Google Pixel 7 has already leaked, and it’s likely to use a Google Tensor 2 chipset
Codenames everywhere
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TheGoogle Pixel 6range has only just gone on sale but already there’s evidence of theGooglePixel 7 being in the works, and there’s even some news about its chipset.
Tech journalistMishaal Rahmanhas spotted mention of a ‘GS201’ in some Android code changes, and this is almost certainly the next generation of the Google Tensor chipset – possibly called the Google Tensor 2.
That’s because the original Tensor powering the Pixel 6 range has been linked to the model number GS101. The code doesn’t reveal anything else, and it’s not really surprising that Google would be working on the next generation of this chipset, but it does suggest that the company will stick with Tensor rather than switching back to a Snapdragon chipset.
The next-gen Google Tensor chip, GS201, is in the works (because of course, what’d you expect?): https://t.co/oZtKc9E30ROctober 28, 2021
And given that this reference has been found in official Google code, it’s not something we really need to take with a pinch of salt – though of course anything could happen between now and the Pixel 7’s launch, likely in October 2022.
In smaller Pixel 7 news,9to5Googlehas spotted references to the codename ‘Cloudripper’ buried within code for some of the apps that ship with the Pixel 6.
The site believes that this is a codename for a baseboard or developer board that will be used by the Pixel 7 range. So this again doesn’t tell us much, but it is evidence that the Google Pixel 7 range is already in the works.
Opinion: Tensor 2 needs to bring the power
Google Tensor was one of the most exciting aspects of the Pixel 6 range prior to launch, as it’s a completely new chipset and there was lots of speculation about how powerful it would be.
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As it turns out, while Tensor is plenty powerful, it’s not a match for the likes of the Snapdragon 888 found in many Android flagships, let aloneApple’s A15 Bionic chipset in theiPhone 13range.
So for the Google Tensor 2 (or whatever it ends up being called) we’d like to see a real boost given to the performance, so that it’s as exciting in reality as the original Tensor was in our imaginations.
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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.
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