Google likely never intended the Tensor G4 to bring about a radical performance improvement over the Tensor G3, with rumors claiming back in 2023 that the SoC would be a minor upgrade. Now, it appears that this bit could end up being true, but it is not like the company is not making upgrades anywhere else, as the integrated Exynos 5400 5G modem that will be a part of the Pixel 9 family is said to deliver incredible power efficiency over the previous-generation baseband chip.
Exynos 5400 to reportedly deliver up to a 50 percent efficiency improvement over the Pixel 8’s Exynos 5300, making it the only highlight of the Tensor G4
Tensor G3 featured a 9-core CPU cluster, with the Tensor G4 being a downgrade, at least on paper, with its 8-core configuration. Naturally, to deliver better performance than its predecessor, Google probably equipped its upcoming SoC with more advanced cores in the ‘1 + 3 + 4’ arrangement. As for why the technology giant did not adopt a CPU cluster based on the Exynos 2400’s 10-core configuration for better multi-core performance, Android Authority reports that the company may have stuck with this design for the Tensor G4 to run cooler.
However, despite the reduced number of cores, the Tensor G4 is still 33 percent faster than the Tensor G3 in AnTuTu, but the previous benchmark reveals that the SoC was running in the Pixel 9 Pro XL, which may have been equipped with a bigger cooler. Another report claimed that like Samsung’s Exynos 2400, Google would adopt FOWLP or ‘Fan out Wafer Level Packaging’ to deliver a higher multi-core score and maintain its thermals for longer. Then again, if this was Google’s goal, it could have adopted a higher CPU cluster and paired that configuration with the advanced packaging to obtain an even higher score.
Whatever Google’s reasons might have been, the Tensor G4 more or less appears to be a stopgap release, and even though the company was previously leaked to market the silicon as ‘game-changing,’ we highly doubt it will be an extraordinary release. What is extraordinary is the Exynos 5400 modem that is paired with the SoC, with the report stating that a source has informed up to 50 percent better power consumption than the Exynos 5300 used in the Pixel 8. Unfortunately, not all Tensor G4 units will benefit from the power-efficient modem, as Google is said to be working on a solution that pairs the newest silicon with the older baseband chip.
After taking a gander at these specifications, it is clear that the Tensor G4 was never Google’s ‘shining moment.’ For that, we must wait until 2025, when the company unveils the Tensor G5, its first fully custom in-house chip that was previously reported to have reached tape-out status and will be mass produced on TSMC’s 3nm process.
News Source: Android Authority
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