Google Pixel 9's Tensor G4 SoC Might Not Bring Significant Upgrades: Report

Google is reportedly working on the next-generation fully-custom Tensor chip codenamed “Laguna Beach” for the 2025 Pixels

Written by Nithya P Nair, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 19 September 2023 17:54 IST

Google Pixel 9's Tensor G4 SoC Might Not Bring Significant Upgrades: Report

Google's Tensor G2 SoC powers the Pixel 7 series

Highlights

Google’s 2024 Tensor SoC may not bring major upgrades
Tensor G3 SoC is internally known as "Zuma"
Pixel 8 series smartphones are expected to come with Android 14

Google is holding a Pixel hardware event on October 4 to unveil the much-awaited Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones. The tech giant is expected to pack the next generation Tensor G3 SoC on the Pixel 8 lineup as an upgrade over the Tensor G2 SoC that powers the Pixel 7 series. Google is yet to confirm details about the new in-house chip, but ahead of it, we are hearing about next year's Pixel 9 series. Google's next-generation branded SoC — Tensor G4 — is expected to power the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro. It is expected to come with a marginal upgrade compared to the Tensor G3 SoC. Google's fully custom Tensor chip could debut in the 2025 Pixel 10 series.

As per a report by Android Authority's Kamila Wojciechowska, the Tensor G4 SoC, codenamed "Zuma Pro" will power next year's Pixel 9 lineup. It will reportedly come with minor performance upgrades over the nine-core Tensor G3 SoC, which is internally known as "Zuma". The Tensor G4 SoC could be a semi-custom chip and will be co-designed with Samsung's System LSI division.

Initially, Google reportedly planned to equip a “fully custom” Tensor SoC codenamed “Redondo” built on a TSMC process node on its 2024 Pixel series smartphones. However, due to production delays, the debut of this chipset is said to be pushed back by a year. The company is said to have created a development board called "ChallengerDeep" to work on this chip.

Additionally, Google is reportedly working on the next-generation fully-custom Tensor chip codenamed “Laguna Beach” for the 2025 Pixels aka the Pixel 10 series. The development board for the chip is codenamed “Deepspace".

The Tensor G3-powered Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will launch at the Made by Google event on October 4 in New York at 10:00am local time (7:30 pm IST). The Pixel Watch 2 and a new colour for the Pixel Buds Pro will also debut during the event.

Both Pixel 8 series smartphones are expected to come with Android 14 and 120Hz refresh rate displays. The Pixel 8 Pro is expected to pack a 4,950mAh battery with 27W wired fast charging support. Meanwhile, the Pixel 8 could be backed by a 4,485mAh battery with 24W wired charging and 12W wireless charging support.

Google I/O 2023 saw the search giant repeatedly tell us that it cares about AI, alongside the launch of its first foldable phone and Pixel-branded tablet. This year, the company is going to supercharge its apps, services, and Android operating system with AI technology. We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Google Pixel 8 Pro

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Premium design, IP68 rating
Fun AI-infused software experience
Good quality cameras
Quality video recording
Impressive image editing software
Long-term commitment to software updates

Bad
Gets warm under load
Buggy camera app
Not made for gaming
Average battery life
Relatively slow wired charging

Read detailed Google Pixel 8 Pro review

Display 6.70-inch

Processor Google Tensor G3

Front Camera 11-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 64-megapixel + 48-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 5050mAh

OS Android 14

Resolution 1344x2992 pixels

More Google mobiles Google mobiles price in India

Google Pixel 8

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Smaller form factor makes it more comfortable to hold
Excellent and bright display
Cameras are still the best
Packed with AI features

Bad
Battery life is still not the best
Expensive
Tends to heat up under heavy load

Read detailed Google Pixel 8 review

Display 6.20-inch

Processor Google Tensor G3

Front Camera 11-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB

Battery Capacity 4575mAh

OS Android 14

Resolution 1080x2400 pixels

More Google mobiles Google mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Tensor G4 SoC, Google, Google Pixel 8, Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Tensor G2 SoC, Tensor G3 SoC, Tensor, Pixel 10

Nithya P Nair

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Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More