There are two types of rumors in the run-up to device launches like the new Pixel 11 series. One kind of rumor includes annual claims that some feature will finally make its debut, like the constant claim that Apple will drop the current Face ID for under-display tech.
The other type is more specific to the device and tends to be correct, more often than not. However, sometimes they're wrong.
It was rumored that the new Tensor G6 silicon in the new Pixel 11 series would be made using TSMC's 2nm process, the first smartphone that would feature the more efficient CPU platform. This would have beat Apple to the punch, which typically gets the latest chip upgrades.
But it turns out that isn't true.
In an interview with the Chinese publication CNA, Peng Yu-chun, a VP of Hardware at Google, revealed that the G6 was built using TSMC's 3nm process.
That means that either the iPhone 18 Pro series will likely be the first smartphone to feature a 2nm chip.
What does Tensor G6 offer?
Despite not featuring the 2nm platform, Google claims the G6 has several upgrades.
That includes "25% faster web browsing, 15% quicker app launches" and 50% more TPU compute. It does feature an upgraded Titan M3 security chip, which was previously rumored and should make the phone more secure.
The chip also enables an upgrade Image Signal Processor to support the new Night Sight and a claimed upgraded digital zoom.
A worrying weakness
There was some excitement about a 2nm process because it would have been able to feature more nodes and deliver efficiency and power upgrades.
Pixels have long lagged behind Apple and Samsung's flagship phones. Unfortunately, that may continue. Just before yesterday's Made by Google event, a new Geekbench listing popped up that revealed a weak CPU. That listing showed a multicore score of 5,196 and a single-core score of 2,112. It's 50% slower than the S26 Ultra.
At Tom's Guide, we run our own tests; we'll see if the listing is an outlier or not. But at first blush, things aren't looking good.
