Advertisement
Tensor G4 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Tensor G4 is the most powerful chip from Google, powering the Pixel 9 series. It brings significant improvements over last year’s Tensor G3 but failed to edge past the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in our tests (read the comparison here). But is it powerful enough to beat the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2? Let’s compare them to see how they stack up against each other.

According to Google, the new Tensor chip offers 20% faster web browsing, 17% faster app launching, and up to 20% improved power efficiency compared to its predecessor. But are these improvements enough to beat the 2022’s flagship chip, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2?

Let’s begin with the spec sheet:

Tensor G4SD 8 Gen 2
Release dateAugust 2024November 2022
Process node4nm4nm
ManufacturerSamsungTSMC
Cores88
CPU architecture1 x Cortex-X4 @ 3.1 GHz
3 x Cortex-A720 @ 2.6 GHz
4 x Cortex-A520 @ 1.92 GHz		1 x Cortex-X3 @ 3.2 GHz
2 x Cortex-A715 @ 2.8 GHz
2 x Cortex-A710 @ 2.8 GHz
3 x Cortex-A510 @ 2.0 GHz
GPUMali-G715 MC7
940 MHz frequency		Adreno 740
680 MHz frequency
Snapdragon Elite Gaming
Hardware Accelerated Ray Tracing
NPUYesHexagon NPU
MemoryLPDDR5X RAM
4800 MHz frequency		LPDDR5X RAM
4200 MHz frequency
StorageUFS 3.1, UFS 4.0UFS 3.1, UFS 4.0
Media decodeH.264, H.265, AV1, VP9H.264, H.265, AV1, VP8, VP9
ModemExynos 5400 5G modem
Downlink: 14.79 Gbps
Satellite connectivity		Snapdragon X70 5G modem
Downlink: 10 Gbps
Uplink: 3.5 Gbps
ConnectivityWi-Fi 7
Bluetooth 5.3		Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth 5.3

Tensor G4 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 2: Benchmarks

Geekbench 6 results:

Geekbench evaluates a device’s performance through a series of tests designed around practical scenarios. The tests include image processing, compression (text & image), speech recognition, and PDF rendering, to name a few.

Here’s how the two chips have performed:

Tensor G4 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Geekbench

The benchmarking platform outputs single-core and multi-core scores. The single-core score reflects the device’s performance when a single core is used, and the multi-core score is the performance when multiple cores are at work.

While the two chips have similar single-core performance, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 leads the multi-core result.

Tensor G4SD 8 Gen 2
Single core1,9171,935
Multi core4,5264,888

AnTuTu 10 results:

AnTuTu is a popular benchmarking platform that runs a device through a series of tests that measure different aspects of its performance, such as CPU, GPU, memory, and UX. The combined score represents the overall performance of a device.

Here’s how the two chips have performed:

Tensor G4 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 AnTuTu

AnTuTu results suggest the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has better CPU, GPU, memory speed, and user experience than the Tensor G4.

Tensor G4SD 8 Gen 2
CPU3,55,4743,70,804
GPU4,09,1565,87,364
Memory2,35,8362,93,372
UX1,92,4762,90,906
Total score11,92,94215,42,446

So, as far as the benchmarking scores are concerned, the two-year-old Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It is surprising that Google’s fastest smartphone chip can’t beat the two-year-old Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 on benchmarks.

Google doesn’t care about benchmarks

While Tensor G4 has improved from last year’s Tensor G3, the improvements aren’t as huge as we were expecting, but Google is okay with it. Tensor chips have never been about blazing-fast performance, but they’re more about unique features and machine learning capabilities.

“When we are designing the chip, we’re not designing it for speeds and feats. We’re not designing it to beat some specific benchmark that’s out there. We’re designing it to meet our use cases,” said Soniya Jobanputra, a key member of Google’s Pixel product management team.

The focus with Tensor G4 was not to beat benchmarks but to improve the speed and efficiency of opening apps. “We knew that we had a pain point with opening apps. And so as we built G4, we really focused on, okay, what do we need to do to make sure that experience is better for users,” Jobanputra added.

So, the Tensor G4 seems to be nothing but a Tensor G3 with fixed issues and some improvements.

Tensor G4 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 2: Key Differences

Both chips feature 8 cores and have been manufactured using a 4nm process node, although many critical differences set them apart.

While Google chose Samsung to manufacture its Tensor G4, Qualcomm went with TSMC for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The latter has a more advanced chip manufacturing process and cutting-edge technologies, resulting in higher efficiency.

When it comes to CPU cores, the Tensor G4 has a Cortex-X4 prime core, which is more powerful and efficient than the Cortex-X3 in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. However, the Tensor chip runs at a lower clock speed, which limits peak performance. The same is true for the remaining cores.

Google has equipped the Tensor G4 with a  Mali-G715 MC7 GPU, whereas the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip has an Adreno 740 GPU. The latter comes with a full suite of Snapdragon Elite Gaming features and supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Both Tensor G4 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 support LPDDR5X. However, the former chip supports a higher frequency of 4,800MHz (vs. 4,200MHz on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2).

The chips also bring a significant gap in the maximum download speeds. The Tensor G4 has the Exynos 5400 5G modem that allows a peak download speed of 14.79Gbps, while the Snapdragon X70 5G modem inside the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has a peak download speed of 10Gbps. The Tensor G4 also has the advantage of satellite connectivity.

Tensor G4 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 2: Verdict

Tensor G4 is an upgraded version of last year’s Tensor G3, but the improvements aren’t enough to beat the two-year-old Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, at least on the benchmarks.

We tested the Tensor G4 against Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 on popular benchmarks, Geekbench and AnTuTu, and the results went in favor of the Snapdragon chip.

On benchmarks, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has performed better than Tensor G4. But as you may already know, these scores don’t reflect real-life performance, as other factors, such as software optimization and cooling technology, also contribute to the overall performance.

Popular Phones With Tensor G4 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Chips

Tensor G4 phones:

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phones:

Popular Chip Battles:
1. Tensor G4 vs Tensor G3
2. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 vs 8 Gen 2
3. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 vs Dimensity 9300

Comments

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR