Better GPU performance for Tensor and no satellites for the 9a
The Google Pixel 9(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
- Pixel models from the Pixel 6 onwards are achieving improved benchmark results
- This is likely down do newer GPU drivers being added in recent software updates
- In less positive news, the Pixel 6a lacks satellite communication features
There’s both good and bad Pixel news today, but the good news will affect more people than the bad, so let’s start there.
Reddit usersare finding that Pixel phones with Tensor chipsets (meaning everything from theGoogle Pixel 6onwards) are achieving much higher GPU scores on Geekbench 6 than they did at launch. This is widely being attributed to the Android 16 beta, butAndroid Authorityreports seeing similarly upgraded performance onAndroid 15.
So chances are you don’t need to grab a beta version of Android to see improvements, but rather that recent stable software updates have massively boosted GPU performance.
The exact boost varies depending on model, but Android Authority claims itsPixel 6aunit saw a nearly 23% GPU performance increase, while elsewhere there are reports of a 62% improvement for thePixel 7a, a 31% improvement for thePixel 8, and even a 32% improvement for the recentGoogle Pixel 9.
Android Authority speculates thatGoogleachieved this through including newer GPU drivers in recent Android updates, as while all recent Pixels use anArmMali GPU, they don’t always ship with the latest available GPU driver version.
How much impact these performance improvements will have in the real world remains to be seen, but they’re nice to see, and could help extend the lifespan of older Pixel models.
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No Satellite SOS for the Pixel 9a
The Google Pixel 9a(Image credit: Google)
Now for the bad news, and this relates specifically to the newGoogle Pixel 9a, which we’ve learned doesn’t support Satellite SOS. Google confirmed as much toAndroid Authority, and this is a feature found on other Google Pixel 9 models which allows you to contact emergency services in areas without Wi-Fi or cell signal.
So it’s a potentially life-saving tool, and while Google didn’t say why it’s absent here, it’s likely because the Pixel 9a uses an older Exynos Modem 5300, rather than the 5400 used by the rest of the Pixel 9 series.
While this is a feature that you’ll hopefully never need to use, it would be reassuring to have, and this isn’t the only omission in the Pixel 9a, as we also recently learned thatit lacks several AI toolsoffered by the rest of the Pixel 9 line.
In fact, this phone has had a slightly troubled launch, with not just these omissions emerging, but also a delay in sales of the phone while Google investigatesa “component quality issue”.
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Still, the silver lining there is that this delay allowed time for these omissions to be uncovered, so you might think twice about buying the Google Pixel 9a. Certainly, we’d wait until we’ve had a chance to put it through a full review before purchasing one.