Google Pixel 11 gets exciting update, with leaked Tensor chip promising significant upgrades

Google Pixel 10 Pro — (Image credit: Google)

Quick Summary

The Google Tensor G6 could offer some of the most powerful cores in a smartphone chip, shifting the position of Pixel devices.

However, it might include an older GPU, suggesting it's not going to be a gaming powerhouse.

While we’re expecting the Google Pixel 11 to have much the same design as the current models, the move to a new Tensor chip is more exciting. So far, we've heard little about the Google Tensor G6, but a new leak furnishes us with new information.

So that looks like a 1+4+2 configuration, weighted towards performance, which is a slight shift in positioning from previous Tensor chips. This might be because Google wants more raw power for intensive tasks in future Pixel devices.

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It could mean that the Pixel 11 feels significantly faster than previous phones, which will be great for users. There is a suspicion in the back of my mind that this could be future-proofing, perhaps with the intention to roll the chip over to products for a longer time window.

I say this because we saw the Pixel 10a run with the same chip as the Pixel 9a rather than get updated – perhaps Google is planning more of this type of multi-generational use.

While that's just speculation, there's another part of this equation: the GPU is said to be the PowerVR C-Series CXPT-48-1536, which according to 9to5Google is a couple of years old.

That might see the Tensor G6 equipped with some of the very latest CPU cores, but a GPU that lags behind. This might just be because it's not being pitched for graphically intensive tasks, or perhaps this is an outdated part of the configuration.

While for many users this won't be a concern, it might be that despite the additional power, the Tensor G6 devices aren't as universally powerful as those powered by the latest Snapdragon hardware – something that's been true since Tensor's inception.

While these details are all a bit on the technical side, we're unlikely to hear what Google has in store for the Pixel 11 and the new Tensor hardware until the new device launches – expected to be around August 2026.

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Chris has been writing about consumer tech for over 15 years. Formerly the Editor-in-Chief of Pocket-lint, he's covered just about every product launched, witnessed the birth of Android, the evolution of 5G, and the drive towards electric cars. You name it and Chris has written about it, driven it or reviewed it. Now working as a freelance technology expert, Chris' experience sees him covering all aspects of smartphones, smart homes and anything else connected. Chris has been published in titles as diverse as Computer Active and Autocar, and regularly appears on BBC News, BBC Radio, Sky, Monocle and Times Radio. He was once even on The Apprentice... but we don't talk about that.