TSMC won’t transform the Google Pixel 10 the way you think

Since the first rumors of Google moving to TSMC for Tensor chipset fabrication, I’ve heard so many comments from people saying they will hold off on buying a Pixel until the switch. It appears every enthusiast circled the Pixel 10 as when they’d finally give a Google smartphone a chance, as if somehow TSMC would work miracles for Tensor.

It’s a frustrating mindset, and the Pixel 10 will disappoint people who expect a drastic transformation. Yes, TSMC will bring a 3nm process to the Tensor G5, resulting in multiple improvements. Still, the fantastic work the company has done with other chipsets and manufacturers won’t correlate to Google’s game plan for its Pixel lineup. TSMC isn’t the Pixel savior you think it is, and it’s time to temper expectations about what we’ll see on Google’s next flagship smartphone when it’s released.

Yes, Qualcomm saw improvements moving to TSMC

Several Snapdragon chipsets needed work

Everyone hails Snapdragon chipsets as the be-all and end-all, but there was a time when even the mighty Qualcomm produced questionable silicon. I could fry an egg on any smartphone powered by a Snapdragon 888, and things didn’t get much better the following year with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The SD8G1’s poor heat management led to less-than-ideal battery life from my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, as I could only muster 5 hours on a single charge when the device was first released.

Performance changed when Qualcomm moved to TSMC, with improvements starting to show with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. Every phone I used with that chipset had phenomenal battery life, and my favorite, the Motorola ThinkPhone, got close to 9 hours of screen time on time with a single charge. Undoubtedly, TSMC made a difference for Snapdragon, but it’s not a difference that Google needs anymore with its Tensor chipsets.

This isn’t 2022 anymore

Google has sorted out many issues

Three years ago, I would have supported those who said to wait for TSMC fabrication to pick up a Pixel. Early Tensor chipsets were plagued with overheating problems, which resulted in throttled performance and sub-par battery life. Overheating almost became synonymous with the Pixel experience, and it held back Google’s redesign of the Pixel 6. After seeing the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 improvements, I would’ve jumped at having a TSMC Tensor in the next Pixel phone, but Google wasn’t content with Tensor’s initial performance.

Gaming performance on the Pixel 9 Pro XL was substandard for a smartphone at a flagship price point.

While the first and second-generation Tensors suffered similar issues, Google upped its game for the third and fourth generations. My Pixel 8 Pro was rock solid, giving me fantastic performance and excellent battery life — typically, over 8 hours of screen on time. I didn’t experience the overheating I had with previous Pixels, and I never noticed any throttling due to the heat. My Pixel 9 Pro XL is even better, with zero heating issues and improved battery life. I could see if we were still struggling with the same old problems, but Google managed to solve many issues TSMC is known for handling. I’m not going to complain about the company switching foundries, but TSMC is no longer the savior it may have been a few years ago.

Google isn’t changing strategies

It’s not that the company doesn’t know how

Some people think Google’s move to TSMC means that Tensor will somehow benchmark as well as the Snapdragon 8 Elite — it won’t happen. It’s not that Google doesn’t know how to make a more powerful chipset or can’t order one; it doesn’t want to. Google’s mission with the latest Pixel devices is focused on AI and the user experience. A more powerful chipset doesn’t factor into the company’s plans. Unless there’s a seismic shift in Google’s mindset over the next several years, we’ll never see a footrace between Tensor and Snapdragon.

That’s not to say Google doesn’t have any improvements to make. Gaming performance on the Pixel 9 Pro XL was substandard for a smartphone at a flagship price point. Rumors suggest the company knows this and plans to improve GPU performance by 15% on the fifth-generation Tensor, making gaming respectable on the Pixel 10. However, beyond gaming improvements, I wouldn’t expect much more. That’s not a bad thing, and if it keeps pricing down, I’m all for it, but this narrative that TSMC is there to save the Pixel 10 isn’t accurate.

It should still be an excellent smartphone

If you want to buy a Google Pixel 9 Pro XL at a discount, you should do it instead of waiting for a Pixel 10 merely because TSMC makes the chipset. First impressions matter, and it’s taken so long for people to realize that Tensors aren’t bad. The Pixel 6 and 7 were held back by chipsets that weren’t up to par, but that has not been the case in the last two years. I’m all for Google moving to TSMC, and I love what the company does with silicon, but holding out on buying a Pixel to wait for a Tensor G5 from TSMC doesn’t make sense.