Tensor G6 may boost the Google Pixel 11, but it still won’t catch flagship rivals

The latest Tensor G6 leak is good and bad news for the Pixel 11, adding more weight to what we already expected from Google’s next-gen chip destined for this year’s Pixel 11 series.

On the one hand, it looks like Pixel 11 customers are set to benefit from a significant leap in CPU performance. The chip is expected to feature a single Arm C1-Ultra core at 4.11GHz, alongside four C1-Pro cores at 3.38GHz and two C1-Pro cores at 2.65GHz. Google is completely skipping the Arm Cortex X925 era, jumping straight to the same CPU cohort as the powerhouse MediaTek Dimensity 9500.

This represents a potentially significant boost from the Tensor G5 and its Arm Cortex-X4, A725, and A520 setup. Looking at single-core Geekbench 6 results, there’s around a 40% potential uplift between the old and new cores, which would obviously be a significant leap if it holds up. The multi-core gains could be even larger, given the higher overall clock speeds and a move away from very small cores.

However, despite the very modern CPU cores, Google’s cluster remains somewhat conservative compared to the other flagship chips, even those built with the same off-the-shelf Arm cores. MediaTek’s Dimensity uses one C1-Ultra and three C1-Premium cores, which are larger and more powerful than the Pros. Likewise, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon features two large custom Oryon cores and six smaller cores, offering serious heavy-lifting potential. For a brand looking to merge mobile and PC use cases, two or more power-house cores are beneficial — Tensor isn’t in that league yet.

I expect the Pixel 11’s CPU to perform closer to Samsung’s Exynos 2600 inside some new Galaxy S26 models, which use a very similar C1-Ultra and C1-Pro configuration. However, with higher clock speeds, Tensor should push ahead by a modest margin. This puts it in a very solid performance category that will ensure it’s a robust daily performer, if not quite benchmark-topping.

Unfortunately, graphics will almost certainly remain the Pixel’s Achilles’ heel. The Tensor G6 is reportedly switching to a PowerVR CXTP-48-1536. The Tensor G5 sports a DXT-48-1536 and, according to the Imagination Technologies website, its GPU range ranks from A (smallest and most power-efficient) through to E (highest performance).

After some digging, it’s not entirely clear where the CXTP lands. The 2021-era C-series consists of the very low-end CXM for smart TVs and the CXT, a more flagship-tier product (almost certainly not by 2026 standards anymore) that supports ray tracing.

From what I can discern, the “P” model is not part of the original 2021 era C-series. If it’s anything like the DXT versus DXTP, then the “P” indicates improved power efficiency. The DXTP arrived in early 2025 with a 20% FPS-per-Watt efficiency gain over the DXT. The CXTP likely offers something similar. That sounds impressive, but how this compares to the power draw of the 2023-era DXT in the G5 is anyone’s guess.

Exactly what this means for the Pixel 11’s gaming performance is equally unknown. The C-series is clearly not designed to match the D-series’s peak performance, and Imagination’s own materials suggest a 20% better performance density per area over the CXT. In all likelihood, the Tensor design team is weighing up exactly how to extract the best performance from a limited GPU silicon budget, and perhaps the new “P” model, a move to a smaller 2nm node, or simply licensing costs have shifted this slightly in favor of the CXTP over last year’s DXT, while keeping performance competitive with the previous generation.

Like the DXT in the Tensor G5, the CXTP can support ray-racing. However, this requires additional cores and space, and I suspect Google is moving to the C-series to save on silicon area. So don’t bet on ray-tracing this generation either.

As the graph above shows, the Tensor G6 would need to make substantial changes to its GPU configuration to catch up with the competition. Even if the new 2nm manufacturing process and more efficient GPU cores could enable higher clock speeds and/or better sustained performance, using an improved 2021-era architecture is likely to be a sidegrade at best. As a result, the Pixel 11 is almost certain to remain a more sluggish gaming phone than 2026 flagship phones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, Dimensity 9500, and, quite likely, even the AMD-equipped Exynos 2600 too.

Google’s custom silicon project hasn’t ever really been about chasing the benchmark leaderboards, and the Tensor G6 isn’t going to suddenly change the status quo. We might have to wait for the Tensor G7 or longer for that.

For general app performance, the CPU upgrades will be noticeable for both the substantial performance uplift and the efficiency gains from moving to a more efficient architecture. Sadly, gamers don’t look set to receive the same benefits, but perhaps the Pixel 11 will sip on battery life enough to feel like somewhat of an upgrade for those longer sessions. In any case, this is unlikely to trouble series fans who aren’t bothered about Tensor’s lack of graphics grunt.

Instead, Tensor is a means for Google to pursue its AI ambitions without being beholden to other silicon partners. Case in point, the chip is poised to switch from its long-running but often troubled use of Samsung Exynos modem to the MediaTek M90. We’ll have to test it to see if this finally rids the series of connectivity problems and battery drain issues once and for all.

Likewise, Google is prepping its in-house Titan M3 security chip and a next-generation “Santafe” TPU and “Metis” image signal process for the Tensor G6. Those upgrades alone would allow Google to introduce interesting new features in the realms of on-device AI and computational photography, which will no doubt be far bigger selling points for the Pixel 11 series than performance ever could be. With that in mind, and ignoring competitors’ moves, the Tensor G6 could well turn out to be a notable upgrade when the Pixel 11 series lands later this year.