Google made a big splash yesterday with the launch of four new phones — the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold — that feature new chips, features, and designs. All four phones feature the all-new Tensor G4 chip with up to 16GB of RAM and prices that rival Apple’s high-end iPhones.
With a heavy focus on “Google’s most advanced AI” and the promise of “powerful performance,” you’d think the Tensor G4 would be a powerful mobile chip that would outperform the latest Snapdragon processors and rival the A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro phones. Well, we’ve gotten the first benchmark scores and that’s not quite the case.
Official reviews aren’t live yet, but based on early scores that have been released, Google’s new chip is ideal if you’re looking to upgrade from an iPhone 12 Pro.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Geekbench 6 tests
Results are scores. Highest scores/longest bars are fastest.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL offers a nice boost over the Pixel 8 Pro, which scored around 1,750 (single-core) and 4,250 (multi-core). It’s slightly outpaced by the S24 Ultra, which scored 2,150 (single-core) and over 6,700 (multi-core). But it’s absolutely beaten by the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s A17 Pro, which nearly topped 3,000 and 7,500 in our tests. And that’s with double RAM in the Pixel.
In fact, you have to go back to the iPhone 12 Pro released in 2020, almost 4 years ago, to find a comparable iPhone. And don’t forget that Apple has a brand new chip that will widen the gap even further. Apple is expected to launch the A18 and A18 Pro chips next month with the iPhone 16, with a focus on AI.
