Google Tensor has its roots in Samsung Exynos, still a lot different

The new Google Pixel 6 series phones have been out for several weeks. We’ve been seeing a few reviews and hands-on experiences. We only have hands-on photos and a few reports about some issues. For one, there is the flickering display problem that we are hoping will be fixed soon. The Pixel 6 Pro has also recently hit DxOMark where it scored high. Earlier, we mentioned the Pixel 6 series is real smart and powerful but everything will only be confirmed once used in real life.

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are different from the previous Pixel phones. Definitely, they look different especially with the camera island design. Both phones run on Google’s very first chip—the Tensor SoC.

The Tensor chip helps in making the Pixel 6 a powerful phone. Because of it, the devices are powerful and smart in many ways. The camera features are powered by Google Tensor so we can expect premium performance if we’re talking about mobile photography.

The Tensor is said to be more focused on machine learning. It will allow the phone to run the new features available. Google worked on the SoC together with Samsung LSI so it’s more of a Google-Samsung project.

Officially, the chip is called the Google Tensor. There is no model number although it’s known as “GS101” internally. We remember it being referred to as the “Whitechapel“.

This is Google’s very first chipset but it’s basically an Exynos chip. It’s not exactly Exynos but follows the SoC series in many levels. They will perform differently though with the numbers being different because the SoC architecture used is different.

Samsung has provided Google with the modem to use on the Pixel 6 Pro but it’s integrated into the Tensor. Let’s not be confused here. The Tensor isn’t really a rebranded Exynos. Google may have based it on the Exynos series. It is said to just utilize a different processor core setup while Exynos uses an equal setup. Google also uses its own edgeTPU. That one draws up to 5W power .

We can probably confirm the Google Tensor isn’t really self-made. It has its roots on the Samsung Exynos but not exactly the same. We can expect the performance on benchmarks will still be different. Let’s just see how the phone will fare in the coming weeks and months.