Google Pixel 10 May Ditch Samsung in Favour of TSMC for Tensor G5 SoC: Report

Google Pixel 10 may get its chipset manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), according to a report. Although the smartphone isn't slated to launch until late 2025, there have been reports that Google may stop using Samsung's foundry post Pixel 9 and the Tensor G4. It is now being speculated that the company has already started manufacturing the sample units of the chip in order to get its making process up and running – even though the launch is more than a year away.

Google Pixel 10's Tensor G5 Chip: Details

According to an Android Authority report, the chip was allegedly spotted in the shipping manifest of publicly available databases. Previous reports have suggested that the chip is codenamed “Laguna Beach”, the reference of which can be found in the database.

It then goes on to mention the chip revision – “A0”, which is reportedly the first iteration of the Tensor G5, meaning further revisions will most likely take place before it is ready to power the Pixel 10 series. The listing also mentions “NPI-OPEN”, which reportedly means it is a “New Product Introduction”.

The report further speculates that the chip may be somewhat functional since it has passed the SLT (system-level test) – a test that chips undergo where they are put through a simulated user environment and in which end-user operations are mimicked.

Thus, while the introduction of the Google Pixel 10 is still almost over a year away, the manufacturing process for its chipset seems to have already kicked off.

Why the shift?

In the last few years, Google's Pixel series of smartphones have featured Tensor chips made in collaboration with Samsung Foundry. While there have been no complaints concerning their performance, thermal management and efficiency are areas where the phones have struggled. The issue also plagued the Pixel 8 series which not only struggled to dissipate heat properly but also had average battery life.

In the smartphone market, most devices are introduced with TSMC-fabricated chips. According to a report by Counterpoint Research, Samsung Foundry had a market share of just 13 percent in Q1 2024, compared to TSMC's 62 percent.