DECEMBER 2021 MACWORLD 43previous Pixel and Galaxy phones and
gives the Pixel 6 real character.
But aside from how it looks, the new
Pixel phones are more Apple-like than ever.
For starters, they have a Google-made chip,
dubbed Tensor. Google claims it’s up to 80
percent faster than the Pixel 5, but it’s less
about speed than it is about bringing the
things that Google does best onto the
device: AI, computational photography,
and power efficiency.
Tensor isn’t just Google’s first CPU—it’s
also a recognition that off-the-shelf
processors are limiting. Qualcomm’s
Snapdragon 888 may be fast and power
efficient, but it falls short in the things
Google needs it to do, in a scenario that’s
not unlike Apple’s Intel troubles. By making
its own CPU, Google is able to build a
phone from the inside out and focus on
the features that make the Pixel stand out.
It might not be the fastest Android phone
you can buy, but it’ll be the most capable.
When Apple introduced the A4 in the
original iPad, its
focus was on
speed and
battery life.
Apple called it “a
remarkably
powerful yet
remarkably
power-efficient
mobile The camera bar is one of the most unique features found on any smartphone.
processor” and praised its multitasking
abilities. It took several generations for the
A12 Bionic to showcase its real benefits:
camera processing and neural networking.
Google’s Tensor chip is already in a
stronger position, and it could become
one of the best smartphone chips on an
Android device. For the first time, Google
controls the whole stack (as they say), and
like the iPhone, Tensor could separate the
Pixel from the pack. Google already blows
away most of its competitors with its AI and
photo processing, and a dedicated chip
could do more for the Pixel than the
A-Series chip does for the iPhone.
We already know the Pixel 6 will bring
a fantastic camera and the best Android
experience, but the Tensor chip could
finally deliver an experience that rivals—
and maybe even surpasses—that of the
iPhone. For the first time, Google has built
a phone that’s more Apple than Android,
and it could mark a major shift in the
smartphone landscape.