Should the Pixel 10 ditch Tensor for Snapdragon? It’s complicated

A faster Pixel would be great, but what would we have to give up?

Mar 15, 2025 - 13:59

Should the Pixel 10 ditch Tensor for Snapdragon? It’s complicated

Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority

What if Google’s next Pixel flagship used Qualcomm’s high-flying Snapdragon 8 Elite rather than Google’s in-house Tensor processor? While obviously entirely hypothetical (Google already has plans for the Pixel 11’s Tensor G6), the hit-and-miss nature of the Pixel’s in-house chip has often left many of us contemplating if the Tensor project has failed and if Pixel wouldn’t be better off using the same chip as everyone else.

Performance is the obvious and most talked about point of difference, of course. It’s well documented that Tensor typically benchmarks a couple of generations behind brand-new rivals, leaving Google’s current Tensor G4 closer to 2022’s 8 Gen 2 than the new powerhouse 8 Elite. Things don’t look set to change with the G5; the gap has widened as Qualcomm has powered ahead with custom CPU cores that Arm’s Cortex CPUs can’t match.