Updated to reflect multi-year support with the Snapdragon 888.
What you need to know
- Qualcomm pokes fun at Google for designing its own chip instead of using Snapdragon.
- The Google Tensor chip is an in-house design that will power the upcoming Google Pixel 6.
- Qualcomm has powered every Pixel smartphone up until now.
With the Pixel 6 on the way, there's much excitement brewing over the capabilities of the new Google Tensor chip. However, Qualcomm is not as excited since it means Google is more or less abandoning the chipmaker to make its own SoC.
The company took to Twitter to take part in the red flag meme. If you're not in the know, the meme simply points out scenarios that are seen as red flags, followed by a series of red flag emoji. In this case, the red flag is the Google Tensor chip.
"We've decided to make our own smartphone SoC instead of using Snapdragon" 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩"We've decided to make our own smartphone SoC instead of using Snapdragon" 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩— Snapdragon (@Snapdragon) October 13, 2021October 13, 2021
While Qualcomm doesn't directly name Google, it's clearly aimed at the search giant. Even Samsung, which builds its own in-house Exynos chip for international models, uses Qualcomm in its best Android phones for specific regions.
As one Android Central staff member points out, it's funny how Qualcomm is throwing shade at Google even though the Pixel 6 is rumored to receive four years of OS upgrades and five years of security patches. Meanwhile, even the best Qualcomm phones have been known to receive at most a few years of updates and patches.
That said, Qualcomm upped its game a notch with the Snapdragon 888, gaining support for up to "four Android versions" and four years of security updates, but it may still fall behind the Pixel 6.
Of course, we'll have to wait and see until the full Pixel 6 announcement, but it's starting to look like moving away from Qualcomm might have been the best decision for Google to take full advantage of its hardware and software chops.
That said, Google isn't altogether abandoning Qualcomm, as the two companies will continue to work together to support Android. However, after powering every Pixel smartphone until now, it's no surprise Qualcomm would take a moment to throw a little shade at the upcoming Pixel 6.
