Update (October 24, 10:40 am ET): Representatives from both Qualcomm and Arm have provided their respective statements.
What you need to know
- A new report suggests that the Pixel 10 and 11, expected in 2025 and 2026, will feature new Tensor G5 and G6 chips made by TSMC using advanced 3nm N3E process nodes.
- If accurate, this means Google will adopt the same cutting-edge 3nm process as Apple’s A18 Pro chip.
- The Pixel 11 might take it a step further with an even more advanced 3nm process for its Tensor G6 chip.
A leak from Google's semiconductor team has revealed early details about the SoC design set to power the next two generations of flagship Pixel phones.
A new report from Android Authority suggests that Google is gearing up to boost the performance of the 2025 and 2026 Pixel models, presumably called the Pixel 10 and Pixel 11, with the new Tensor G5 and G6 chips, built by TSMC using advanced 3nm N3E process nodes.
If this information is accurate, Google will be using the same advanced 3nm TSMC process as Apple’s A18 Pro chip in the iPhone 16 Pro. Meanwhile, the Pixel 11 is rumored to tap into an even more advanced 3nm process for its Tensor G6 chip.
With talk of Apple using the same process for its A19 chip in the iPhone 17, it seems Google is keeping a close eye on the competition in chip tech.
This marks a big shift from the previous chipsets for earlier Pixel models, which were made by Samsung and often criticized for affecting battery life and performance.
Rumors have been swirling for a while that Google would move away from Samsung for its Tensor chips and team up with TSMC. This change could let Google introduce fully custom cores as soon as the Tensor G5 next year.
Even though the Pixel 9 boasts impressive features, benchmarks show that its Tensor G4 chip falls short in some performance areas. Many point to the older manufacturing processes used by Samsung as the reason for this gap.
Ideally, switching to more advanced process nodes should greatly enhance performance and energy efficiency. However, the extent of these gains really depends on how well the custom engineering is done. After all, designing processors is an incredibly complex challenge.
Regardless, the shift hints that the Pixel 10 and 11 could see significant upgrades in battery life and overall performance. TSMC's process node is definitely a step up from Samsung's Exynos, so we can expect to see this reflected in the Tensor G5 and future models.
Update
A Qualcomm representative gave the following statement to our sister site, Windows Central: "This is more of the same from ARM – more unfounded threats designed to strongarm a longtime partner, interfere with our performance-leading CPUs, and increase royalty rates regardless of the broad rights under our architecture license. With a trial fast approaching in December, Arm’s desperate ploy appears to be an attempt to disrupt the legal process, and its claim for termination is completely baseless. We are confident that Qualcomm’s rights under its agreement with Arm will be affirmed. Arm’s anticompetitive conduct will not be tolerated."
Meanwhile, Arm's representative offered the following statement in response: "Following Qualcomm’s repeated material breaches of Arm’s license agreement, Arm is left with no choice but to take formal action requiring Qualcomm to remedy its breach or face termination of the agreement. This is necessary to protect the unparalleled ecosystem that Arm and its highly valued partners have built over more than 30 years. Arm is fully prepared for the trial in December and remains confident that the Court will find in Arm’s favor."
