The Pixel 9 Pro Looks Fantastic. The Problem Is Still Its Processor

The Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro are here. While the Pro comes in two sizes, both smartphones have good looks and AI features that promise to go far beyond what we’re used to seeing. Their Tensor G4 chip, however, still doesn’t live up to its price tag.

Why it matters. While Google has made considerable progress with the design and specs of the Pixel 9 Pro, the performance of the Tensor G4 chip hasn’t made the same leap and still lags behind its high-end mobile competitors.

Context. Google has been developing its Tensor chips for four generations, increasing the RAM to handle AI tasks better. However, it still can’t compete with Qualcomm or Apple chips regarding pure performance.

Leaked benchmarks show that the Tensor G4 barely beats the G3 by 15% in Geekbench or AnTuTu tests. The Pixel Pro series should be able to compete with the best on the market, but it simply falls behind. The difference between the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and the iPhone 15 Pro Max is abysmal.

In detail:

• The Tensor G4 chip continues to use Samsung’s 4 nm process.
• The competition already uses the 3 nm process.
• Its Mali-G715 GPU is the same as last year, with a slight increase in frequency.
• The AI core (TPU) is identical to the G3, with no apparent improvements.
• Chips like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 offer much better performance.
• According to some leaks, TSMC is supposedly working on a Tensor G5 chip for 2025, which would indeed manage to make the expected leap in performance and, above all, efficiency.

Pricing. At a starting price of $999 ($1,099 for the XL version), the Pixel 9 Pro is in the high-end range, with performance closer to the mid-range.

• This situation is worrying not only because of the price...
• ...also for the vertical integration that the Pixels imply, since Google is in charge of the hardware and software, including the chip.

AI. The artificial intelligence features that arrived with the Pixel 2 were any point in the storm to cling to avoid the fact that its chip wasn’t a reference. Over time, this argument has been diluted as other phones have also incorporated it.

In addition, there’s an aggravating factor: The AI in the Pixel 8 wasn’t exclusive to this model. It came to the Samsung Galaxy S24, and with it, Google’s smartphone lost the exclusivity of functions that supported the presence of a chip somewhat inferior to that of its rivals.

The B-side. An inferior chip compared to the competition doesn’t overshadow a fantastic product. Pixel smartphones represent the best Android experience for many users, and their built-in AI is a significant value-add.

Plus, Google is committing to more years of software updates, unlike some expensive high-end phones with much less of an update path.

The bottom line. The Pixel 9 Pro is an attractive smartphone that retains its unique software features (at least for now) and offers users a brilliant experience. However, its Tensor G4 chip still doesn’t live up to its price tag.

While the G4 will probably be a breeze for everyday tasks, more demanding users will likely appreciate alternatives with better performance in this price range. Perhaps the lithography and performance leap will come with the G5, but in the meantime, the G4 remains a step behind.

This article was written by Javier Lacort and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.

Image | Xataka On

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