Google Switches to its own Silicon for Pixel 6 and 6 Pro

Google today released photos and select details of its next flagship phones — the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro — in a Twitter thread and teaser web page. Both phones are designed around "Tensor", a "brand new chip designed by Google, custom-made for Pixel". Tensor is a complete smartphone SoC (system-on-chip), meaning it takes the place of a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. Tensor is a brand Google has used for its machine-learning (ML) hardware and software in the past, and indeed this new Tensor chip "can process Google’s most powerful AI and ML models directly" on the phone, enhancing camera and speech features. The Pixel 6 series has a unique two-tone design, with each model coming in three different color options. The two colors on the back are split by a black camera bar that sticks out. The Pixel 6 will have two cameras, while the Pixel 6 Pro will add a 4x telephoto camera. Google also promises "the most layers of hardware security in any phone". Google is saving further details for a future announcement, but promises that the phones are coming "this fall".