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Qualcomm hops on red flag meme trend to roast Google for replacing its chips with Tensor

Published: Oct 14, 2021, 12:36 AM

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Qualcomm hops on the red flag meme trend to roast Google for replacing its chips with Tensor

Google has kind of broken up with Qualcomm and the San Diego-based chipmaker is clearly not taking it well. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro - Google's next flagship smartphones that will be formally announced on October 19 - will be powered by the in-house Tensor chip and not a Snapdragon processor. Perhaps to show its displeasure, Qualcomm has hopped on the "red flag" meme bandwagon.

Social media users have turned the phrase red flag, which is used to indicate a potential problem, into a meme and various companies have also joined in on the fun. Seizing the moment, Qualcomm also sent out a tweet, and it looks like the company is roasting Google for making its own smartphone chipset instead of sticking with Snapdragon SoCs (via Android Central).

"We've decided to make our own smartphone SoC instead of using Snapdragon"
— Snapdragon (@Snapdragon) October 13, 2021

It is likely not targeted at Samsung as the South Korean titan has been in the chip business for a long time and a good chunk of its smartphones are still fueled by Qualcomm-made chips, although this may change as soon as next year.

The mid-tier Pixel 5a that was released not too long ago employs a Snapdragon chip. Last year's Pixel 5 was equipped with a mid-range Qualcomm chip and Google's decision was apparently partially influenced by the fact that Snapdragon chips have been rising in prices.

Tensor may not be as fast as Qualcomm's flagship chips

Google hasn't revealed much about the specs and has only said that the Tensor will leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide a personalized experience and boost features like camera and speech recognition, and will get better with the passage of time.

Per rumors, it was co-developed with Samsung and will be manufactured using the company's 5nm process. The chip apparently features Arm's last year's CPU cores and benchmark results suggest it will not be able to beat current and upcoming premium chips.

According to leaked press material, the chip is 80 percent faster than the mid-range Snapdragon 765G 5G that powers the Pixel 5.

The use of a home-brewed chip will also give Google greater control over software updates. A new rumor says the Pixel 6 will get 4 operating system updates and 5 years of security support. Most Android vendors, on the other hand, provide two OS updates and three years of security support.

This will make the Pixel 6 a viable alternative to Apple iPhones and help push it to the top of the best phones chart.

Qualcomm's current flagship chip, the Snapdragon 888, is capable of supporting four Android updates and four years of security patches.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.