The Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are official and are already among the best smartphones we've ever tested. That's partly thanks to Google's custom silicon that does the heavy lifting inside, the Google Tensor G2. It's the second-generation chip to be made by Google. While it only offers choice upgrades compared to the first Tensor chip that launched with the Google Pixel 6 series, it offers improvements in all the right areas.

Google Tensor G2 specifications

For those that want a table, here you go:

The Tensor G2 is made by Samsung on its 4nm node using panel-level packaging. This is a complicated way of saying the chips are carved out of a square wafer rather than a round one, reducing waste. This likely doesn't have much impact on the chip's performance in actual devices, but it's nifty and might reduce costs. Plus, it's potentially useful when we're still in the middle of a chip shortage.

The Tensor G2 keeps the 2+2+4 core cluster configuration that the original Tensor GS101 used, with two "super-big" cores, two more typical big cores, and four small cores. One thing that changes across generations is the frequency and one small tweak to the big clusters. The A76 cluster is replaced by an A78 cluster that's 100MHz faster at 2.35GHz. The other components remain the same, though. The X1 cluster has been bumped up by 50MHz, which gives it a frequency of 2.85GHz. This translates to a 10% to 15% better result in Geekbench, though you will be hard-pressed to notice much of this difference in real life.

Google has significantly upgraded the GPU, though. The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are switching to the Mali-G710 GPU rather than the G78. That provides about 20% better performance and efficiency. The new GPU also helps the onboard machine-learning-focused TPU, giving it an up to 35% boost in applicable processes. The TPU is also seeing an upgrade.

The G2 is again paired with a Samsung-made modem, this time around, the Exynos S5300 5G. Mobile connectivity was poor on the Pixel 6 series and one of the biggest gripes many owners had with it. Based on initial reports from Pixel 7 owners, the situation is greatly improved with the new modem.

Overall, this small upgrade compared to the first-gen Tensor might be disappointing on paper, but it could make a lot of sense in the performance-to-power usage ratio. Newer processors are found to improve performance at the cost of energy consumption, so sticking with the older generation might leave more room for better efficiency. It also helps that Google has experience with this setup for a whole generation, making it simpler to optimize the system further. This is somewhat reminiscent of the company sticking with the same camera for multiple generations of Pixel phones, improving how the software interacts with the hardware with each iteration.

Mass manufacturing for the chipset is estimated to have begun in June 2022, according to one report. This makes sense, as Google had to get enough Tensor G2 units ready for the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro launch that took place on October 6, 2022.

Google Tensor G2 special features

Smartphone chipsets aren't just a list of cores. Other details inside them can affect performance. One of the biggest reasons that Google elected to create its own chipset with the original Tensor was for enhanced machine learning applications. With the rise of ambient computing, so-called heterogeneous compute (which means pushing specialized workloads to different or customized pieces of hardware rather than just general-purpose CPUs) has a bigger impact on perceived device performance than big single-threaded gains.

It's not just about one or two big benchmarks but how we use our phones. More and more, that's for speech recognition, translation, fancy camera features, AR/VR, and other highly specialized workflows. And for that, you need more than a handful of recent ARM cores and a GPU.

The original Tensor included parts of Google's HDRNet image processing pipeline in hardware, providing more specialization and direct performance for Google's workloads than a general-purpose ISP can. Google also gave it a dedicated security core (paired with a separate Titan M2 chip running "Trusty OS").

The Tensor G2 enables new such capabilities once again. At I/O, Google talked about the Tensor G2 and said that it would bring "even more AI-heavy breakthroughs and helpful, personalized experiences across speech, photography, video, and security." And sure enough, the company delivers. The Pixel 7 can take and process night sight images up to two times faster than the Pixel 6. There is also a new Unblur feature on board that fully fixes slightly blurred images. Further, speech recognition has been improved, with the Pixel 7 processing dictated text faster than the Pixel 6, all without sending your audio snippets to servers.

Features like these are why a company would opt to create a custom smartphone chipset. Otherwise, Google would have used something from Qualcomm, as it did in the past.

Source: Google

While both the original GS101 Tensor and the Tensor G2 are heavily based on Samsung's Exynos designs, we might see future models, like Tensor G3 (if it will be called that), diverge from this base over time and as Google's requirements change.

It's also worth pointing out that Google's 2+2+4 core configuration is unique. So far, other chipset manufacturers haven't followed in Google's footsteps by including more than one "super-big" core. In an interview with Ars Technica's Ron Amadeo, Google's Phil Carmack (VP and GM of Google Silicon) said that this specific configuration was chosen to increase efficiency at "medium" workloads by being able to throw more resources at a task to do it quickly, returning to a low-power state faster.

"When it's a steady-state problem where, say, the CPU has a lighter load but it's still modestly significant, you'll have the dual X1s running, and at that performance level, that will be the most efficient... You might use the two X1s dialed down in frequency so they're ultra-efficient, but they're still at a workload that's pretty heavy. A workload that you normally would have done with dual A76s, maxed out, is now barely tapping the gas with dual X1s."

Google Tensor G2-supported devices

The Tensor G2 debuted with the Pixel 7 series of phones, which includes the Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Pro. If history is any indicator, we might see it come to a future a-series Pixel (probably the Pixel 7a in 2023). Google plans to release a Tensor-powered tablet, and the company has confirmed that it will run on the Tensor G2 as well.

Source: Google

Another hardware codename has been tied to the G2, but based on the name itself—Ravenclaw, a portmanteau of "Raven" (Pixel 6) and "claw" for the big cat names of the Pixel 7 series (Cheeta and Panther)—that might have been a test device that was meant to include the Pixel 7 hardware inside a Pixel 6 body. Google used a similar naming schema for a Pixel 5 that had Pixel 6 internals.

The Tensor G2 could also power the elusive Google Pixel Fold, which has been rumored for over a year now, with no confirmation from Google. The latest rumors put the Pixel foldable back on track for 2023, but we thought it would become a reality this year. Google's folding phone may be even further out than that, but if it does launch next year, it makes sense for it to come with the Tensor G2.

Check out the Google Pixel 7 series with Tensor G2 on board

The Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro have launched, and they are the only devices to come with the Tensor G2 so far. While Google revealed that the Pixel Tablet will also run on this custom silicone, the Pixel 7 phones are the products to get if you want to experience the Tensor G2 in everyday action.

Google Pixel 7

Source: Google

Google didn't reinvent the wheel with the Pixel 7, but they didn't need to. With improved cameras, the next-gen Tensor G2 chipset, and Google's wonderfully feature-filled software, the Pixel 7 earns its price tag handily again this year.

 

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Google Pixel 7 Pro

Source: Google

Google's Pixel 7 Pro refines the Pixel experience after the 6 Pro's initial stumbles last year, improving stability and taking the camera prowess to new levels with image fusing and 4K60fps video on all cameras. 30W fast charging and Pixel's addictive features like automatic Call screening and Pixel recorder help make the Pixel 7 Pro an alluring phone even as an iterative update.

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