The Pixel 10 could make massive changes to Google's smartphone line

Key Takeaways

Google’s Pixel 10 series might equal Apple and Samsung in processing power.
The new Tensor G5 chip could have a 3nm design, promising better speed and longevity.
Its new GPU could have ray tracing and GPU virtualization support.

Google’s Pixel 9 series launched in August, and so far, it’s been off to a pretty good start. Our Pocket-lint reviews from Patrick O’Rourke noted the phones’ great overall design and excellent cameras. However, one area in Google’s Pixel series has always fallen a bit behind is processing power.

The Tensor G4 chip found in the Pixel 9 series is a modest increase over the Tensor G3, but it still falls behind Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, featured in phones like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the OnePlus 12. In all fairness, though, Google’s Pixel phones are more renowned for their software rather than performance.

New leaks suggest the Pixel 10 series could feature Google’s most significant leap yet in processing power with the Tensor G5, allowing the device to catch up to both Apple and Samsung. According to Android Authority, which viewed documents about the new chip, one of the most significant changes the Tensor G5 will have over the Tensor G4 is that it’s a 3nm chip.

What does that mean? In theory, the Tensor 5G should be faster and, more importantly, last longer than previous Pixel phones. Also, most crucial to Google: it will likely be on a similar power scale to Apple’s 3nm A18 chip found in the iPhone 16and the recently announced Snapdragon 8 Elite.

An additional difference in the rumored Tensor G5 compared to its predecessors, without even looking at cores or specs, is that it’s being designed internally at Google for the first time and not by Samsung.

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The Tensor G5 is also getting a new GPU

Ray-tracing could be coming to the Pixel 10 series

Another intriguing feature Android Authority uncovered about the Tensor G5 chip is that it will feature a GPU from Imagination Technologies, rather than Arm Mali like past Pixel Phones.

The Arm Mali GPU found in past Google chips, like the Tensor G3 and the current Tensor G4, doesn’t support ray-tracing or GPU virtualization features. The new chip from Imagination Technologies does. That means gaming on the Pixel 10 could potentially be a lot better compared to the Pixel 9.

There isn’t much else known about the new GPU at this time, but what we do know is that it has two cores running at 1.1Ghz and that it’s called an IMG DXT-48-1536, which is quite the name.

If these rumors are accurate, Google’s Tensor G5 chip looks like a decent upgrade from the Tensor G4…

Aside from the GPU, another noticeable difference the Tensor G5 has is an increase in mid-cluster cores. The G5 has five mid-cluster cores, while the G4 has three. Predicting how this will change the chip’s performance is difficult, but it will most likely result in improved multi-core power.

If these rumors are accurate, Google’s Tensor G5 chip looks like a decent upgrade from the Tensor G4, and it will be exciting to see how it performs when the Pixel 10 series launches next year.