GoKawiilStephen Radochia / Android Authority
I’m not a Tensor chipset hater. Most of the criticisms are overblown and stem from a time when Google had legitimate issues with earlier generations. If you were a Pixel 6 or 7 owner, I feel your pain, and there’s nothing Google can do to ease your frustrations. However, Google has cleaned up many of the issues with recent chipsets.
Still, there’s always been a debate about whether Google’s custom SoCs were worthy of a flagship phone. I’ve largely given Google a pass for its lackluster benchmarks compared to Qualcomm’s more powerful chipsets, because it built value in other ways. The strategy is also working. Pixel sales are up, and customer satisfaction has significantly improved.
Unfortunately, the company is testing my patience with the announcement that the latest Gemini Intelligence upgrade will only work on the company’s most recent hardware. It’s a concerning development, and I’m beginning to wonder if Google’s made a fool out of me for defending Tensor.
Do you think Google should keep using Tensor chipsets? 101 votes Absolutely, the benefits outweigh the negatives. 29 % Nope, Google hasn't been able to make it work. 71 %
Google’s Tensor claims go out the window with Gemini Intelligence
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
It’s almost impossible to comprehend that a Google Pixel 9 Pro XL with a Tensor G4 and 16GB of RAM can’t handle the latest and greatest AI features from Google. Google heavily advertises the AI capabilities of Pixel phones, and some people buy them for those features. It’s why I’ve given Google a pass on poor benchmark performance. There’s only so much room on the die, and Google prioritizes the NPU and other tasks like image processing at the expense of GPU performance.
It’s a trade plenty of people are willing to make, especially if it means their Pixels will get nifty new features like the agentic layer added with Gemini Intelligence. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, and it makes me wonder what the point is. Google had an opportunity to end the Tensor debate and prove that raw performance benchmarks aren’t everything.
How could a phone I just paid $1,300 not be capable of handling a new feature less than a year after launch?
... continue reading