The Google Pixel 6 series has just recently gone on sale but there is already an indication that the Google Pixel 7 is in the works, as well as some information regarding its chipset.
Mishaal Rahman, a tech journalist, discovered a reference to a ‘GS201’ in certain Android code revisions, indicating that this is very probably the next generation of the Google Tensor chipset – may be dubbed the Google Tensor 2.
That’s because the GS101 model number has been tied to the original Tensor that powers the Pixel 6 series. The code doesn’t reveal anything further, and it’s not surprising that Google is working on the next iteration of this chipset, but it does indicate that the business will continue with Tensor rather than switching back to a Snapdragon chipset.
And, considering that this reference was discovered in official Google code, it’s not something we should take lightly – though anything might happen between now and the Pixel 7’s release, which is expected in October 2022.
In other Pixel 7 news,9to5Google has discovered references to the codename ‘Cloudripper’ buried within the source code for some of the apps that ship with the Pixel 6.
This is a codename for a baseboard or developer board that will be utilized by the Pixel 7 range, according to the site. So, while this doesn’t reveal much, it does show that the Google Pixel 7 range is already in the works.
Opinion: Tensor 2 needs to bring the power
As per Techradar, prior to launch, Google Tensor was one of the most interesting features of the Pixel 6 range, as it’s a whole new chipset with a lot of conjecture about its potential.
Tensor, while strong, is no match for the likes of the Snapdragon 888, which is featured in many Android flagships, let alone Apple’s A15 Bionic chipset in the iPhone 13 range.
So for the Google Tensor 2 (or whatever it ends up being called), we’d like to see a significant performance gain, so that it’s as exciting in reality as the original Tensor was in our imaginations.