The Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro, which were launched last week, use Samsung Foundry's 4nm fabrication process and System LSI's Exynos 5300 5G modem. The new chipset succeeds last year's Tensor processor used in the Pixel 6 series and brings modest improvements in CPU and GPU performance.
Google unveiled last week that its second-generation Tensor chipset focuses more on AI performance and security capabilities. Google VP Brian Rakowski said the Tensor G2 has better voice processing capabilities. It offers faster Google Assistant queries, quicker voice translation, and improved voice typing (2.5x faster than using the Google Keyboard). It can even help users visually describe emojis, like asking for the “heart eyes cat.”
Tensor G2 features Samsung Foundry's 4nm LPE fabrication process, System LSI's Exynos 5300 5G modem
When it comes to specifications, the Tensor G2 uses Samsung Foundry's 4nm LPE, an upgrade over last year's 5nm LPE process. It features two ARM Cortex-X1 CPU cores clocked at 2.85GHz, two ARM Cortex-A78 CPU cores clocked at 2.35GHz, and four ARM Cortex-A55 CPU cores clocked at 1.8GHz. It also uses ARM's new-generation Mali-G710 GPU with seven cores for improved gaming and HDR. It comes integrated with Google's Titan M2 security chip and second-generation EdgeTPU (for AI processing).
It is compatible with LPDDR5 RAM and has 4MB shared L3 cache and 8MB of total system cache. Thanks to an improved ISP, it can now record 4K 60fps videos from all the cameras. It can also support up to 108MP cameras with zero shutter lag. Some other improvements include the ability to unblur photos (even older ones), portrait videos, and Super-Res Zoom (Google's version of near-lossless zoom) for images and videos.
The chipset also uses Samsung's Exynos 5300 5G modem, which Samsung announced during its Tech Day 2022 event last week. No details have been revealed regarding this new modem, but we can expect it to be faster and more power efficient. This is where the first-generation Tensor chipset underperformed as it drained the battery faster. Other connectivity features include dual-frequency GPS, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and USB Type-C 3.2.
