The Android mobile market has not been the same since the launch of the Pixel 6. That was the first Google mobile with a processor designed by the company itself, the Tensor G, instead of using third-party chips such as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon. An important step that brought her closer to Apple and its iPhones, although it has not brought her few difficulties.
Developing a processor from scratch is one of the most difficult tasks imaginable, so Google partnered with an established manufacturer in the sector: Samsung. Until now, all the chips used by the Pixels have been produced by Samsung, and that has been noticed; Although the Tensor G are not simply Exynos by another name, they have many parts in common and depend on Samsung components and processes. For example, Pixels use Samsung modems for 4G and 5G connectivity, just like the Galaxy.
That may change in the next generation. As we already knew, the Tensor G5 of the next Pixel 10 will be the first processor designed entirely by Google, based on TSMC’s 3nm manufacturing process; On paper, that should bring several advantages, although we won’t know if the change has been worth it until we have the Pixel 10 in our hands. What seems clearer is that Google wants to take advantage of completely break with Samsung.
According to sources of Android Authoritythe next Google Pixel will not use Samsung modems. Instead, the company has turned to one of its rivals: MediaTek. In fact, although it may seem surprising, The Pixel 10 could have MediaTek componentswhich until not long ago was a not very relevant brand in the sector. However, in recent years MediaTek has improved a lot, with launches on par with the best Snapdragons, both in power and connectivity.
In practice, Google only had three options for the Pixel 10 modem: continue with Samsung, return to Qualcomm, or dare with MediaTek. According to the leak, Google would have chosen the latter, but only after evaluating all the options, including the Snapdragon X75 that Apple already uses on the iPhone 16.
Finally, Google would have chosen the new MediaTek T900about which not much is known, other than that it is based on the new generation M85 that supports the latest 5G specification. The Pixel 10 should therefore be able to take advantage of the new 5G networks and the maximum speed possible with this technology.
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Of course, Google always had the possibility of develop your own modembut that’s no small task either; Apple itself has plans to create its own modem, but so far they have not had much success and it has had to continue using the Qualcomm modem. It is unlikely that Google, with less experience, will be able to develop its own modem in such a short time, hence the need to rely on a third party.
Although it may seem like a minor change, in reality Samsung’s modem has always been one of the most criticized components of the Pixel; The Pixel 6 had serious heating and battery problems because of this part, for example. It was not until the arrival of the Pixel 9 and a new modem, the Exynos 5400, that these problems seem to have been solved; It would be ironic, therefore, that precisely now Google decides to get rid of Samsung to take a risk with a lesser-known brand.
