The Tensor G6 can outperform the Google Pixel 11, but it still won’t be able to catch up to the flagship rivals

The Latest Tensor G6 leak It’s good and bad news for the Pixel 11, adding more weight to what we expect from Google’s next-gen chip slated for this year. Pixel 11 series.

On the one hand, it looks like Pixel 11 customers are set to benefit from a significant jump in CPU performance. The chip is expected to be single Arm C1-Ultra core at 4.11 GHz, along with four C1-Pro cores at 3.38 GHz and two C1-Pro cores at 2.65 GHz. Google skips the Arm Cortex X925 cycle altogether and goes straight to the same CPU cohort as the MediaTek Dimensity 9500.

This represents potentially significant growth Tensor G5 and its Arm Cortex-X4, A725 and A520 setup. Looking at the single-core Geekbench 6 results, there’s about a 40% potential upgrade between the old and new cores, which would obviously be a significant jump if it held up. Given the higher overall clock speeds and the move away from very small cores, the multi-core gains can be even greater.

However, despite the very modern CPU cores, Google’s cluster remains somewhat conservative compared to other flagship chips, even 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 has two large dedicated Oryon cores and six smaller ones, offering serious heavy-lifting potential. for a brand looking for combine mobile and PC use casestwo or more power center cores are useful — Tensor isn’t in that league yet.

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

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

After some digging, it’s not entirely clear where CXTP ended up. The 2021 C-series consists of a very low-end CXM for smart TVs and a more advanced product (almost not up to 2026 standards) CXT that supports ray tracing.

As far as I can see, the “P” model is not part of the original 2021 C series. If it’s something like DXT vs. DXTP, then the “P” indicates improved energy efficiency. The DXTP arrived in early 2025 With 20% FPS/Watt efficiency compared to DXT. CXTP probably offers something similar. That sounds impressive, but how it compares to the 2023 DXT’s power draw in the G5 is anyone’s guess.

What exactly this means for the Pixel 11’s gaming performance is equally unknown. The C series is not designed to match the peak performance of the D series, and Imagination’s own materials offer 20% better performance density per area over the CXT. It’s likely that the Tensor design team is carefully evaluating how to get the best performance out of a limited GPU silicon budget, and perhaps the new “P” model, the move to a smaller 2nm node, or simply licensing costs have tipped the CXTP slightly in favor of the CXTP over last year’s DXT while keeping it competitive with the previous generation.

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

As you can see from the graphic above, the Tensor G6 has to make major changes to its GPU configuration to keep up with the competition. Even if the new 2nm manufacturing process and more efficient GPU cores can deliver higher clock speeds and/or better sustained performance, using the improved architecture of the 2021 era will likely be a side-step at best. As a result, the Pixel 11 is almost certain to remain a slower gaming phone than the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the Dimensity 9500, and even the likely 2026 flagships. Exynos 2600 powered by AMD too.

Google’s custom silicon project was never meant to chase benchmark leaderboards, and the Tensor G6 isn’t going to suddenly change the status quo. we may have to wait Tensor G7 or longer for that matter.

For overall application performance, CPU improvements will be noticeable, both for significant performance gains and efficiency gains from switching to a more efficient architecture. Unfortunately, gamers don’t seem ready to reap the same benefits, but perhaps the Pixel 11 will pack enough battery life to feel like a slight improvement for those long sessions. In any case, this is unlikely to bother the series Fans who aren’t bothered by Tensor’s lack of graphics are clamoring.

Instead, Tensor is a tool for Google to realize its AI ambitions without being tied to other silicon partners. As an example, the chip is set to use the long-term, but often problematic, use of the Samsung Exynos modem. MediaTek M90. We’ll have to test it to see if it finally gets rid of a number of connectivity issues and battery drain issues once and for all.

Similarly, Google also develops in-house Titanium M3 security chip and next-generation “Santafe” TPU and “Metis” image signal processing for Tensor G6. These improvements alone will allow Google to introduce exciting new features in the field of artificial intelligence and computational photography to the device, which will no doubt be bigger selling points for the Pixel 11 series than performance. With that in mind, and ignoring the moves of rivals, the Tensor G6 could be a marked improvement when the Pixel 11 series lands later this year.