Google did not touch on the specifications of the Tensor G3 during its official announcement, though it spoke incessantly about its computational imaging, video capabilities, and leveraging AI to enhance the final results. Even on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro comparison page, there are no additional details provided on the latest SoC, but we did stumble across information that mentions that Samsung’s older 4nm manufacturing process is being used to mass produce the Tensor G3, not the latest one.
Tensor G3 is made on Samsung’s 4nm LPP process and does not hold well under a strong CPU load
Past leaks have already spoken about the CPU configuration of the Tensor G3, with the chipset featuring a 9-core CPU and a Mali-G715 GPU. While the CPU cluster is a decent one, the manufacturing process is Samsung’s older 4nm LPP (Low Power Plus) instead of the 4nm LPP+, according to Notebookcheck. The newer manufacturing process may be dedicated to the Exynos 2400, and next year’s Tensor G4 is also fabricated on it, though an earlier report states that the latter will not provide a meaningful upgrade over the Tensor G3.
The Tensor G3 is mass produced on an inferior node as it no doubt helps Google save immensely on chipset shipments. Where the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 reportedly costs $160 to Qualcomm’s smartphone partners and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is said to be costlier than its predecessor, Google can instead invest those funds by focusing more on the features side of the Tensor G3, giving it capabilities in the software department. Where it falters in raw CPU performance, as evidenced in an earlier single-core and multi-core Geekbench 6 leak, Google has managed to increase Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro capabilities in both imaging and video.
Unfortunately, the drawback of using Samsung’s inferior 4nm LPP process is the lack of power efficiency. Unless Google switches to TSMC’s foundry, which it is not expected to before the arrival of the Tensor G5, we will probably continue to see its chipsets lag behind the competition. A Pixel 8 teardown revealed that Google has used copper and graphite film, along with thermal grease, to help transfer heat, but it has done little to alleviate the overheating issue. The smaller version ends up being 11 percent slower than the Pixel 8 Pro while touting the same Tensor G3.
Google will eventually have to shift foundries or switch to a more advanced manufacturing process to help its Tensor chips compete at a flagship level, but with the limited number of Pixel units shipped in a calendar year, it might take a while before the company can match other giants.
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