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Google's Pixel 8 series and their new Tensor G3 chipset face rather formidable competitors, like the 3nm Apple A17 or the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processors. Can Google pull off similar Tensor G3 specs and performance? Let's review the 2023 Tensor G3 chipset specs and features to find out...
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The Google Tensor 3 chipset's peak clock speeds specs are yet to be revealed in full, but its processor is in a 1x Cortex X3 + 4x Cortex-A715 + 4x Cortex A-510 configuration potentially clocked as follows:
Tensor G3
Tensor G2
Tensor G1
1x Cortex-X3 @ 3.0GHz
2x Cortex-X1 @ 2.85GHz
2x Cortex-X1 @ 2.8GHz
4x Cortex-A715 @ 2.45GHz
2x Cortex-A78 @ 2.3GHz
2x Cortex-A76 @ 2.25GHz
4x Cortex-A510 @ 2.15GHz
4x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz
4x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz
The Tensor G3 is codenamed Zuma and the powerful core configuration suggests that it may be Google's first 64 bit-only chipset, just like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is expected to be for Qualcomm.
As for graphics, a 15% faster Mali-G715 GPU is in store, while the AI chops would be provided by a new custom "Rio" TPU that is supposed to be 10% more powerful than the 1GHz "Janerio" on Tensor G2.
"Our work with Tensor has never been about speeds and feeds, or traditional performance metrics. It’s about pushing the mobile computing experience forward. And in our new Tensor G3 chip, every major subsystem has been upgraded, paving the way for on-device generative AI. It includes the latest generation of ARM CPUs, an upgraded GPU, new ISP and Imaging DSP and our next-gen TPU, which was custom-designed to run Google’s AI models," says Google.
Tensor G3 benchmark performance and new features
Higher clock count for more powerful peak performance.
15% faster deca-core ARM Mali-715 graphics
10% faster AI TPU
Lower power consumption
While not on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 level of performance, the Google Tensor G3 may match and even surpass the excellent Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that all major 2023 Android flagships are now powered by. It is also rumored to come with 15% faster ARM Mali-G715 GPU with ten cores instead of the septa-core Mali-G710 graphics of the Pixel 7 series G2 chipset.
The 10 generic graphics cores clocked at 890 Hz are unlikely to beat graphics performance records and elevate the Tensor G3 to the rendering level of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Apple A17, or MediaTek Dimensity 9200 but they would be a decent upgrade over the admittedly underpowered graphics of its predecessor that lagged behind in our benchmark tests.
According to Google, "compared to the first generation of Tensor on Pixel 6, our latest phones run more than twice as many machine learning models on-device.... on-device generative AI is really complex: 150 times more complex than the most complex model on Pixel 7 just a year ago. Tensor G3 is up for the task, with its efficient architecture co-designed with Google Research."
As usual, Google is expected to outfit its homebrew Tensor G3 chipset to its own Pixel line of phones, namely the 8-series like the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro slated for October release, and, later on, the midrange Pixel 8a, as has become customary.
Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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