Google Tensor G5: Everything We Know So Far

Google is preparing to launch its Pixel 10 series, powered by the in-house Tensor G5 chipset. Each year, Pixel fans patiently wait for Google to fix the Tensor chipset, but are often disappointed by poor efficiency, subpar battery life, and heating issues. However, with the Tensor G5, things are starting to look promising. So in this article, we have discussed Tensor G5's manufacturer, CPU architecture, GPU, 5G modem, leaked Geekbench scores, and more.

Tensor G5: Potential CPU Architecture

First of all, the Tensor G5 chipset is said to be manufactured on TSMC's 2nd-gen 3nm (N3E) process node, instead of Samsung Foundry. This is a major change, as Google had previously opted for Samsung Foundry to manufacture past Tensor chipsets. It's being said that just moving to TSMC's advanced node will resolve Tensor's thermal and efficiency woes.

Now, coming to Tensor G5's CPU architecture, early leaks reveal that it will feature an 8-core Arm Cortex CPU, designed on the Armv8 architecture. The Tensor G5 will pack 1x Cortex-X4 core clocked at 3.78GHz, 5x Cortex-A725 cores clocked at 3.05GHz, and 2x Cortex-A520 cores clocked at 2.25GHz.

While Google has again decided to go for the older Cortex-X4 prime core, instead of the latest Cortex-X925 core, it seems the CPU performance will be in line with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor which was released in 2023. That said, the rest of the CPU cores were released in 2024, so that should ensure somewhat competitive CPU performance.

Tensor G5: Geekbench CPU Score (Leaked)

Recently, the upcoming Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold surfaced on Geekbench and revealed the Geekbench score of the Tensor G5 chipset. In the leaked Geekbench listing, the Tensor G5 achieved 2.27K in the single-core test and 6.17K in the multi-core test. This puts the Tensor G5 in the same ballpark as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. 

If we compare the TSMC-manufactured Tensor G5 with last year's Samsung-made Tensor G4, the performance difference is massive. In single-core, the Tensor G5 achieved a 20% performance uplift, and in multi-threaded tasks, the Tensor G5 is 65% faster than the Tensor G4.

This shows that TSMC's yield is much better than Samsung Foundry and that is resulting in massive performance improvements. I say this because the CPU configuration is almost similar when we compare the Tensor G5 with G4. Yet, Google has been able to increase the clock speeds and squeeze more performance out of the chipset.

Tensor G5: Expected GPU

Now, let's talk about the Tensor G5 GPU. According to recent leaks, the Tensor G5 is expected to feature Imagination Technologies' PowerVR DXT-48-1536 GPU. Interestingly, Google has replaced the powerful Arm Mali GPU, which was part of past Tensor chipsets, with a GPU that we don't see on mainstream devices.

By the way, Imagination Technologies is the company that developed the PowerVR GPUs for iPhones from 2007 until 2017, before Apple moved to its in-house GPU with the A11 Bionic. Currently, we don't know how well the new DXT-48-1536 GPU performs, but recent reports suggest that it brings Ray Tracing and GPU Virtualization support. The Tensor G5 GPU is said to run at 1.1GHz.

Tensor G5: Expected 5G Modem and TPU

We all know that mobile connectivity has been one of the major pain points of past Tensor chipsets, largely due to Samsung's inefficient Exynos 5G modem. With the Tensor G5, many hoped that Google would move away from Samsung's modem completely. However, according to recent leaks, it appears that Google is still going with the Samsung Exynos 5400 5G modem for the upcoming Tensor G5 chipset.

There were reports saying that Google might use MediaTek's 5G modem for the Tensor G5, but a leaked image from the Pixel 10 Pro shows "g5400" as the baseband, which indicates that it's the same Samsung-made 5G modem. Just so you know, this is the same modem that has been used in the older Tensor G4 chipset.

Apart from that, Google has reportedly upgraded the built-in TPU aka NPU on the Tensor G5. It's a next-gen AI accelerator, called Google Edge TPU, that is 14% faster than the Tensor G4 TPU. It can perform up to 18 trillion operations per second (TOPS) on the INT8 data type and 9 TOPS on the FP16 data type.

Tensor G5 Specifications (Expected)

Are You Excited for the Tensor G5?

The Tensor G5-powered Pixel 10 series launch is scheduled on August 20, and frankly, I am quite excited this time. I have largely stayed away from the Pixel lineup due to the Samsung-made Tensor chipsets. This time, however, Google has tapped TSMC to manufacture its processor, and that should largely fix efficiency and heating issues.

Sure, the Tensor G5 won't match flagships like the Snapdragon 8 Elite, A18 Pro, or the Dimensity 9400, but if Google can deliver Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-level performance with good efficiency and excellent battery life, I am all in.