Google Pixel 7 suddenly doesn't sound so appealing after key specs leak

Concerning news for those invested in the idea of upgrading to the Google Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro comes courtesy of leaked benchmark scores for the phones' new Tensor G2 processor.

The Tensor G2 was one of the few things we knew was coming to the Pixel 7 range, aside from a reported storage spec bump, so leaked benchmark scores for the new CPU were obviously going to be of interest.

However, as reported by notebookcheck.net, it looks like the Tensor G2 is not going to deliver a marked improvement in terms of raw power and performance over last year's Tensor G1 chip.

That's because, according to leaked Geekbench 5 benchmark scores, the Pixel 7 Pro only outperforms its predecessor by, at best, 10 per cent. According to the leaked specs, the Tensor G2 posted a 10 per cent benchmark score improvement in Geekbench's single-score test, and a 7 per cent improvement in multi-core.

And, as T3 reported just days ago, that modest increase in benchmark numbers points towards concerning news, as Google's Tensor G1 chip was already markedly behind most other Android flagship phones in terms of benchmark scores.

In testing, for example, the Google Pixel 6 Pro posted a multi-core score of 2,760 and a single-core score of 1,027, while the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra racked up scores in the same tests of 3,392 and 1,240. And that's saying nothing for the market-leading scores posted by Apple's new iPhone 14 Pro, which recently posted a benchmark breaking multi-score score of 5,469 and single-core score of 1,891.

The leaked benchmark scores for the Google Pixel 7 Pro, though, see the flagship posting a 1,068 single-core score and 3,149 multi-core score. As can be seen, if these improvements are accurate, then the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will still post lower Geekbench 5 scores than the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, which has been on the market for over half a year now.

The reason for the modest increase is, so the report says, that the Tensor G2 uses an identical set of processor cores than the G1, but this time they are slightly overclocked.

The T3 take: It's not all bad news

On the face of it, these numbers point to an incremental at best improvement in real-world performance from the Pixel 7 range's Tensor G2 processor over last year's Google Pixel 6 Tensor G1 processor.

I've got to be honest, will I - and other users of the best Android phones - even feel and see a 7 per cent performance improvement in games, apps and UI? I doubt it. And, in a bubble, that just feels deflating to me. I'm invested in Pixel properly offering features and performance to rival the very best Android phones, but this specs leak points to it not doing that in terms of CPU performance.

That said, however, there is some good news in the specs leak, too. Apparently, the Tensor G2 does come with an updated graphics chip, the Mali-G710, so we could see some noticeable improvement in gaming performance from the Pixel 7 phones.

Also, as I have said many times, good benchmark scores don't make a great phone. High benchmark scores are nice to have, and point to a phone with plenty of power under the hood, but at the end of the day if a phone offers enough power for the majority of people for the majority of the time, while nailing it in terms of features and overall experience, then that is what carries the day.

Here's hoping then Google can deliver some really exciting other upgrades and features when officially unveiling the Pixel 7, which is now locked in for 6 October 2022. T3 will be reporting live on the event, so be sure to tune in then for the full Pixel 7 picture.