Is this Samsung rumor a good reason to skip Pixel 8 and wait for Pixel 9?
Perhaps you're planning to make your next Pixel purchase later this year when you buy the Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro. Expected to be released next October, both devices will be powered by the Google Tensor 3 which is expected to be a modified Exynos 2300 SoC (even though Samsung didn't use this chipset for its Galaxy S23 flagship line). But the word on the street is that Samsung is designing a powerful new Exynos chip to be used to power the Galaxy S24 series in certain markets. And this news might impact whether you buy a Pixel 8 or wait for the Pixel 9.
Samsung has its own reasons for powering most Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra units with a powerful Exynos 2400 chipset. As we explained the other day, it would save Samsung from having to write some big checks to Qualcomm for its Snapdragon chips. The money Samsung saves is expected to be used to increase the base storage on the Galaxy S24 model to 256GB and hike the amount of RAM used on the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ to 12GB and 16GB on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The ramifications of a powerful Exynos 2400 SoC go beyond Samsung and the Galaxy S24 series
The ramifications of a powerful Exynos 2400 SoC extend beyond Samsung and into the world of Pixel handsets. As we noted, the Google Tensor chip was based on a modified Exynos 2200, and the first-gen Tensor chip, found in this writer's Pixel 6 Pro, is based on the Exynos 2100 chipset. So it would only stand to reason that the Google Tensor 4 will be based on the Exynos 2400 SoC. And the Tensor 4 should debut inside the Pixel 9 which should be released during 2024's fourth quarter.
The Google Tensor 2, based on the Exynos 2200, powers the Pixel 7 line
According to a tipster on Twitter with the name Revengus, the Exynos 2400 will have a 10-core CPU based on Arm's V9 architecture. A rumor back in February called for the Exynos 2400 SoC to feature a high-performance Cortex-X4 core, two Cortex-A720 performance cores running at a higher clock speed, three Cortex-A720 performance cores running at a lower clock speed, and four Cortex-A520 efficiency cores. Now assuming that the Google Tensor 4 SoC will be based on the Exynos 2400 chipset, we could see a very powerful processor running the Pixel 9 next year
The Exynos 2300 that the Tensor 3 is based on will reportedly feature a 1+4+4 configuration. This is rumored to consist of a Cortex-X3 high-performance core clocked at 3.09GHz, four Arm Cortex-A715 performance cores running at 2.65GHz, and four ARM Cortex-A510 efficiency cores with a clock speed of 2.10GHz. The Tensor 3, to reiterate, will be powering the Pixel 8 line.
So if you are like the average Joe and can't afford to buy a new phone every year, you just might want to keep your powder dry and wait for next year's Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro. Of course, this would require that you not get caught up in the unveiling of the Pixel 8 series, and you'll be putting your trust in what is now just rumors and speculation about the Exynos 2400 chipset. And if Google announces some crazy new feature for the Pixel 8 line that can't be offered to older devices, your will to wait will be sorely tested.
The Pixel 9 might feature an improved optical zoom and Super Res Zoom. On the Pixel 6 Pro, optical zoom is 4x and the hybrid Super Res Zoom is 20x. On the Pixel 7 Pro, optical zoom can range up to 5x with Super Res Zoom at 30x. The Pixel 8 Pro should improve on those numbers, and the Pixel 9 Pro should do even better.
Should you wait for the Pixel 9? This is when I'm going to replace my Pixel 6 Pro
The Pixel 8 series is supposedly going to be equipped with an ultrasonic under-display fingerprint sensor and the Pixel 9 could have the second generation of this biometric security feature. And we'd hope that Pixel 9 battery life will be improved over whatever Google can squeeze out of the battery for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.
So what is this writer going to do with my Pixel 6 Pro? As much as I'd really like to have Face Unlock on my Pixel, the 6 Pro is still doing what I ask it to do and Google has given the Pixel 6 series the improved Night Sight that debuted on the Pixel 7 line, the enhanced Direct My Call that shows phone trees in advance (also originally found on the Pixel 7 series), and the Pixel 6 Pro display can be changed to a lower 1080p FHD+ resolution to save battery life (Settings > Display > Screen resolution). That also debuted on the Pixel 7 line.
Photo Unblur and Clear Calling are the only Pixel 7 AI tricks I'd like to see on my Pixel 6 Pro. Right now, the latter model has Face Unblur which will fix blurry faces and the Pixel 8 is rumored to feature Video Unblur. But yeah, I can see myself holding on until next year and waiting for the Pixel 9. You?
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