Tuesday, August 3rd 2021
Google Teases Upcoming Custom Tensor Processor in Pixel 6
In 2016, we launched the first Pixel. Our goal was to give people a more helpful, smarter phone. Over the years, we introduced features like HDR+ and Night Sight, which used artificial intelligence (AI) to create beautiful images with computational photography. In later years, we applied powerful speech recognition models to build Recorder, which can record, transcribe and search for audio clips, all on device.
AI is the future of our innovation work, but the problem is we've run into computing limitations that prevented us from fully pursuing our mission. So we set about building a technology platform built for mobile that enabled us to bring our most innovative AI and machine learning (ML) to our Pixel users. We set out to make our own System on a Chip (SoC) to power Pixel 6. And now, years later, it's almost here. Tensor is our first custom-built SoC specifically for Pixel phones, and it will power the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro later this fall.
Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro
Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro debut this fall, and that's when we'll share all the details we normally release at launch like new features, technical specs and pricing and availability. But today, we're giving you a preview of what's to come.
Industrial design
These new phones redefine what it means to be a Pixel. From the new design that combines the same beautiful aesthetic across software and hardware with Android 12, to the new Tensor SoC, everything about using the Pixel is better.
We also upgraded the rear camera system. The improved sensors and lenses are now too big to fit into the traditional square — so the new design gives the whole camera system a new home with the camera bar.
The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro have new materials and finishes, too — like the Pro's light polished aluminium frame, and the 6's matte aluminium finish. And they both feel great in your hand.
Material You
Google announced Android 12 and the new Material You design language at Google I/O. With Material You, we're mixing color science with years of work in interaction design and engineering. These UI updates are grounded in the new animation and design framework — to make using your Pixel feel incredibly natural because everything runs smoothly on the Tensor chip.
Tensor
Tensor was built for how people use their phones today and how people will use them in the future. As more and more features are powered by AI and ML it's not simply about adding more computing resources, it's about using that ML to unlock specific experiences for our Pixel users.
The team that designed our silicon wanted to make Pixel even more capable. For example, with Tensor we thought about every piece of the chip and customized it to run Google's computational photography models. For users, this means entirely new features, plus improvements to existing ones.
Tensor enables us to make the Google phones we've always envisioned — phones that keep getting better, while tapping the most powerful parts of Google, all in a highly personalized experience. And with Tensor's new security core and Titan M2, Pixel 6 will have the most layers of hardware security in any phone.
You'll see this in everything from the completely revamped camera system to speech recognition and much more. So whether you're trying to capture that family photo when your kids won't stand still, or communicate with a relative in another language, Pixel will be there — and it will be more helpful than ever. We look forward to sharing more about Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro later this year.
Source:
Google
AI is the future of our innovation work, but the problem is we've run into computing limitations that prevented us from fully pursuing our mission. So we set about building a technology platform built for mobile that enabled us to bring our most innovative AI and machine learning (ML) to our Pixel users. We set out to make our own System on a Chip (SoC) to power Pixel 6. And now, years later, it's almost here. Tensor is our first custom-built SoC specifically for Pixel phones, and it will power the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro later this fall.
Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro debut this fall, and that's when we'll share all the details we normally release at launch like new features, technical specs and pricing and availability. But today, we're giving you a preview of what's to come.
Industrial design
These new phones redefine what it means to be a Pixel. From the new design that combines the same beautiful aesthetic across software and hardware with Android 12, to the new Tensor SoC, everything about using the Pixel is better.
We also upgraded the rear camera system. The improved sensors and lenses are now too big to fit into the traditional square — so the new design gives the whole camera system a new home with the camera bar.
The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro have new materials and finishes, too — like the Pro's light polished aluminium frame, and the 6's matte aluminium finish. And they both feel great in your hand.
Material You
Google announced Android 12 and the new Material You design language at Google I/O. With Material You, we're mixing color science with years of work in interaction design and engineering. These UI updates are grounded in the new animation and design framework — to make using your Pixel feel incredibly natural because everything runs smoothly on the Tensor chip.
Tensor
Tensor was built for how people use their phones today and how people will use them in the future. As more and more features are powered by AI and ML it's not simply about adding more computing resources, it's about using that ML to unlock specific experiences for our Pixel users.
The team that designed our silicon wanted to make Pixel even more capable. For example, with Tensor we thought about every piece of the chip and customized it to run Google's computational photography models. For users, this means entirely new features, plus improvements to existing ones.
Tensor enables us to make the Google phones we've always envisioned — phones that keep getting better, while tapping the most powerful parts of Google, all in a highly personalized experience. And with Tensor's new security core and Titan M2, Pixel 6 will have the most layers of hardware security in any phone.
You'll see this in everything from the completely revamped camera system to speech recognition and much more. So whether you're trying to capture that family photo when your kids won't stand still, or communicate with a relative in another language, Pixel will be there — and it will be more helpful than ever. We look forward to sharing more about Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro later this year.
41 Comments on Google Teases Upcoming Custom Tensor Processor in Pixel 6
But I must agree that the Samsung's android before One was ugly and so bad.
I also got 3 years of update on my 2017 A series (ended in Q4 2020). My Note 10+ will surely get 3 or 4 years as well. Same as Pixel. I will be keeping my Note 10+ until it lags as hell or dies.
Well. in the end it depends on our own preferences :), moreover, it's cheaper to get Note series than Pixel in my country.
Half of the features of Samsung UI, as bloated as it is, arrive on pure Android years later...
Plus, it is Google - data mining company, not software company. It would be best if we could get phones with AOSP and everything else optional...
Then looked at devices,
phones:
Galaxy S2, S5, S10, could not figure what is "bloatware" besides that stupid piece of crap that I would see if I swipe right (no swipe no crap though)
tablets:
Galaxy Tab, Tab S2, Tab S5e
Besides S5E not having audio jack and being artificially crippled into not showing HDR content, and that notorious "don't swipe right" thing, what else is "bloat" pretty please? (I'd also prefer software buttons to follow the "phone" logic of always being on the same side, but oh well, hiding them altogether and using gestures also works pretty well)
Tried non Samsung devices and most of the time it felt like combination of boring, bland and worse overall experience (outright ugly buttons, perhaps it also had to do with stuff not being OLED).
Other than that, what is there, DEX? It's not active unless you want it to.
Screen split and multi apps? Not active unless you use them either.
By any reasonable standard, what is that "bloat"? Icon's not looking ugly? It's such a minimalistic piece of user experience, it hurts.So, it war released after S9, but is losing support before S9. Those "quick updates" seem to have hidden price to them.
And I can't help you on not being able to tell what's bloatware on Samsung devices vs a purer Android UI. The differences are obvious. Samsung quite literally replaces many Google apps with their own (and in my opinion, far inferior versions). And I've gotten used to not having buttons on Android 11 so that's not really an issue.
Good to know.
The only samsung apps I use conciously are clock (timer-shmimers), folder browser and calc.
All work just fine (I'd rather stick to older style icons, without dumbf*ck rounded rectangles, but that's a different story)
Exactly which app is causing "issues", dear "I install new android day 1"?
If you need to see what bloatware comes with Samsung phones, just head over to XDA Develepors forums and look at the distros based on Samsung kernels because most of them list how much of the Samsung crap has been stripped out in the first post by the distro creator.
That's quite an effort, don't you think?
XDA Developers is the first place to go if you want an alternative distro on your phone and almost every distro posted will list that in the first post. Deep dive? Puh-lease..... I'm literally answering your query with what I presumed was common knowledge to anyone with half a clue about Android.
I was chasing the FUD about "bloated UI" on Samsung phones, specifically.
I was telling you that I've tried numerous devices, and the major difference (pretty much the only difference) that I've spotted was ugly as hell icon set.
Now, if people who keep repeating "bloat" have nothing better to make their point, than "go to a random dude's distro, see he cut out major parts of it", that's pretty telling.
Now, there are indeed apps that are shipped with the devices that I cannot uninstall, but oh well, don't touch it and it won't stink.
That doesn't apply only to Samsung's crap, but also to Google's (that user experience crippler called "Chrome" for instance)
It is not something that is affecting one's user experience in any meaningful way. It is just too small compared to how much space you have on modern devices, on top of most of them supporting SD cards.
That is it. That's all there is to it.
You're getting way off topic and trying to swing the argument away from the initial point you decided to pick up on - you asked about the appeal of "google hardware" and I said "for a pure Google experience".
I'm not arguing that Google installs stuff you don't want or don't like, I'm simply pointing out that some people actively choose to buy into the Google ecosystem the same way that some people actively choose to buy into the Apple ecosystem or Samsung ecosystem. You don't have to like it, and you don't have to agree with it, but it's fact that cannot be argued because that is the preferred choice of those people.
But I guess you like the "pure google" UI better, welp, ok.
All in all, I hope you agree that a few MBs of uninstallable crap in the distribution barely affects user experience (understandably, UI being different does)
My S2+ more than doubled its battery life and responsiveness when I moved away from the official Samsung ROM/kernel. It was a tangible night/day difference. The S7E gains were smaller but they never released an unlocked kernel for that so all of the shitty, pointless Samsung services for apps I didn't even have in my LineageOS ROM were still sitting there, crunching CPU cycles and RAM.