- Google has bumped the GPU performance on Pixels by a significant margin.
- Geekbench 6 shows over 25%, 62%, and 32% improvement in Pixel 6, 7a, and 9 Pro XL
- The improvements are believed to be due to Android 16 Beta but could actually be due to a new GPU driver update.
Google Pixels are known for many things, but performance is not one of them. Sure, you won’t notice much of a difference in normal day-to-day tasks, but the script flips once you fire up your favorite game. The Tensor SoCs aren’t great for performance-oriented tasks like gaming, but after the latest Android 16 Beta, Google Pixel phones are getting a boost in GPU performance.
Earlier today, reports of Google Pixel users gaining a massive boost in GPU benchmarks after Android 16 Beta 3 piled up on the r/pixel_phones (subreddit). Users are reporting an almost 25% to 60% increase in Geekbench 6 GPU tests on all Tensor-powered Pixels. Out of all the devices, the Google Pixel 7a seems to have gained the most performance, almost doubling the compute score.
The Pixel 8 and 9 series also saw a significant increase of up to 32%. Whereas the Pixel 6 series saw the least improvement at 23% (in Vulcan), which is still a big difference nonetheless. We tested the claims out on the Pixel 6, 7a, and 9 Pro XL. And sure enough, the GPU benchmark returned quite an improvement.
While most users are attributing Android 16 Beta 3 for the increase in performance, that could be only half true. Android expert Mishaal Rahman believes it’s due to the latest ARM Mali GPU drivers that Google is shipping with Android 16 Beta 3.
Google bumped the Mali GPU Kernel driver to version r52p0. It came out in October last year, and it’s plausible that the gains are due to the same. That said, we haven’t tested the real-life impact of these drivers.
Since Android 16 Beta 3, we’ve noticed great improvements in the animations, the flow of the UI, and tighter haptics. The latter is more noticeable on the Google Pixel 9 series.
What are your thoughts on Google bumping the graphics capabilities of the Tensor SoCs. Did you test it out yourself? Let us know the difference you’ve noticed, if at all, in the comments.
