Google has debuted the Tensor G5 chipset with the new Pixel 10 lineup. The TSMC-manufactured chipset is expected to compete with true flagship processors, but can it beat the Snapdragon 8 Elite? To find out, we have compared the Tensor G5 and Snapdragon 8 Elite on a number of benchmarks to evaluate their CPU and GPU performance. Let's now dive into the results.
Tensor G5 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite: AnTuTu Score
| AnTuTu Benchmark | Tensor G5 | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| AnTuTu Score | 1,291,252 | 2,759,190 |
| CPU | 457,073 | 583,775 |
| GPU | 382,578 | 1,132,574 |
| Memory | 242,613 | 643,562 |
| UX | 208,988 | 399,279 |
We ran the AnTuTu benchmark on the Pixel 10 Pro, and the Tensor G5 scored 1,291,252 points. In comparison, Qualcomm's flagship, the Snapdragon 8 Elite scored a massive 2,759,190 points, which is 2.1x higher than what Tensor G5 managed to get.
The Oryon CPU inside the Snapdragon 8 Elite is around 27% faster than the 8-core Arm Cortex CPU on the Tensor G5. On the GPU front, the difference is astounding, with the 8 Elite scoring nearly 3x higher. Based on our own testing, we can say that Google's latest Tensor G5 chipset is far behind the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
Tensor G5 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite: Geekbench Score
| Geekbench 6 CPU | Tensor G5 | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Single-core | 2,285 | 3,033 |
| Multi-core | 6,191 | 9,271 |
Now, let's move to the Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark. In our test run, the Google Tensor G5 scored 2,285 in single-core and 6,191 in multi-core. In comparison, Qualcomm's flagship, the Snapdragon 8 Elite delivered blistering CPU performance, achieving 3,033 in single-core and a whopping 9,271 in multi-core.
Here, the Oryon-powered Snapdragon 8 Elite posts about 33% faster single-core CPU performance, and around 50% faster performance in multi-threaded tasks. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is clearly in a league of its own, and Google's latest Tensor G5 chipset doesn't come close to it. If Google wants to match Qualcomm's offerings in coming years, it has to design CPU cores from the ground up, or at least, use the latest Arm CPU cores.
Tensor G5 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite: CPU Throttling Test
| CPU Throttling Test | Tensor G5 | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Maximum Score | 408,383 GIPS | 239,185 GIPS |
| Average Score | 289,135 GIPS | 202,350 GIPS |
| Minimum Score | 239,312 GIPS | 168,864 GIPS |
| Throttling Percentage (Higher is better) | 61% | 73% |
In the 15-minute CPU Throttling Test, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, despite packing powerful CPU cores and operating at a sky-high frequency of 4.32GHz, maintained its performance much better than the Tensor G5. The Snapdragon 8 Elite throttled to 73% of its maximum performance while the Tensor G5 throttled to 61%. In the 15-minute long run, the Snapdragon 8 Elite didn't see a significant dip in CPU performance, compared to Tensor G5's quick drop after just two minutes.
Tensor G5 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite: Benchmark Gallery
Tensor G5 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite: Specs Comparison
| Specs | Tensor G5 | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Process Node | TSMC’s 3nm (N3E) | TSMC’s 3nm (N3E) |
| CPU | 8-core Arm Cortex CPU | 8-core 2nd-gen Oryon CPU |
| CPU Cores | 1x Cortex-X4 (3.78GHz), 5x Cortex-A725 (3.05GHz), 2x Cortex-A520 (2.25GHz) | 2x 2nd-gen Oryon (4.32GHz), 6x 2nd-gen Oryon (3.53GHz) |
| GPU | Imagination Technologies DXT-48-1536 GPU, No Ray Tracing | Adreno 830 GPU |
| Storage and Memory | Zoned UFS 4.0 (512GB and above) and LPDDR5X | UFS 4.0, LPDDR5X memory, up to 5.3GHz, Up to 10.7 Gbps |
| NPU | New Google Edge TPU | New Hexagon AI Engine, On-device multimodal AI support |
| ISP | New ISP, Shoot 4K video at 60 FPS | AI Spectra ISP, Up to 320MP photo capture, 8K HDR video at 60 FPS |
| Modem | Samsung Exynos 5400 5G modem, Sub-6GHz 5G band support (India) | Snapdragon X80 5G modem, Up to 10 Gbps Peak Download, Up to 3.5 Gbps Peak Upload |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6.0 | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0 and UWB |
Verdict
As evident from the Geekbench CPU results, the Pixel 10 Pro's Tensor G5 can't match the Snapdragon 8 Elite in CPU performance. The Nuvia-designed Oryon cores are plenty powerful and outperform all competing chipsets except the Apple A18 Pro. On AnTuTu, the Snapdragon 8 Elite shows multifold gains over the Tensor G5. It's safe to say that with the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite 2, the gap is only going to grow wider.
