Tensor G5 : Google is making some bold moves with the upcoming Pixel 10 Pro, and the biggest change isn’t what you can see on the outside—it’s what’s powering everything from the inside. The Tensor G5 chip represents Google’s most ambitious leap yet in smartphone technology, marking the first time the company has designed a processor completely on its own terms.
Breaking Free: Why Google Left Samsung Behind
Think about it like this: imagine you’ve been working with a business partner for years, sharing ideas and resources to create something together. That’s essentially what Google did with Samsung for previous Tensor chips. But sometimes, you reach a point where you need complete creative control to achieve your vision.
Image suggestion: Infographic showing the evolution from Samsung partnership to TSMC manufacturing
Google’s decision to partner with TSMC for the Tensor G5 manufacturing represents their first fully self-designed chip, shifting away from Samsung’s involvement entirely. This isn’t just about changing manufacturers—it’s about Google taking the reins of their hardware destiny.
The move makes sense when you consider the challenges. Samsung reportedly had low yields on 3nm chip production (about 20%), while TSMC is widely accepted as the best Android chip manufacturer in the world. For a company that prides itself on seamless user experiences, working with the most reliable partner becomes crucial.
What Makes Tensor G5 Different
Here’s where things get interesting for everyday users. The Tensor G5 isn’t just a spec bump—it’s a complete reimagining of how Google approaches mobile processing.
Image suggestion: Detailed chip architecture diagram highlighting key components
The Tensor G5 comes with a GPU from Imagination Technologies (the DXT-48-1536 running at 1.1 GHz), marking a departure from the Arm Mali GPUs used in all previous Tensor chips. This might sound technical, but it translates to something exciting: ray tracing support. This means more realistic lighting and shadows in games, though knowing Google, they’ll probably use it for something completely unexpected in photography.
The processing power bump is substantial too. Recent benchmark leaks show the Tensor G5 achieving up to 36 percent better performance compared to the Tensor G4, with single-core scores hitting 2,276 points and multi-core reaching 6,175 points.
The Camera Revolution You Didn’t See Coming
Photography has always been Google’s secret weapon, and the Pixel 10 Pro is doubling down on this strength in a major way. Google is creating a fully custom Image Signal Processor (ISP) for the Tensor G5, moving away from tweaked Samsung solutions.
Image suggestion: Camera samples comparing Pixel 9 Pro vs expected Pixel 10 Pro improvements
This custom ISP represents a return to form for Google. Remember the Pixel Visual Core from the Pixel 2? That was Google’s first attempt at custom image processing, and it delivered some amazing results. Now, with years of experience and complete control over the entire imaging pipeline, the possibilities are exciting.
Think about what Google has accomplished with computational photography—Night Sight, Portrait Mode, Magic Eraser. Now imagine what they could do with hardware specifically designed from the ground up to support their vision.
The Reality Check: Performance vs. Experience
Let’s be honest about something that benchmark enthusiasts might find disappointing. Despite the improvements, the Tensor G5 still trails behind competitors like the Snapdragon 8 Elite, Dimensity 9400, and Apple’s A18 series by an entire generation.
But here’s what’s fascinating about Google’s approach: they’re not trying to win benchmark wars. As Google’s Pixel product management team explained during the Pixel 9 announcement, Tensor chips aren’t designed to break benchmark records—they’re made to improve user experience and address pain points.
Image suggestion: User interface screenshots showing AI features in action
This philosophy becomes clearer when you understand what the Tensor G5 prioritizes. The chip includes an upgraded TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) that’s 14% faster than the previous generation, with support for on-device training—the kind of capability that makes features like real-time translation and advanced photo processing possible without sending your data to the cloud.
Building for the Future
What’s really intriguing about the Pixel 10 Pro and its Tensor G5 is how Google is positioning for future technologies. The new GPU includes support for GPU Virtualization, allowing accelerated graphics in virtual machines—a feature that hints at Google’s broader vision for computing.
The manufacturing process itself tells a story of efficiency and power management. Built on TSMC’s 3nm N3E process, the same technology used in Apple’s A18 Pro, the Tensor G5 should deliver better performance per watt.
Image suggestion: Power efficiency comparison chart between Tensor generations
What This Means for Real People
Let’s cut through the technical jargon and talk about what actually matters in your daily life. The Pixel 10 Pro with its Tensor G5 chip should deliver:
Smarter Photography: With that custom ISP, expect even more impressive computational photography tricks. Google has always been the king of making average lighting look amazing—imagine what they can do with hardware designed specifically for their algorithms.
Better Battery Life: The efficiency gains from TSMC’s 3nm process, combined with Google’s focus on power optimization, should translate to longer days between charges.
Faster AI Features: Whether it’s real-time translation, voice typing, or whatever new AI tricks Google has up their sleeve, the enhanced TPU should make these features more responsive.
Improved Gaming: Ray tracing support might not make the Pixel 10 Pro a gaming phone, but it opens doors for more visually impressive mobile experiences.
The Bigger Picture Beyond Specs
Image suggestion: Timeline showing Google’s chip development journey from Pixel Visual Core to Tensor G5
What makes the Tensor G5 story compelling isn’t just the technical improvements—it’s what it represents for Google’s long-term strategy. By taking full control of their chip design and manufacturing, Google joins Apple in the exclusive club of companies that control their entire hardware and software stack.
This integration typically leads to the kind of seamless experiences that make technology feel magical rather than frustrating. When the same company designs the hardware, writes the software, and controls the entire user experience, everything can work together in ways that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.
The Pixel 10 Pro might not win every benchmark comparison, but it’s positioning Google to deliver the kind of integrated experiences that could define the next generation of smartphones. And honestly, that’s probably more important than any synthetic test score.