Google did not preview the Tensor G3 at its I/O keynote, but the chipset that will eventually power the Pixel 8 family has its specifications provided, thanks to a thorough leak. In terms of the number of CPU cores it will have, the fresh information states that there will be nine in total, but once more, Google does not have any intentions to compete with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or Dimensity 9300, as you will soon find out.
Improvements aside, the Tensor G3 is also said to be the first smartphone SoC to support AV1 encode
Let us start with the CPU configuration first, and Android Authority has published a ton of information, courtesy of Kamila Wojciechowska, who has shared similar leaks before, which includes the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. As for the Tensor G3, it is surprising that the manufacturing process was not mentioned, though we believe Samsung’s 3rd-generation 4nm technology will be utilized in this case. The Tensor G3 is also based on the unreleased Exynos 2300.
The 9-core CPU is divided into a single Cortex-X3 core running at 3.00GHz, four Cortex-A715 cores with a default frequency of 2.45GHz, and four Cortex-A510 efficiency cores. The GPU will likely be the ARM Mali-G715 with 10 cores, a frequency of 890MHz, and of course, ray tracing support. As you can see, the Tensor G3 is an entire generation behind the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Dimensity 9300, but it is obvious that Google’s chips are not focused on being the fastest or the most efficient for that matter.
The G3 will also be the first smartphone SoC to get AV1 encode support, with the Multi-Function Codec (MFC) now supporting 8K30 video decoding and encoding. This can mean that while the Pixel 8 hardware can support the aforementioned resolution and framerate when recording video, Kamila believes this will not be the case due to overheating and storage consumption issues. A new TPU codenamed ‘Rio’ reportedly runs at 1.10GHz in the Tensor G3 and is considered a serious upgrade over the Tensor G2’s TPU.
However, while we should expect improvements such as faster UFS 4.0 support for faster read and write speeds, not to mention apps opening up much faster and the entire device feeling significantly smoother, the Tensor G3 will not see significant improvements compared to its predecessor in other areas. There are no major modem upgrades expected, with the G3 reportedly sporting the same chip as the G2, though it is said that there should be minor differences here.
We are disappointed that Google has once more chosen not to adopt ARM’s latest Cortex-X4 and Cortex-A720 cores for the Tensor G3, and we contemplate when the company finally shifts to TSMC for future chipsets. Regardless of the chipset’s performance, if the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro can deliver a flawless experience without running into too much overheating problems, Google might have a good reception with its flagships this year.