The new Tensor G4 fuels the latest Pixel 9 models released in August. It promises significant performance and battery improvements over last year’s Tensor G3. But are those improvements enough to beat the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3? We’ll see how the two chips stack up against each other on multiple benchmarks and the key differences setting them apart.
The Tensor G3, released last year, failed miserably against the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Whether it was CPU performance, GPU performance, or battery efficiency, the Snapdragon chip was always at the top. Now, we have a new Tensor chip, Tensor G4, and we’re excited to compare it against the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
Let’s begin with the spec sheet:
| Tensor G4 | SD 8 Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Release date | August 2024 | October 2023 |
| Process node | 4nm | 4nm |
| Manufacturer | Samsung | TSMC |
| Cores | 8 | 8 |
| CPU architecture | 1 x Cortex-X4 @ 3.1 GHz 3 x Cortex-A720 @ 2.6 GHz 4 x Cortex-A520 @ 1.92 GHz | 1 x Cortex-X4 @ 3.3 GHz 3 x Cortex-A720 @ 3.15 GHz 2 x Cortex-A720 @ 2.96 GHz 2 x Cortex-A520 @ 2.27 GHz |
| GPU | Mali-G715 MC7 940 MHz frequency | Adreno 750 770 MHz frequency Snapdragon Elite Gaming Hardware Accelerated Ray Tracing |
| NPU | Yes | Hexagon NPU |
| Memory | LPDDR5X RAM 4800 MHz frequency | LPDDR5X RAM 4200 MHz frequency |
| Storage | UFS 3.1, UFS 4.0 | UFS 4.0 |
| Media decode | H.264, H.265, AV1, VP9 | H.264, H.265, AV1, VP8, VP9 |
| Modem | Exynos 5400 5G modem Downlink: 14.79 Gbps Satellite connectivity | Snapdragon X75 5G modem Downlink: 10 Gbps Uplink: 3.5 Gbps |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 5.4, LE NFC |
Tensor G4 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: Benchmarks
[Note: For testing on different benchmarks, we picked the Pixel 9 Pro (powered by the Tensor G4) and the Galaxy S24 Ultra (powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3).]
Geekbench 6
It’s a CPU-centric test that runs a device through a series of computation workloads, including compression (text & images), encryption, physics simulations, rendering, ray tracing, and speech recognition.
The benchmarking platform outputs single-core and multi-core results. The single-core score shows the device/chip capability when a single core is used, and the multi-core score tells the CPU performance when multiple cores are at work.
The Geekbench scores are terrible for the Tensor G4 compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. The results are significantly better than last year’s Tensor G3, but the Tensor G4 is still lagging behind last year’s Snapdragon flagship chip.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has a 15% better single-core score, but the difference in multi-core scores is massive — it’s 51%.
| Tensor G4 | SD 8 Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Single core | 1,917 | 2,226 |
| Multi core | 4,526 | 6,832 |
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu is a popular benchmarking platform that measures the CPU, GPU, memory, and UX performance of devices.
The difference in CPU scores on AnTuTu 10 between the Tensor G4 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is even greater than on Geekbench v6, with the Snapdragon chip leading the chart. The difference is over 100% for the CPU score and around 44% for the GPU.
The total AnTuTu v10 score (CPU, GPU, Memory, UX combined) of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is more than double that of the Tensor G4.
| Tensor G4 | SD 8 Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 1,86,608 | 4,35,530 |
| GPU | 4,48,675 | 6,48,391 |
| Memory | 1,69,176 | 3,65,614 |
| UX | 1,90,787 | 2,97,760 |
| Total score | 9,95,246 | 17,47,295 |
Other Benchmarks
We also ran the two chips through the CPU throttling test, where the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has outperformed the Tensor G4. The Snapdragon chip manages to achieve 90% performance without showing any sign of throttling, while the Tensor G4 shows throttling at 71%.
The GFXBench also favored the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, as it attains higher FPS (frames per second) than the Tensor G4.
Tensor G4 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: Key Differences
Although both Tensor G4 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 have eight cores and use the same cores, there are significant differences, causing major differences in benchmarks.
Both chips have one Corex-X4 prime core, but the one in the Snapdragon chip runs at a higher clock speed. The Tensor G4 only has three Cortex-A720 performance cores, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has five of them (three runs at 3.15 GHz and two at 2.96 GHz) for a better balance of performance and power efficiency.
The Tensor G4 has four Cortex-A520 power efficiency cores, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has two of them.
The latest Tensor chip features Mali-G715 MC7 GPU, whereas the Snapdragon chip has Adreno 750 with a full suite of Snapdragon Elite Gaming features and hardware-accelerated ray tracing support.
Although both chips support LPDDR5X RAM, the Snapdragon supports a higher frequency. The Exynos 5400 5G modem in the Tensor chip has a peak download speed of 14.79 Gbps, whereas the Snapdragon X75 5G modem inside the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 peaks at 10 Gbps.
Another key difference is that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 supports a newer Bluetooth standard — Bluetooth 5.4 (vs. Bluetooth 5.3 on the Tensor G4).
One crucial difference between the two chips is their manufacturing process. The Tensor G4 is manufactured by Samsung using its 4nm process, while Qualcomm has chosen TSMC for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. TSMC’s chip manufacturing process is more advanced and highly efficient than Samsung’s.
All these changes combined have favored the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 over the Tensor G4 by a significant margin.
Tensor G4 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 3: Google’s Chip Still Has a Long Way to Go
The latest Tensor G4 brings a lot of improvements over last year’s Tensor G3. But it still can’t match the performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
Geekbench and AnTuTu benchmarks show a massive gap in the CPU and GPU performance, with the Snapdragon chip leading the chart. However, the Tensor G4 does well on battery efficiency, sometimes better than the Snapdragon chip.
The Tensor G4 is still a good chip and offers a good mix of performance and power efficiency. However, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 offers much better performance while being power efficient.
The Tensor G4 would work fine for light work, but for gaming, editing, and other tasks that require a lot of processing, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is a good choice.
Which one of these two chips would you pick for your next smartphone? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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