536 and, according to the Imagination Technologies website, its GPU range ranks from A (smallest and most power-efficient) through to E (highest performance).
After some digging, it’s not entirely clear where the CXTP lands. The 2021-era C-series consists of the very low-end CXM for smart TVs and the CXT, a more flagship-tier product (almost certainly not by 2026 standards anymore) that supports ray tracing.
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