Google Pixel 8 users could get a massive performance upgrade

Since they first launched at the Google Pixel event late last year, the Google Pixel 7 and the Google Pixel 7 Pro have become a pair of smash-hits. Packing solid performance and brilliant cameras into a more affordable package, the duo have made a case for themselves as some of the best Android phones on the market.

And they show no signs of slowing down. The Google Pixel 8 range is expected later this year, with leaked information about the Google Pixel 8 Pro showing off a quirky temperature sensor on the rear of the device.

Now, we've learned a little more about the chip that is rumoured to be powering them – and it sounds like a big upgrade. The information comes from well-regarded Google tipster, Kamila Wojciechowska, who sources a contact from inside Google.

The new chip is said to feature a redesigned CPU, with a more modern array of cores than previous Tensor chips. That should make performance a little nippier all around, as well as offering a more substantial array of security measures on board.

It's not just the CPU which gets a boost. The GPU is expected to be a 10-core variant of the Mali-G715, which would offer ray tracing on the handsets. That's a really great upgrade – the Pixel is often mentioned as one of the best gaming phones for users that don't want an out-and-out gaming machine, and this will only enhance that.

It's a good upgrade. Sure, it's not on the same level as the chips powering the best phones on the market, but that never stopped Google before. The Pixel range has always been more about the experience than raw horsepower, and it does a fantastic job.

When you consider just how good the current range is, the relative boost should make the newer models absolute monsters. With an expected release date in autumn 2023, we don't have too much longer to wait for them, either.