Google Pixel 9 series launch is right around the corner and each day, we are getting new leaks for the devices. A fresh new leak reveals a surprising yet disappointing detail about the handsets, which says that the Pixel 9 series may launch with Android 14 out of the box and not the latest Android 15. In a separate leak, details about the Tensor G4 Processor have also been revealed.
The leak stating that Pixel 9 series will come with Android 14 preloaded and not Android 15, comes from Android Headlines. Google, in its history of Pixel devices, has never launched the device with an older version of Android and if the leak is true, it would be the first time Google would ever do so. This is surprising, considering the launch of Android 15 is quite close and it was expected that it will be released alongside Pixel 9 series, coming preloaded on the devices.
While Pixel 9 would soon receive an OTA as soon as Android 15 is released in the stable state, it’s still disappointing that out of the 7 years of OS updates the Pixel 9 series is slated to receive, one would be counted towards the version that should have came with the devices out of the box.
We’ll see if the leak is true or not on August 13. Meanwhile, another leak from the same publication states that all the devices in the series will come with 128GB base model which is again a disappointing move if correct. That’s because Pixel 9 series is the flagship smartphone series from Google and they’ll be priced in that manner too, for which 128GB in the base model isn’t exactly the most value-for-money choice.
Read More: Google Pixel 9 Series AI and Software Features Leaked, Pixel Screenshots Feature Incoming
Google Tensor G4: What’s Changed Over Tensor G3?
A separate leak from Android Authority has shed light on the upgrades Google’s upcoming Tensor G4 will bring over the Tensor G3. The report says that Tensor G4 will be quite a minor upgrade over the G3, so much so that the publication calls it the “smallest upgrade to the series so far.”
The Tensor G4 will constitute of a more conventional 4+3+1 CPU core arrangement and uses newer ARMv9.2 cores from Arm, which will include the Cortex-A520, Cortex-A720, and Cortex-X4. All the cores are also clocked slightly higher than Tensor G3, which used a 9-core setup that included “four low-power Cortex-A510 cores, four Cortex-A715 “mid” cores, and a single Cortex-X3 big core.”
While the multi-core performance of the chip is expected to drop due to the removal of one core, it will still bring some performance improvements. The new cores in the Tensor G4 are reportedly faster and more efficient than their predecessors, and removing one from the chip significantly reduces power draw with almost no loss in performance.
In addition, the Tensor G4 will also pack a newer Exynos Modem 5400 that will enable satellite connectivity support and up to 50% better power consumption than the Modem 5300 used in Tensor G3. Users of Pixel 8 series have complained of connectivity issues online and Pixel 9 series should solve that. However, the Pixel 9a in the series may not benefit from this newer modem as it could get the older one used in Tensor G3.
The Tensor G4 also includes the same Mali-G715 GPU as the Tensor G3, but with a higher clock speed of 940 MHz, up from 890 MHz in Tensor G3.
Aside from this, elements of Tensor G3 such as EDGE TPU (ML accelerator), GXP (Digital Signal Processor, primarily used to accelerate camera tasks), BigWave (AV1 encoder/decoder), Titan M2 security chip, and more, remain the same in Tensor G4 with no changes to them at all.
