The New Pixel 6 will use a Google Processor
For years, Google smartphones have used processors manufactured by Qualcomm. According to 9to5google, this year, the new Pixel 6 will use a processor made by Google.
The chip in question is known as the GS101 Whitechapel, and speculation about it emerged last year when Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that the company would invest more in hardware and that they have interesting plans for 2021.
The chips themselves are an effort by Google to gain more control over their devices, as is the case with Apple. At Apple, it is obvious that software-hardware integration is one of the most important benefits of their devices, and it seems that Google is striving for the same. Processors are designed not only for smartphones but also for Pixel Chromebooks.
Processor development is in collaboration with Samsung, more specifically with their SLSI (system large-scale integration) division. According to this, Whitechapel processors may have some similarities with Exynos processors that Samsung has been using and developing for years. There is a possibility that Samsung will be responsible for the production itself, but there is no more specific information about this.
What do we know about hardware?
No hardware specifications are known yet, except for the fact that it is probably an 8-core ARM chip, and that the processor will come with optimizations for certain tasks. We've seen something similar with the Pixel Visual Core on the Pixel 2, which significantly speeds up photo processing, as well as the Pixel 4 and 4 XL with the Pixel Neural Core. There is of course Titan M, a security chip that helps with the encryption and storage of biometric data. With a processor that is their production, Google could potentially combine all these benefits into one chip.
Unfortunately, when it comes to performance, it seems unlikely that Google's processors will be on par with Qualcomm's top processors. Not only does Qualcomm have many years of industry experience, but the fact that Whitechapel is partnering with Samsung does not inspire much confidence - Exynos processors are often a worse variant than Snapdragon models in equivalent devices.
Are there other benefits?
Probably the biggest benefit of the whole situation will be the software support for Google devices. Although a year ago the company was better than all other competitors in the Android world, they are currently lagging behind Samsung because they offer a year fewer security updates. It is to be hoped that the fact that they will gain better control over the hardware will mean longer software upgrades.
The first devices to come with this processor are internally known as Raven and Oriole, devices that will probably be released this fall, and one of them should be the new Pixel 6.
