Pixel’s Thermal Challenge: Google’s Internal Documents Reveal Tensor Chip Struggles
Leaked internal documents from Google have revealed a critical issue plaguing their flagship Pixel phone series: the Tensor chip’s tendency to overheat, which is driving away customers in unprecedented numbers.
According to confidential Google slides, thermal issues have emerged as the “#1 reason” for Pixel returns, with a striking 28% of returns citing overheating problems. This revelation comes at a crucial time as Google grapples with maintaining its position in the highly competitive smartphone market.
The documents, which detail plans for future Tensor chipsets, particularly the upcoming Tensor G6 (codenamed “Malibu”), paint a picture of a company actively working to address these concerns. Google’s internal acknowledgment of these issues marks a significant moment of transparency, albeit unintentional, about the challenges facing their custom silicon program.
Battery life, another persistent concern among Pixel users, hasn’t escaped Google’s attention either. According to the company’s internal assessment, “good battery life attracts users and drives loyalty with higher satisfaction”—a clear indication that Google understands the stakes involved in fixing these issues.
Looking ahead to solutions, Google appears to be taking dramatic steps to address these challenges. The company is exploring a significant architectural shift for the Tensor G6, including potential changes that might surprise tech enthusiasts:
- The company is transitioning to TSMC’s more efficient manufacturing processes, which are similar to those used by Apple.
- The die area has decreased from 121 mm2 to roughly 105 mm2.
- Certain features such as ray tracing and GPU virtualization have been removed.
- The design of the core cluster is simplified, with a single prime core (ARM Cortex-A930) and six performance cores (ARM Cortex-X730).
Perhaps most notably, Google is targeting a substantial cost reduction for their Tensor chips, aiming for a target price point of around $65—less than half the estimated $150 cost of Qualcomm’s flagship processors.
The company is also developing innovative solutions, such as a new “Cinematic Rendering Engine” that promises to reduce power consumption during video recording with blur effects by approximately 40%. This improvement could significantly impact both thermal performance and battery life.
Even though Google created these documents prior to the release of the current Tensor G3, which has already shown improvements in both thermal management and battery efficiency, they show the company’s long-term commitment to addressing these fundamental issues.
The road ahead for Google’s custom chip program appears to be one of careful balance—weighing performance against efficiency and features against thermal constraints. As the company looks toward the 2026 release of devices featuring the Tensor G6, these internal documents suggest a clear prioritization of user experience over raw performance metrics.
For current and prospective Pixel users, these revelations provide both concern and hope: while the thermal issues are more widespread than previously known, Google’s concentrated effort to address them suggests future devices may finally overcome these limitations. The success of these efforts could prove crucial for the future of Google’s smartphone ambitions and their custom silicon program as a whole.
As this story continues to develop, one thing remains clear: Google is betting big on fixing these fundamental issues, even if it means making some controversial technical compromises along the way.