Tested: Are Google’s Tensor chips really that hot and inefficient?

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Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority


Google’s Pixel smartphones pride themselves on superb software but haven’t quite garnered the same reputation for their processor hardware. Despite custom silicon in the form of Google’s Tensor chip, performance and power consumption have been hit-and-miss. However, things have anecdotally improved in recent generations, including the new Pixel 9 series.

But is there any data to back up many of our gut feelings? We’ve been testing smartphones for years, so I dug out our results for the Pixel 6 Pro and its original Tensor processor to compare against the latest Pixel 9 Pro XL and its Tensor G4, and every model Pro in between. Let’s get into it.




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